The National Centre for Farmer Health and Deakin University presents the 12-week HMF702 Healthy and Sustainable Agricultural Communities as a fully online unit running from July to October.
Course director of the Graduate Certificate of Agricultural Health and Medicine, Dr. Alison Kennedy says the 12 weeks will provide students with an understanding of the environmental, social, and community stressors that influence the health, wellbeing, and safety of today’s rural and remote communities.
She says the dynamic course material shifts focus with the changing nature of challenges faced by rural and remote agricultural communities–including climate change, disaster recovery, food security, safety culture, and mental health.
“We are offering scholarships by the way of financial support for eligible people who would like to complete the unit, either as a stand-alone unit or part of a larger degree,” Dr Kennedy added.
“The scholarships are always in demand, as is the course. This is a valuable opportunity to gain insights into the issues challenging those living and working in rural areas – providing valuable professional development for a wide range of professional disciplines as diverse as health, mental health, agriculture, and community development. This unit is ideal for people entering a new role and those wanting to expand their skills in an existing role.”
She says the interdisciplinary and real-time nature of the Graduate Certificate of Agricultural Health and Medicine will highlight what is needed to improve the determinants of health in farming communities in Australia and abroad.
Dr Kennedy says the unit is not just for people working in the health professions. She says its primary aim is to help develop the next generation of rural and agricultural health leaders to improve the health, wellbeing, and safety of rural Australians.
Louise Scott, Graduate of the Graduate Certificate of Agricultural Health and Medicine, said “The program enabled me to interact with a variety of other people who are also passionate about rural, remote, and agricultural communities and to gain a broader perspective and understanding about a diverse range of topics spanning across social, cultural and lifestyle factors and challenges for rural health and wellbeing.
Over the course of my career, I have become increasingly driven to raise awareness about the mental and physical health challenges communities are faced with as a result of experiencing challenging events and I now have an academic qualification to add to my toolkit to be able to achieve this. I’ve recently had the privilege of presenting in Hobart at a large national conference and have just been interviewed for a podcast. I’m excited about future possibilities and to be able to advocate for our agricultural communities further and including my new knowledge and utilising my qualification.”
Scholarship applications close on the 12th of June 2022 (extended from the 5th of June 2022). To apply for a scholarship, head to www.farmerhealth.org.au/page/education/what-is-gcahm.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Jacquie Cotton via Jacquie.Cotton@wdhs.net.
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