We are delighted to announce that a presentation co-authored by Prima Nota Chair Nina Iouguina and Dr Shawn O’Donnell has been accepted for the FECCA 2026 Conference in Canberra.
The presentation brings together two complementary perspectives.
Dr O’Donnell draws on more than 30 years of medical practice with marginalised and Indigenous communities across Canada, Australia, Ireland and the United States. At times, he was the only medical doctor serving communities across hundreds of kilometres in northern Canada.
Nina brings more than 20 years of community work, extensive board and executive governance experience, and a background in data analysis, evaluation and leadership. Her own life has crossed the former Soviet Union, the United States, Canada and Australia, giving her a deeply personal as well as professional understanding of migration, institutions and belonging.
Together, they examine whether behaviours commonly attributed to “cultural difference” may also be shaped by poverty, housing insecurity, trauma, institutional distrust, difficulty navigating systems and the absence of belonging.
Their presentation asks an important question:
How can services respond effectively if structural marginalisation is mistaken for culture?
We are enormously proud to see this important contribution joining the national conversation on multiculturalism, equity and belonging.
#FECCA2026 #MulticulturalAustralia #HealthEquity #IndigenousHealth #SocialInclusion
