Yindyamarra Winhanganha: A conduit to Indigenous cultural proficiency

The First Nations peoples in the United States, Canada, Australia, and around the world are substantially disadvantaged by colonialization, including health inequity. For nuclear medicine, the cultural competence of the staff and cultural proficiency of the institution are important minimum expectations. This minimum can be achieved through a scaffold of Indigenous cultural training and immersion programs that allow the nuclear medicine department to be a culturally safe environment for Indigenous patients. Development of such programs requires careful planning and inclusivity of Indigenous people as the key stakeholders but, done appropriately, can positively drive the Indigenous equity pipeline. Central to this undertaking is an understanding of Indigenous ways of learning and the nexus of these ways of learning and learning taxonomies. There remain substantial gaps between the most culturally insightful and the least culturally insightful (individuals and institutions)—gaps that can be addressed, in part, by rich immersive professional development activities in nuclear medicine targeting cultural proficiency and creating culturally safe clinical environments. The opportunity lies before us to provide leadership in nation building and in yindyamarra winhanganha: living respectfully while creating a world worth living in.