Tom and Dorothy Cook Scholarships in Public Health and Tropical Medicine

The Tom and Dorothy Cook scholarships in Public Health and Tropical Medicine will be open to competition among candidates who:

• Are commencing, or in the process of applying for, a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at JCU; and
• Have a primary or secondary supervisor based in JCU’s Discipline of Public Health; and
• Have a research project related to public health, laboratory and clinical investigations of population health; and
• An significant element of the research project focusses on the Mackay and central Queensland region; and
• Meet JCU’s admission requirements for MPhil or PhD degree.

Open to full-time and part-time students.

Students identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander in descent are highly encouraged to apply.

$33,500 per year plus $5,000 project expenses. The payments will be made as a fortnightly stipend.

Because of the specific requirements of this scholarship, and the variety of potential projects and their scopes, we highly recommend applicants follow the steps below prior to submitting an application:

1. Discuss this opportunity with your supervisor/s (or potential supervisor) from the Discipline of Public Health to ascertain if the Mackay-based elements are suitably significant/comprehensive;
2. The adviser may contact A/Prof Sue Devine to discuss the opportunity further and confirm that the potential project meets the scholarship requirements;
3. Once your supervisor has confirmed that the project is suitable for this scholarship, you may submit an application.  Applications need to include the following:
   1. A cover letter; and
   2. An up-to-date resume; and
   3. Full academic transcript; and
   4. A research summary (up to two pages) including project background, proposed methodology and relevance to Mackay and Central Queensland region; and
   5. Details of two referees (email/address/contact number).

Applications must be submitted on the official application form no later than the date set by the Selection Committee for the year in which the award is to be made.

Your application is checked for completeness and eligibility, and you will receive an email confirmation that it has been received. After the closing date it will be individually assessed and put forward to a selection committee who will rank your application against others who have applied. Applicants may be required to attend an interview as part of the selection process.

Introduction

The original Cook family migrated from England to Australia in 1837. 75 years later Tom’s father purchased land in Mackay and in 1915 built a family home, which is currently known as Greenmount Homestead. In 1950 Tom Cook wed Dorothy Drysdale, a successful businesswoman, owning and running a ladies’ fashion and beauty shop in Brisbane. Tom and Dorothy settled at the Mackay residence, where they lived for most of their 31-year marriage. The passing of Tom and Dorothy in 1981 and 1995 respectively ended eighty years of the Cook family residing at Greenmount.  In 1984, Dorothy gifted the homestead to the Mackay Regional Council. Dorothy left a final gift to the community of Mackay in the form of a research scholarship at James Cook University.

These scholarships are offered to higher degree research students to undertake a Master of Philosophy or Doctor of Philosophy in the field of public health, laboratory and clinical investigation of population health in Tropical Northern Australia.

The research program should have as one of its elements a focus on the Mackay and central Queensland region.
The scholarship aims to build research capacity for these regions and align with JCU's public health and medical research strategy.
Research projects considered for this scholarship may focus on:
*strengthening an existing and underdeveloped area of research;
*building a novel area of research excellence;
*attracting excellent personnel to public health and medical research;
*interventional studies to improve population health;
*understanding population genetics in diseases endemic to Tropical Northern Australia.

This grant is subject to the provisions of James Cook University’s Coursework Scholarships, Bursaries and Grants Policy.

Value and payment of the Scholarship

The value of the scholarship is $33,500 per year plus $5,000 project expenses.

Eligibility Criteria

The Tom and Dorothy Cook scholarships in Tropical Health will be open to competition among candidates who:

• Are commencing or in the process of applying for a MPhil or PhD at JCU; and
• Have a JCU Advisor in support of your scholarship application; and
• Have a research project related to the Tropical Public Health field in the Mackay region; and
• An element of the research program includes the Mackay and central Queensland region: and
• Meet the JCU’s admission requirements for MPhil or PhD degree.

Open to full-time and part-time students.

Students identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander in descent are highly encouraged to apply.

Application Procedures

Applications must be submitted on the official application form no later than the date set by the Selection Committee for the year in which the award is to be made.

Prospective applicants are asked to provide:

• A cover letter; and
• An up-to-date CV; and
• Full academic transcript; and
• A research summary (up to two pages) including project background, proposed methodology and relevance to Mackay region; and
• Details of two referees (email/address/contact number).

Administration of the Grant

This grant shall be administered by the Graduate Research School (GRS), on behalf of the Selection Committee.
The funds of the scholarship shall be held in an account in the name of the University and shall be administered by the Graduate Research School in the payment of a fortnightly stipend.

Please refer to Glossary of Terms.