Torres Strait Islander student wins Health Award

Third year Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery student and proud Torres Strait Islander, Joanne Kaczmarek has been awarded a bursary from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).

The Medical Student Bursary is awarded to current Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander medical students, and this year was awarded to Joanne for her dedication to medicine and going above and beyond to care for her patients and communities.

Having grown up on Badu Island, studying medicine was never a life-long dream for Joanne. In fact, she initially completed a Commerce degree and worked for the Australian Public Service for 10 years prior to realising she wanted to make a difference in Indigenous health. Joanne discovered her calling after hearing the story of Miss Dhu, an Indigenous woman who died in custody after the health system let her down. Joanne knew she had to make a change.

Her goal after graduation is to become a rural GP and return to her community in the Torres Straits as a doctor.

Read her story at RACGP