Melbourne Poche Indigenous Health Leadership program

The Melbourne Poche Indigenous Health Leadership Program is an exciting opportunity to explore your leadership potential, affect change in Indigenous health and broaden your ideas of leadership and networking.

Designed for Indigenous health professionals with sound experience working in the health sector in community, policy, academia, government or clinical areas with leadership responsibilities.

Program aims

• To elevate and progress disciplinary and industry engagement in Indigenous health, by fusing Indigenous knowledges and values, with political and social theories.
• To develop the confidence, self-efficacy, motivation and sense of purpose of program participants, the Fellows.
• To bring Fellows together in a richly interconnected and interactive program, supporting their development as Indigenous health leaders.

Each module is delivered across different contexts to foster engagement, collaboration and leadership diversity

• Storying Indigenous health leadership and philosophy (Module 1)
• Positioning Indigenous health leadership globally (Module 2)
• Harnessing local Indigenous health leadership (Module 3)

The Program supports Fellows to

• Engage with Indigenous leadership philosophies
• Increase awareness of their own leadership potential
• Gain insights to improving Indigenous health outcomes
• Build richer, stronger and more diverse networks across the health sector
• Develop a personal leadership narrative
• Extend intellectual development and understanding of Indigenous health leadership discourse, models and theories
• Connect with national and international Indigenous health leaders

What's included during 2026

• International and interstate* travel during 2026 is for the following indicative dates, not including travel to and from the destinations
  • 16 - 20 March - Melbourne and Wilsons Promontory, Victoria for Module 1
  • 1 - 5 June - Toronto, Canada for Module 2
  • 24 - 28 August -  Moama and Shepparton, Victoria for Module 3
• Accommodation
• Most meals
• Program materials, including workbooks and textbooks

*For Fellows living outside Victoria

Investment

There is a $5,500 fee for the program. This fee goes toward a small portion of the program costs and is only payable once Fellows have been accepted. As a professional development program, there is an expectation employers will cover this fee.

There will be modest out of pocket expenses for some meals, short uber/taxi travel and other minor expenses during the program.

A number of scholarships are available to applicants working at an ACCHO, and two scholarships are available for applicants working at a MACH partner organisation.

Commitment

• This comprehensive program will demand a substantial time and energy commitment from Fellows to assist them in their leadership development.
• Prior to applying for the program, please ensure you are available to attend all three modules and are willing to undertake the necessary travel both domestically and internationally.
• It is critical you have the support of your work/study supervisor and organisation to attend.
• Necessary paperwork, including Health and Safety Risk Assessments and website profiles are part of the program. It is expected you respond promptly to these requests.

Important information

Travel

A valid Australian or New Zealand passport with at least six months validity from the date of travel is essential.

A reasonable level of fitness is required as there is a certain amount of walking, including off-road. Please contact Emily or Joshua to discuss any accessibility questions.

Accommodation

There will be a range of accommodation, including shared cabins. We will not accommodate partners or family members during the modules.

Partners, family or friends

Given the nature of the program and the commitment required, it is expected that Fellows are focused on the program and the cohort, which includes evening events and collective meals.

The program does not support partners, family members or friends travelling alongside Fellows for any of the modules.

The 2026 program selections have closed

Please complete the Expression of Interest for 2027