Congratulations to Laura Gray on her ANZAHPE Fellowship!

Laura Gray is Director of the Damion Drapac Centre for Equity in Health Professions Education at Deakin University, where she works to create more inclusive, equitable, and socially accountable health professions education. Her research and leadership focus on improving educational experiences and outcomes for students from diverse backgrounds, with a particular interest in ensuring that all learners can participate, thrive, and contribute meaningfully to the health workforce.

Laura brings together research, educational leadership, and sector collaboration to address complex challenges in health professions education. She works closely with educators, researchers, students, and community partners to translate evidence into practical change, supporting more inclusive learning environments, assessment practices, and institutional policies.

Her work is grounded in a belief that educational systems should recognise and value learner diversity, foster agency and belonging, and create cultures of respect, compassion, and inclusion. 

Laura's research explores how health professions education can become more equitable, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of diverse learners. Her interests include equity and participation in health professions education, inclusive educational policy and practice, learner wellbeing and belonging, and assessment approaches that support learner agency and success.

A major current focus of her work is disability inclusion and neurodiversity in health professions education. She is particularly interested in understanding the experiences of neurodivergent students, the barriers they encounter within educational and clinical training environments, and the institutional changes needed to create genuinely neuro-affirming cultures and practices.

More broadly, her research examines how educational systems, policies, and professional cultures shape access, participation, and success, with the goal of informing practical reforms that improve outcomes for learners, educators, and institutions.