Jessie Barnes-Hill

Jessie is a proud Wiradjuri woman and First Nations Health Project Coordinator at The University of Melbourne Department of Rural Health.

She has deep connections to Yorta Yorta Country (Shepparton) and is bringing up her family on Country.

“My lifelong aspirations are to make meaningful contributions toward achieving health, educational and economic parity for mob, both within my local community and more broadly across the nation,” she says.

Jessie was awarded a scholarship of $5500 to participate in the Melbourne Poche Indigenous Health Leadership program – a richly interconnected and interactive program supporting the development of Indigenous health leaders.  Jessie is also a recipient of the Aunty Joan Vickery scholarship.

Jessie has diverse experience within health and community settings, spanning across early childhood development, families, Elder care, youth and education.

In 2025, Jessie commenced a Master of Public Health at The University of Melbourne.