Project overview
The Lyfe Languages project, in partnership with WIRF, aims to reduce the language and cultural barrier between patients and healthcare providers.
The pioneering Pilbara-born medical and scientific platform was built by and for Indigenous people to enable healthcare providers to consult with patients and families in their first language, in a culturally appropriate way.
The initiative aims to transform healthcare access and delivery, and improve health outcomes, by helping to close the healthcare communication gap.
About the project
Lyfe Languages connects with Indigenous communities to translate medical terminology into traditional languages, breaking down communication and cross cultural barriers to better improve the delivery of healthcare to Australia’s First Nations people.
Lyfe Languages Founder Dr Gareth Baynam explained that medical jargon can be pretty daunting at the best of times — and it’s only made worse when you and your doctor speaks a different language.
“As technology continues to improve health and lifestyle outcomes for the wider community, we need to make sure that innovation is equitable. We must not widen the gap,” he said.
“With Lyfe Languages we can close the healthcare communication gap to prevent suffering and death. In fact, the opportunity is to leapfrog the gap. Through global leadership and community co-design and public-private partnerships we will deliver solutions in the Pilbara, first and foremost for the Pilbara.
“This program aims to transfer wisdom across generations and creates new knowledge. It connects incredible First Nations Youth through to their Elders, so that together they are the architects of change.”
Lyfe Languages Manager and Precision Public Health Fellow Yarlalu Thomas said that, particularly for First Nations people, it takes more than medicine to improve health outcomes.
“Lyfe Languages is retaining and empowering Indigenous languages, partnering with new technologies to equitably transform health and wellbeing, and creating more connected communities,” Yarlalu explained.
“This network of Indigenous change makers is partnered to doctors, nurses, and other care providers to shift the dial for healthcare. In turn this is partnered to the newest technologies such as artificial intelligence, neural networks and genomics. The world’s oldest continuous culture partnered to the world’s newest technologies.”
WIRF is proud to be working with the Lyfe Languages team on this innovative program that pairs the world’s oldest continuous culture with the world’s newest technologies to help close the gap for First Nations patients.
Lyfe languages a finalist for the challenge
The Challenge, supported by the Western Australian Government with contributions from BHP and Rio Tinto, was a $5 million global challenge to researchers, calling for world-leading medical research and innovation solutions to improve health service delivery in the Pilbara.
Lyfe Languages was one of 10 finalists from 93 applicants who made it to the final stage of The Challenge in June 2023 and was awarded $200,000 to embed their project in the Pilbara for 12 months.
Whilst the project did not win The Challenge, it was the only project recognised with an honourable mention at ‘The Challenge’ winner announcement in Karratha in October 2025.
Learn more about this initiative on the Lyfe Languages website
Project researchers
Dr Gareth Baynam
Yarlalu Thomas
