Leaders in Indigenous Pharmacy Profession Education (LIPPE) Network

Welcome to the Leaders in Indigenous Pharmacy Profession Education (LIPPE) Network!

Our vision is to transform the pharmacist workforce by enabling Indigenous leadership in the delivery of pharmacist education and the practice of pharmacy.

Culturally safe pharmacy practice can only be achieved when Indigenous leadership is empowered so that Indigenous values can shape the context of service delivery.

The Journey

We are so excited to be on this journey led by the deadly Indigenous Health Strategy Group.

Cultural safety webinars

This journey began with conversations in 2021 where APC published the literature review on embedding cultural safety in pharmacy education and assessments and delivered a webinar series led by Indigenous pharmacists.

Our Podcast

You can also hear about our journey through our podcast - Talkin' Bout a LIPPE Evolution.

Listen to the podcast

Partnership

The LIPPE network is a partnership of the Australian Pharmacy Council, and the Council of Pharmacy Schools Australia and New Zealand.

Under the leadership of Indigenous pharmacists, and in collaboration with other individuals and organisations, LIPPE will foster transformational change in the pharmacy workforce beginning with the recruitment and retention of students to the provision of care in practice settings.

Through truth telling and respectful listening, this partnership will role model a strengths-based approach for culturally safe pharmacy practice.

We acknowledge with deep regret the ongoing impact of racism on the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians as outlined in the National Rural Health Commissioner’s Position Statement – Impacts of racism on the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians.

We are committed to doing our part to eliminate racism in pharmacy services.

Objectives of LIPPE

Keep an eye out for our LIPPE strategy coming soon.

1. Support pharmacy programs in the development and delivery of Indigenous health content in pharmacy curricula and assessments.
2. Support pharmacy programs to embed processes and tools for monitoring and evaluating Indigenous health content in pharmacy curricula and assessments.
3. Support pharmacy programs to identify and implement effective strategies for recruitment and retention of Indigenous pharmacy students.
4. Identify and share resources for Indigenising pharmacy curriculum and graduating Indigenous students.
5. Support pharmacy programs to engage with Indigenous community-controlled health organisations and to increase opportunities for appropriate clinical placements for non-Indigenous students.
6. Support pharmacy programs to provide culturally safe clinical placements opportunities for First Nations students.
7. Encourage co-design and co-produce research that is culturally driven and supports identified needs of communities.
8. Be a peer network for professional development and support (share challenges and celebrate successes).
9. Work collaboratively with other health professionals.
10. Work collaboratively with pharmacy business owners (and through relevant organisations) to support culturally safe pharmacy services.
11. Advocate for reform within the pharmacy sector to improve Indigenous health outcomes.

LIPPE at Noon webinars

In 2022 we met with our LIPPE family to discuss current landscapes and future opportunities.

Read the stories from each webinar:

• Why LIPPE? What will it do? A yarn with Faye McMillan - provided an introduction to the LIPPE Network, why we've formed it, and what pledges the LIPPE community would make going forward.
• Cultural safety: Hearing from other health professions - gave insight into experiences regarding cultural safety and responsiveness across health professions, and what a Strengths Based Approach looks like.
• What pharmacy academics say about cultural safety curriculum design - Alex Burke's research gave us insight into how pharmacy academics feel about the current design of cultural safety curriculum.

Behind our logo

Our logo symbolises our desire to walk forward in partnership and cause a ripple effect in our communities. Created by Sarah Richards, the artwork is part of the "A Step in the Right Direction" commissioned by the APC.

Acknowledgement

We gratefully acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands on which we live in today. We pay our respects to the resilience, strength and wisdom of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, past, present and emerging across the nation.

We recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ vast knowledge in native plants and their uses. They were our first pharmacists. Country has provided medicines and healing throughout history. We acknowledge this important connection to Country and the impacts colonisation continues to have on this integral practice.