Faye McMillan facts for kids

Faye Beverley McMillan AM was born on March 24, 1971. She is an amazing Australian academic and a pharmacist. She is well-known for her important work in making healthcare better for Indigenous Australians.

In 2023, she received a special award called the Australian Harkness Fellowship. This award helps people study healthcare policy. Faye is also a Senior Atlantic Fellow for Social Equity. This means she works to make society fairer for everyone. She is also a Senior Fellow with Advance HE, which supports higher education.

Faye helped start a group called Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA). She was a board member from 2009 to 2017 and even led the group as chairperson from 2010 to 2016. She joined the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in 2022. She has over 20 years of experience in universities and more than 30 years working in health.

Faye's Early Life and Learning

Faye McMillan is a proud Wiradjuri woman. She was born in Bowral, New South Wales, Australia. She grew up in a town called Trangie, New South Wales.

She studied hard and earned her Bachelor of Pharmacy degree in 2001. She got this degree from Charles Sturt University. After that, she completed a special training year in Wagga Wagga.

Her Education Journey

Faye has continued to learn throughout her life. Here are some of her important qualifications:

• 2022: Master of Social Change and Leadership from the University of Melbourne.
• 2016: Doctor of Health Science from Charles Sturt University. For this, she wrote about what leadership means to Indigenous women leaders.
• 2016: Graduate Certificate in Wiradjuri Language, Culture and Heritage from Charles Sturt University. This helped her learn more about her own culture.
• 2006: Master of Indigenous Health Studies from the University of Wollongong.
• 2001: Bachelor of Pharmacy from Charles Sturt University.

Special Fellowships

Faye has also been recognized with several important fellowships:

• Harkness Fellow: This is a special award from The Commonwealth Fund.
• Lifelong Atlantic Fellow for Social Equity: This fellowship helps people work on social fairness.
• Senior Fellow of Advance HE: This shows her high level of experience in higher education.
• Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia: This is a high honor for pharmacists.

Faye's Career and Impact

Faye McMillan made history as Australia's first registered Aboriginal pharmacist. She has worked in many different places, including the Tiwi Islands in Australia and even in Vancouver, Canada.

As an Atlantic Fellow, she focuses on supporting mental health. She is a founding member and was the former leader of Indigenous Allied Health Australia. This group helps Indigenous people working in health.

Faye currently works as a Professor of Indigenous Health at University Technology Sydney (UTS). She travels between Sydney and Wagga Wagga for her work. Before UTS, she worked at the University of New South Wales. She was also an Associate Professor at Charles Sturt University.

She is also one of two Deputy National Rural Health Commissioners. This means she helps improve health services for people living in rural areas of Australia.

In 2019, Faye was chosen to be a director on The Australian Pharmacy Council board. In 2022, this council started a new group called The Leaders in Indigenous Pharmacy Profession Education (LIPPE) Network. This network helps educate future Indigenous pharmacists.

Awards and Recognitions

Faye McMillan has received many awards for her dedication and hard work:

• 2014: She was named one of the 100 Women of Influence by Westpac and Australian Financial Review.
• 2019: She was named the New South Wales Aboriginal Woman of the Year.
• 2021: She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). This high honor was given for her "significant service to Indigenous mental health, and to tertiary education."
• 2022: She was named Pharmacist of the Year at the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia's Excellence Awards.
• 2023: She became a Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.
• 2023: She received the Alumni Award for Professional Excellence from the University of Wollongong.

Selected Publications

Faye McMillan has also written important articles and chapters in books. These writings share her knowledge and research with others. Here are a few examples:

• F McMillan and others (2010): "Person-centred care as caring for country: An indigenous Australia Experience." This article talks about how caring for people is like caring for the land in Indigenous Australia.
• C. Schultz and others (2014): "Chapter 13: Interdisciplinary Care to Enhance Mental Health and Social Emotional Wellbeing." This chapter is about how different health workers can team up to improve mental health.
• Y. Akama and others (2017): "Designing digital and creative scaffolds to strengthen Indigenous nations: being Wiradjuri by practising sovereignty." This article explores how digital tools can help strengthen Indigenous communities.
• M. McMillan, F. McMillan, S. Rigney (2016): "Is indigenous National Building capable of strengthening and improving Indigenous holistic health outcomes: Retelling the right to health." This discusses how building strong Indigenous nations can improve health.