Proud Alwayarre woman Louise Gilbey and proud Bandjin and Djakunda man Josiah Little have achieved two important milestones that are helping strengthen culturally safe diabetes care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Diabetes Australia has reinforced its commitment to empowering the First Nations diabetes workforce with the appointment of Ms Gilbey as an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Facilitator. At the same time, Mr Little, employed by Queensland Health, has become the first male Aboriginal Health Practitioner in Australia to qualify as a Credentialled Diabetes Educator.

To mark Close the Gap Day, Diabetes Australia is highlighting the achievements of these outstanding individuals.

Ms Gilbey, based in Mount Isa, brings more than 20 years of frontline experience supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across rural and remote Queensland. She made history in 2024 as the first Aboriginal Health Practitioner to qualify as a Credentialled Diabetes Educator. Her new role with Diabetes Australia is focused on delivering education to health professionals and communities across regional and remote Australia.

Ms Gilbey said the role fulfilled a long-held ambition to strengthen diabetes education where it is needed most.

“I applied for this position because it fulfils my dream of travelling to rural and remote areas to provide diabetes education to health professionals and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members,” Ms Gilbey said.

“Promoting prevention and management strategies is something I feel very passionate about. Diabetes Australia is a respected national organisation and I’m proud to be part of it and continue my learning journey.”

In a further milestone for the First Nations health workforce, Mr Little, who was born and raised in Bundaberg, completed postgraduate diabetes education and the required hours of supervised clinical practice to become a CDE. His achievement builds on Ms Gilbey’s historic credentialling and strengthens culturally informed diabetes care for First Nations communities.

Mr Little said family, culture, and community remain central to who he is, shaping both his personal values and professional practice.

“Ultimately, my goal is to support a health system that values Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, embeds cultural capability at all levels, and delivers better health outcomes through genuine partnership with community.”

Diabetes Australia Group CEO Justine Cain said both achievements represented a significant step forward in improving health outcomes and strengthening the First Nations diabetes workforce.

“Louise and Josiah represent the future of diabetes care in Australia, with strong cultural knowledge, deep community connection, and advanced clinical expertise,” Ms Cain said.

“Unfortunately, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are more than three times as likely to live with diabetes and are more likely to experience serious complications. Expanding the number of First Nations Credentialled Diabetes Educators is essential to addressing these urgent challenges.

“Culturally safe care delivered by First Nations health professionals improves trust, engagement, and outcomes.

“Louise’s leadership in delivering education across rural and remote Australia, and Josiah’s historic achievement as the first male Aboriginal Health Practitioner to become a CDE, will help ensure more people receive care that is culturally appropriate, trusted, and effective,” she said.

ADEA CEO Melanie Morris congratulated Ms Gilbey and Mr Little on becoming CDEs and their career choices.

“We are incredibly proud of Louise and Josiah’s achievements,” Ms Morris said.

“As the impact of diabetes continues to be felt across communities, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, growing a culturally safe and community-connected specialist workforce is essential to ensuring people can access high-quality education and care close to home.

“ADEA is committed to supporting more First Nations health professionals to gain credentialling as it is an important step toward strengthening self-determination and delivering care that is culturally informed and community led.”

The CDE title is awarded by ADEA through a structured national credentialling pathway that combines postgraduate study in diabetes education, supervised practice, mentoring and workplace-based assessment to ensure consistent, high professional standards.

In a further development amplifying leadership in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander diabetes workforce, Diabetes Australia’s Lead Diabetes Educator for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement, Aunty Grace Ward, an Adjunct Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney, was part of the UTS team who was recently recognised for the pioneering “Walking Together: a Parallel Practice” model. The model is delivered as part of the UTS Graduate Certificate in Diabetes Education and Management, an ADEA-accredited program that forms a step within the ADEA’s credentialling pathway to become a CDE.

ADEA Vice President Dr Shannon Lin, also a Senior Lecturer and Diabetes Course Director at the UTS, Professor Lynn Sinclair, Dr Wenbo Peng, and Aunty Grace received an AAUT Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning for 2025 for the model.

The AAUT, coordinated by Universities Australia, recognises excellence and innovation in learning and teaching across the higher education sector, with citations recognising individuals or teams who have made a significant and sustained contribution to improving the quality of student learning.

Learn more about the ADEA credentialling pathway to become a CDE: https://www.adea.com.au/cde-pathway