The future of Indigenous health and the pressing issue of getting more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people into medical and health education are the focus of a major symposium at UNSW next week.

The LIME (Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education) Connection II conference will bring together delegates from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific to discuss their experiences in Indigenous health education and practice.

The symposium begins with a public lecture this Sunday (23 September) and continues with a full and dynamic program over the next two days.

Federal Minister for Health, The Hon. Tony Abbott, will address the forum on Monday morning.

Delegates will include medical educators, practitioners, allied health workers, community representatives and those with an interest in Indigenous health.

Keynote speakers include:• Tom Calma - Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner & Acting Race Discrimination Commissioner, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commision • Prof. Ken Wyatt - Director of Aboriginal Health for the WA Department of Health • Dr Kelvin Kong - Australia's first Aboriginal Surgeon and UNSW Graduate• Dr Kekuni Blaisdell - Professor of Medicine and Founding Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Hawaii, USA• Suzanne Pitama - Maori Health Lecturer and Director, Maori/Indigenous Health Institute at the University of Otago in Christchurch, NZ • Prof. Papaarangi Reid - Associate Professor, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Auckland, NZ• Dr John Taylor, Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, ANU• Dr Helen Milroy, Director, Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health, UWA• Dr Lisa Jackson Pulver, Director, Muru Marri Indigenous Health Unit, UNSW

The event is hosted by UNSW's Faculty of Medicine in conjunction with the Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand and the Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association (AIDA).

What: The LIME Connection II public lecture and conferenceWhen: Public lecture - 7.30pm, Sunday 23 September - ALL WELCOME (tickets $15 at door) Conference - Monday and Tuesday 24-25 September, from 9amWhere: John Niland Scientia, UNSW Kensington campus

For more information please visit the website: http://www.limenetwork.net.au