Rate My Professor Peter O'Mara

Professor Peter O’Mara, a proud Wiradjuri man from northeast Wiradjuri Country, serves as Director of the Thurru Indigenous Health Unit in the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Newcastle, within the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing. He earned his Bachelor of Medicine (BMed) from the University of Newcastle in 1998 and became a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP) in 2009. Before pursuing medicine, O’Mara left school after year 10 and worked as a fitter machinist and mine mechanic in the Hunter Valley coal mines following an apprenticeship. A motor vehicle accident at age 19 that injured his back led to a career shift; he completed a matriculation course, studied psychology, sociology, and biology for a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Newcastle, and was inspired by a television interview with the first Indigenous doctors from the university to apply successfully to medical school. With over 25 years as a medical doctor, he practices clinically as a General Practitioner at Tobwabba Aboriginal Medical Service in Forster, NSW, and previously helped establish a bulk-billing clinic in Port Macquarie.

O’Mara has held prominent leadership positions, including President of the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association from 2009 to 2013, Chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Faculty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, and Chair of the NSW Rural Doctors Network. He previously served as Head of the Discipline of Indigenous Health and Director of the Wollotuka Institute at the University of Newcastle. A vocal advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues, including the national Raise the Age campaign, he advances Indigenous medical education and support through Thurru, aiding recruitment and pathways for Indigenous students into medicine and health programs. His research interests encompass Indigenous medical education governance, cultural safety in healthcare, and smoking cessation supports for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women during pregnancy. Notable publications include 'The role of governance in Indigenous medical education research' (2021), 'Building an Indigenous-Led Evidence Base for Smoking Cessation Care among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women during Pregnancy and Beyond: Research Protocol for the Which Way? Project' (2021), 'The Indigenous Counselling and Nicotine (ICAN) QUIT in Pregnancy Pilot Study' (2017), and contributions to studies on human research ethics processes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research (2025).