Rate My Professor Louise Austen

Louise Austen serves as Senior Lecturer in Aboriginal Health within the School of Medicine, Curtin Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences at Curtin University. A Whadjuk Noongar woman born in Perth on her father's country, she blends English, Irish, Welsh, and Swedish heritage with strong family ties to the Ballardong and Yued Noongar communities. Her career trajectory spans nursing, environmental education, and academia. She began as a registered nurse, progressed to teaching environmental education, and spent ten years delivering Aboriginal and environmental programs for the Department of Environment and Conservation. Austen earned a Bachelor of Arts in Politics, International Relations, and History with a minor in Archaeology from the University of Western Australia. While completing her Master's in International Relations there, she worked as a research assistant to Professor Dawn Bessarab.

At Curtin University, Austen coordinated the Indigenous Cultures and Health unit for five semesters, an initiative that received a 2014 Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning in the Australian Awards for University Teaching. This program, developed through partnerships with Aboriginal organizations and community members, equips health science students with knowledge of Indigenous Australian history, diversity, cultural ways, and safety practices essential for health professions. She contributed to the Working Together: Intercultural Academic Leadership project, enhancing health science educators' capacity to teach Indigenous health and culture. In 2023, Austen co-authored the conference paper 'A New Model to Teach Cultural Capabilities' at the Australian Association for Research in Education, advancing reflective practices and cultural security in the Indigenous Cultures and Health Behaviours unit. Previously, she held a Senior Lecturer position in Aboriginal Health at the University of Notre Dame Australia. Austen presents on growing culturally safe health practitioner workforces, including at the 2025 Australian Society of Lifestyle Medicine Roadshow in Perth.