‘In Otio cum Dignitate esse Possent’ [‘The Enjoyment of Worthiness in Leisure’]: Professor John Boulton on Health, History, and Intergenerational Trauma

Abstract:Emeritus Professor John Boulton was the Foundation Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Newcastle's medical school and now has honorary academic affiliations in Medical Humanities with Sydney Health Ethics at the University of Sydney, and in Aboriginal Child Health at the Telethon Kids Institute, Perth. In 2011 he was awarded the Howard Williams Medal for his career contribution to Paediatrics and Child Health by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. After his retirement from academic practice he worked for ten years as senior pediatrician to the Kimberley health region. In this interview with Dr Elizabeth Roberts-Pedersen, Professor Boulton speaks about his training, his work as an academic clinician, his interest in intergenerational trauma, and his continuing work with Aboriginal communities and practitioners. The interview is followed by Professor Boulton's paper on intergenerational trauma in Aboriginal communities, presented at the ‘Psychiatry, Trauma and History in a Global Age: The View from Australasia’ symposium, held at the University of Newcastle in May 2017.