Congratulations to scholarship recipients for 2024-

Emily Smith and Isabel Moore

 

The Rural Doctors’ Association of NSW is excited to announce Emily Smith and Isabel Moore as the recipients

as this years’ Dr Andrew Egan Rural Medical Scholarship. 

The significant rural medical scholarship is worth $7,500 per student to assist them with the costs of study,

accommodation and living, and includes the opportunity

to be mentored for a year by a rural doctor from the Rural Doctors’ Association NSW (RDANSW).

Established in 2021, the Scholarship honours the memory of Dr Andrew Egan, who was a dedicated procedural

GP in Cooma for more than 30 years.

 

Dr Egan was a Past President of RDANSW, having been a member since its formation.

                                                                                                                                                                                                       


                                                                                                     

This year’s first recipient of the Scholarship, Emily Smith, was raised in Tumut, before relocating to Bermagui where she completed high school.  Emily is now a second year medical student at University of Wollongong and is motivated in her studies by her desire to help people and also to help address the shortage of rural doctors in Australia. Emily has worked in aged care part time while studying for the past 3 years which she has found to be greatly rewarding, however Emily is now keen to do more to help people through medicine instead, to help manage and treat residents with complex health conditions. Emily’s motivation also comes from her personal experience caring for her grandmother for 6 months in 2021.  Emily said “I think that rural generalism is at the top of my list, and having a special interest in geriatric medicine also appeals to me.



“I enjoy getting involved in my rural community and have baked and sold cakes to raise money for the Red Cross and the Tathra community after the bushfires.  The impact of the bushfires in 2020 showed me further challenges faced by rural communities, but also the fortitude of the volunteers.  To help out, I joined a team of people in Bermagui who were cooking meals for the people that had lost their home and also for the RFS members. The experience really showed me how unique living rural is and really drove home the sense of community.”       

Isabel Moore is the second medical student to be awarded the Scholarship this year. Isabel grew up and attended primary school in the small town of Shoal Bay, which has a population of less than 2,000 people. During her high school years she travelled to Newcastle each day to attend, a 90 minute trip each way. Isabel said, “It wasn’t until this time that I learnt that not everyone was fortunate enough to have an upbringing as community orientated as mine. 

“From a young age I have been deeply interested in science, particularly biology. At 14 I began working in community pharmacy and this only deepened my passion for the field. This work was my first introduction to a healthcare setting.  I found the interdisciplinary nature of the medical system, in which doctors, nurses, pharmacists and more, worked together for the single goals of the benefit of a patient inspiring.”

“In the following years I became increasingly aware of how understaffed Shoal Bay was with doctors. Despite the ageing population here, residents often experienced high wait times to see a general practitioner or travel long distances for specialist appointments.

“My experiences, both positive and negative, have driven me to become passionate about contributing to and advocating for improvements in healthcare in rural and remote communities, particularly in bridging the health disparities in the women’s health sector between rural and metropolitan areas."

Like many rural students, it was necessary for Emily and Isabel to relocate to Sydney, hundreds of kilometres from home, to study Medicine. Due to the intensity and demands of their course, it is extremely difficult to work a part-time job to cover expenses.

Both Emily and Isabel acknowledge that the Scholarship will be a great support in assisting them with the financial burdens and challenges associated with studying Medicine, and they are very grateful to Dr Egan’s family and RDANSW for making it possible.

RDANSW President, Dr Rachel Christmas, said: “RDANSW received an large number of applications for the Scholarship this year. Our Selection Committee was once again very impressed with the high standard of the applications, and we are looking forward to supporting Emily and Isabel this year. 

“Dr Andrew Egan was a highly respected colleague, friend, father and husband of wife Anne. As a dedicated rural doctor, he not only worked as a GP at the Bombala Street Surgery in Cooma, but also provided Visiting Medical Officer services to the local hospital in obstetrics, anaesthetics, emergency medicine and general in-patient medical care.

“RDANSW is proud to continue working with the Egan family to offer the Scholarships, given they provide important financial and mentoring support from experienced doctors to medical students while they are on their pathway to becoming a rural doctor. 

“In this way, we are able to ensure that Andrew’s legacy continues to benefit rural communities into the future.”
























 

For any queries regarding the scholarship, please contact the RDA NSW Office on ph: 1800 350 732

or via email: [email protected].

Applications for the Dr Andrew Egan Rural Medical Scholarship will reopen in late January 2025.