Award-winning social worker, national advisor, and PhD researcher Michael Elwan presents on lived experience leadership in academia at the Service Users in Academia Symposium (SUAS) 2025.

This week, something happened that still feels surreal to write. I have been appointed to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) Board’s Accreditation Committee ; a role that brings lived experience leadership and cultural safety into the heart of national health governance. Even as I type these words, I pause. Because this isn’t just a professional milestone - it’s a deeply personal one. It’s a reflection of a journey that began not in boardrooms or le

I was recently invited to participate in an on-camera SafeSide interview  with the team at SafeSide Prevention Australia , as part of their commitment to strengthening culturally responsive suicide prevention approaches across Western Australia. This opportunity was more than just an interview; it was a meaningful dialogue about what safety, support, and connection truly mean for people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD)  backgrounds who may be experiencing sui

I am deeply honoured to share that I’ve been appointed to Suicide Prevention Australia’s National Lived Experience Panel . As the national peak body for suicide prevention, Suicide Prevention Australia’s commitment to embedding lived experience leadership is more than symbolic; it’s transformative. It recognises that those who have walked through loss, grief, and survival must have a voice in shaping the future of suicide prevention in Australia. This appointment is profoundl