Professor Kimberley Norris | The University of Tasmania
Extreme and unusual environments have been referred to as ‘natural laboratories’ for studying human health and behaviour. However, to date the learnings from these environments have been largely overlooked in mainstream healthcare contexts. Given increasing demands on healthcare services in the context of limited resources, evolving healthcare needs, and patient intersectionality it is arguable that what we once considered extreme may be our ‘new normal’. As such, we need to find safe, sustainable methods for ensuring healthcare for all. With an emphasis on mental health and wellbeing, this presentation provide a research and practice context for applying findings from extreme and unusual environments to your own practice and challenge you to apply this framework to ensure healthcare equity and access for all.