Nurse, health leader and academic Dr Ali Drummond has been named a 2026 QUT Outstanding Alumnus for his work leading national efforts to strengthen the Indigenous nursing and midwifery workforce and improve health outcomes for First Nations communities.
The honour was announced at the annual QUT Outstanding Alumni Awards last night (October 29) at the university's Gardens Point campus in Brisbane.
Dr Drummond completed his PhD at QUT in 2023, and a Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice in 2015.
He is Chief Executive Officer of the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM), the national peak body representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses, midwives and students.
The role sees him work with governments, regulators, educational institutions and professional bodies to increase Indigenous representation and influence across Australia's healthcare system.
Dr Ali Drummond is a Meriam and Erubam man of Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait) and a Wuthathi man from Far North Queensland.
"I come from Thursday Island, but I now live in Canberra because it's important to be here, to be included in important conversations and to elevate the voices of our communities in discussions about what our needs are," he said.
Dr Drummond grew up on Thursday Island with seven siblings and credits his mother, a Torres Strait Islander health worker, with inspiring his career.
"Mum was very well respected by the community," he said.
"Looking back, I understand those people respected mum because of the important role she played in delivering healthcare to our community.
"For me, that was an important part of deciding on a career in health."
Dr Drummond began his career providing primary healthcare and aged care services in the Torres Strait while studying nursing.
These experiences shaped his lifelong commitment to community-led healthcare.
A key focus of his work today is embedding cultural safety and anti-racism across nursing and midwifery education, regulation and practice.
"One of the significant roles I play in supporting the next generation of nurses and midwives is providing national leadership in cultural safety and anti-racism within nursing and midwifery," he said.
"It's about creating the right conditions. We work with key institutions, regulators, accreditation bodies and practice areas so they understand what cultural safety truly means and embed it into everything they do."
Dr Drummond said one of the biggest challenges facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people accessing healthcare was a lack of trust in health services, driven by historical and ongoing experiences of racism.
"If we can't connect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with the services they need because they feel unsafe, there's no way we can get anywhere close to closing the gap," he said.
Reflecting on what continues to motivate him, Dr Drummond said his focus remained firmly on community and family.
"I get to influence a lot of institutions – I sit at a lot of tables providing advice and guidance, and sometimes those conversations are difficult,” he said.
"But I persevere because I enjoy the work and because I know that if our communities are going to benefit, someone has to have those hard conversations.
"That's my biggest motivator. I want better opportunities and better outcomes for my community and my family."
Media contact: QUT Media, media@qut.edu.au
