A Jaru and Yindjibarndi doctor has been recognised for his work improving health care for some of Western Australia's most vulnerable people.

Dr Daniel Hunt, who leads Royal Perth Hospital's Homeless Medicine Team, received a WA Day Award in the West Australian of the Year Professions category on May 28.

Dr Hunt said he was both honoured and surprised to receive the award, noting it was a shared award in recognition of collaboration.

"It is not just the work that I do, it is cumulative, it is the team around me from my sector," he said.

The award recognised his leadership in Aboriginal health and infectious disease control, as well as his work with people experiencing homelessness.

Dr Hunt took over leadership of the RPH Homeless Medicine Team in late 2025, becoming its first Aboriginal lead.

The team, established in 2016 and led for almost a decade by Dr Amanda Stafford, works with people experiencing homelessness who present to the emergency department, connecting them with external health and support services to reduce hospital readmissions.

Royal Perth Hospital says the team is the only one of its kind in Australia.

Dr. Hunt said reducing infectious diseases among Perth's homeless population requires addressing social determinants and improving education.

"It's about looking after the social determinants of health — things like housing, accommodation and those broader factors," Dr Hunt said.

"But another big part is education, and going on that journey with the patient. That means giving them clear, accurate information about their injury, illness, or infection, discussing how to prevent it, and bringing them along on that healthcare journey."

Dr Hunt, who was named 2025 NAIDOC Person of the Year, graduated in medicine from the University of Western Australia in 2010.

Before joining Royal Perth Hospital, Dr Hunt spent almost a decade at Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service, working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as a dentist, general practitioner and later acting chief executive.

His appointment is significant for the hospital's homeless medicine program, emphasising Aboriginal leadership in a service working with people facing complex health, housing, and social issues.