I've worked with and for young people for over 20 years and been lucky enough to have done this in many different ways.
I work as a medical doctor with young people in western Sydney who are homeless or otherwise marginalised, and as an academic at The University of Technology University doing research and teaching. I have done a lot of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching as well as training of general practitioners, nurses and other health professionals. My research is in the areas of access to health care and adolescent sexuality and sexual health, and I love having young people involved in guiding, advising and shaping our research projects.
I've also written the Dolly Doctor column for over 20 years and it's been a real privilege to interact with young people in this way as well. I was a member of AAAH in its early days in the 1980s and 90s and was thrilled when it got rejuvenated in 2011. I see an association like this as a great way of bringing together young people and those who work with and for them to give a united, powerful voice to youth health.
