Speakers
Francis Nona
Lecturer, Curumba Institute, QLD University of Technology
Building Regional Capabilities – Working with First Nations Communities
Mr Francis Nona (BN, MPH and PhD Candidate) is a proud Torres Strait Islander man. He is a Lecturer in the Curumba Institute at the Queensland University of Technology. In this role, he provides education and is a researcher across a range of topic areas (including nursing, nutrition, climate change, pandemics, health communication and community-led research).
He is a Registered Nurse and an emerging leader for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equity. As a Torres Strait Islander, he has personal lived experience of living and working with both urban and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia.
Mr Nona has worked in clinical settings as a Registered Nurse including juvenile detention centres, aged care, rehabilitation units, brain injury rehabilitation, and Aboriginal Medical Services. He has also managed and led Aboriginal Medical Services in his role as acting CEO and Clinic Manager. He has his nursing degree, Master of Public Health and now enrolled is his PhD with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Queensland.
He is a member of several Boards and Committees across health services (private and public) to provide direction in the provision of culturally appropriate healthcare. He also works closely with Brisbane Schools (public and private) including primary and secondary students, as part of efforts to drive the Reconciliation Action Plans of schools and direct support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
Francis is passionate about the importance of reconciliation to address inequity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.