Dr Ella Heggen - General Practice Registrars Australia

Meet Dr Ella Heggen:

GPRA Ada Wilmadda Parry Aboriginal Health Scholarship recipient in 2024

In the remote and culturally rich landscapes of the Northern Territory, the profound need for culturally sensitive healthcare cannot be overstated.

This is a mission Dr Ella Heggen, one of the recipients of the GPRA Ada Wilmadda Parry Aboriginal Health Scholarship, has embraced with unwavering dedication.

The Ada Wilmadda Parry Aboriginal Health Scholarship is named in honour of Ada Wilmadda Parry, a pioneer and revered Cultural Educator in the Northern Territory.

With over 30 years of experience, Parry has been a vocal advocate for the importance of cultural training for GPs working in the NT, helping to ensure Indigenous families do not struggle to be understood culturally and linguistically by medical practitioners.

Receiving the $5,000 Ada Wilmadda Parry Aboriginal Health Scholarship is a significant milestone for Ella, who has a passion for improving Indigenous health and fostering better cultural and linguistic understanding between Aboriginal patients and GPs.

“I feel very grateful to be recognised for my work as a GP registrar in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health,” she reflects.

“It is an area of general practice that has so many challenges, but equally, I find it so rewarding.

“Living in a remote community comes with many additional costs, such as the higher price of groceries and the cost of travelling to see family and friends.

“This award will assist with these financial pressures, as well as helping me to invest back into the community I live and work in.”

Ella’s journey in medicine began far from the NT.

“I grew up in a small town just outside Geelong in Victoria,” she recalls.

“We all rode our bikes every morning to the local primary school and spent evenings playing outside with our friends.”

Her passion for science, particularly biology, was evident from an early age, leading her to pursue a degree in Biomedical Science at Deakin University.

She then completed her postgraduate medicine at Deakin, training at the clinical school in Ballarat.

Now, Ella calls Yolŋu land, in Nhulunbuy, her home.

She works part-time at Gove District Hospital in the emergency department and part-time at Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation in Yirrkala, a community about 20 minutes’ drive from Nhulunbuy.

Her decision to move to the NT was initially driven by a locum emergency doctor position.

“After working in the hospital system in Victoria during the COVID-19 outbreak, I thought it was time to give general practice a go,” she explains.

“I wanted a job where I would see the same patients again and again, building a therapeutic relationship, and one where I don’t routinely need to work night shifts.”

Ella’s passion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health is palpable.

“Since moving to the NT in early 2021, I have worked primarily with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and done the majority of my GP training in the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO) setting,” she says.

“I feel this is my ‘calling’ in medicine and will be a lifelong passion for me.”

One of the significant challenges Ella faces in her career is the public perception of GPs.

“The phrase ‘just a GP’ is hard to hear when, in many ways, I find working in a clinic much more challenging than hospital-based medicine,” she says.

“It requires a very broad skill set and precise clinical decision-making skills.

“In a single day, I often manage a wide variety of presentations, varying from paediatrics, antenatal care, chronic disease, geriatrics, palliative care, mental health, and more.

“Although enjoyable, it is challenging to switch between so many different areas of medicine and make sound clinical decisions in short time frames.”

Despite these challenges, the rewards are immense.

“Recently, I attended the farewelling ceremony for a patient who passed away,” she says.

“My clinic and I had been very involved in his care towards the end of his life and were able to facilitate his wish to die at home.

“The family invited us to be there at the ceremony, and it was extremely humbling to be included.

“I felt incredibly privileged to have been involved in the care both before and after his death, and to sit alongside his family and grieve together.”

“The phrase ‘just a GP’ is hard to hear when, in many ways, I find working in a clinic much more challenging than hospital-based medicine..."

Looking ahead, Ella envisions herself continuing to work in ACCHOs long-term.

“I feel passionate about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, and I believe the ACCHO structure of primary care is more holistic and team-based than private general practice.”

Ella’s dedication to improving Indigenous health and fostering cultural understanding exemplifies the spirit of the Ada Wilmadda Parry Aboriginal Health Scholarship.

Her journey serves as an inspiration to many, highlighting the importance of culturally sensitive healthcare and the impact of dedicated professionals committed to making a difference.

Dr Heggen will be officially presented with her scholarship at a special dinner on 7 September in Darwin during the inaugural GPRA NT Annual GP Registrars Forum event (6-8 September).

Find out more about the NT Forum, and secure your place