Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander PIF members

I am a proud Wathaurong woman from Little River, and am the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health Liaison Officer at RANZCP. I'm here to lend an ear, answer your questions, and help you find the right support within the College. Have a yarn with me at Chanelle.Martin@ranzcp.org.

I applied to medical school with the intention of pursuing psychiatry after being exposed to psychology during my medical education. I first heard of the Psychiatry Interest Forum (PIF) in a student-run newsletter at The University of Queensland (UQ), where the 2023 PIF retreat was being advertised. I immediately applied, and a few weeks later, I received an acceptance email. I was working the opening night for a new exhibition at UQ’s Art Museum and let out an audible squeal in the gallery. After a few side glances from visitors and perhaps the fastest reply email I have ever sent, I confirmed that I would love to attend.  

I was quite nervous to attend the retreat, having never attended a medical conference or event before. However, my nerves were quickly abated once I met some of the other medical students. The group was diverse, but we all connected on a few shared interests and hobbies. Many of us were frequent readers and interested in the intersection between the human experience and science, a few were keen runners and got up early to get a “group run” in (personally, I couldn’t think of anything worse), and almost every single one of us wanted to know how we could use our medical education and future careers to support and promote good mental health for our communities.  

At the end of the retreat, I not only connected with like-minded peers, but also gained knowledge that few medical students have access to. Several leaders in the medical field shared their authentic experiences throughout medical school, the specialised training program, and their respective careers. Their openness confirmed my interest in psychiatry and made it seem much more attainable. 

More recently, I was fortunate enough to also attend the RANZCP conference in Boorloo (Perth) and had an amazing experience that exceeded my already high expectations. The passion and commitment to psychiatry and mental health was evident in every talk I listened to and every space I walked into. Of particular interest to me were the talks on Indigenous and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) psychiatry and practice. Indeed, meeting Professor Helen Milroy, the first Indigenous psychiatrist, was an absolute highlight; she is an amazing woman who brings such cultural strength and humility to her work. As an Yuggera woman, she is someone I look up to, and I cannot stress enough how thankful I am to PIF and RANZCP for these opportunities.