The Universities Summit took place in Canberra last week, bringing together academic leaders from across the country, with representatives from industry and government.
ICFHS Director Professor Michael Kidd AO participated in a panel discussion at the Universities Australia Solutions Summit aimed at identifying national and global health workforce challenges and possible solutions. The panel highlighted the important role universities play, and the obligations of our universities to the communities they serve, in the sustainability of our healthcare system. Professor Michael Kidd reinforced the importance of universities ensuring their healthcare graduates are “job ready”, which not only includes clinical skills, but also includes understanding the impact on health systems of the role of new technologies, the effects of climate change, the responsibilities to ageing populations, and preparedness for future pandemics.
“We also need to be teaching our students about their role in addressing the world's greatest health challenge, which is the inequities that we see in healthcare access and outcomes, both in Australia and around the world,” said Professor Kidd.