The Australian Islamic Medical Association (AIMA) NSW will hold its State Conference, Caring Together: Advancing Health Across Communities and Professions, on Saturday 29 August 2026 at Western Sydney University’s Bankstown Campus. The one-day event, approved for 6 hours of RACGP CPD, has already sold more than 80% of available tickets.
The conference brings together clinicians, researchers and community advocates for a series of sessions examining culturally responsive healthcare across the lifespan, from how bias shapes clinical interactions to end-of-life care and the wellbeing of health professionals themselves.
The session, Bias, Barriers and Better Care: Rethinking Women’s Health, with Dr Nora Salem, Dr Marrwah Ahmadzai, Abeda Iqbal and Dr Sadia Hossain looks at how women’s health concerns are often dismissed or minimised in clinical settings – from delayed diagnoses and undertreated pain to underscreened domestic and family violence, and what clinicians can do to ensure women feel heard, respected and supported.
Cardiologist Dr Faraz Pathan, Director of Cardiology Imaging and Head of Heart Research at Nepean Hospital, will present The Death of Diet and Exercise? Cardiometabolic Health in CALD Communities, questioning whether standard cardiovascular risk tools serve Asian, African and Middle Eastern populations, and offering a framework grounded in both evidence-based medicine and Islamic lifestyle principles.
Other sessions include Dr Alina Mahmoud on compassionate, culturally responsive cancer care; Clinical and Forensic Psychologist Hanan Dover on recognising and supporting neurodivergent Muslims and their families; and an expert panel on end-of-life care through an Islamic lens featuring Dr Asif Raza, Dr Zujaj Quadri and Sooaad Dahoud.
The program also turns to the profession itself. Nick Hanna and Nikolai Haddad will unpack the medicolegal frameworks health professionals need to navigate in the current climate, while Dr Omer Shareef will speak on clinician wellbeing and burnout – a topic organisers say is increasingly urgent across the sector.
Held at Western Sydney University’s Bankstown campus, the conference includes morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea, with prayer breaks built into the day’s schedule.
With registrations reaching capacity, AIMA NSW says the conference reflects growing demand among health professionals for spaces that combine clinical rigour with cultural and faith-informed context. Tickets are available at aima.org.au/nswcon.
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