Dr Doseena Fergie

Dr Doseena Fergie s a recognised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elder. A Lecturer specialising in Indigenous Health and Culture and an Early Career Researcher at the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne.

Doseena Fergie is a registered nurse, midwife and maternal and child health nurse, with a PhD on Womens Business. Her thesis explored the postnatal depression experienced by Aboriginal women residing in Victoria. Doseena previously worked as a Clinical Coordinator for the Aboriginal Health Team within Eastern Health for 11 years.

She has lived in Victoria for the past 20 years with her family. Born and raised on Thursday Island, her Torres Strait ancestry comes from Mabuiag Island, her Aboriginal heritage from Wuthathi country, Cape York, and her Asian ancestry from Ambon in Indonesia.

Doseena is the founding member of the Healesville Indigenous Community Services Association, Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering Place and Boorndawan Wilam Healing Service in the Eastern Metropolitan Region. In 2016 Doseena was inducted into the Victorian Women’s Hall of Fame. In 2017 she was voted Citizen of the Year by the Yarra Ranges Council for her work in Indigenous health.

Doseena is the inaugural Fellow of CATSINaM (the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Indigenous Nurses and Midwives) and has just returned from a three month round the world study tour as a Churchill Fellow. Her study was to listen to the community stories and observe the impact of intergenerational trauma on Indigenous nations and the ways in which these resilient nations have rejuvenated their cultural identity and sense of belonging. Her aim is to share knowledge and network these communities and organisations within the Australian context.