My name is Casey Slade, I’m a Ngiyampaa man from Ivanhoe NSW. I was born at Lismore base hospital but shortly moved to my dad’s hometown of Ivanhoe. We lived there for a few years before moving to Mildura and finally settling in Wentworth where I live when not at university. I was never sure what I wanted to do after high school until a few close family members needed to see specialists and I realised just how big of a barrier travelling so far for healthcare was, let alone the impacts it has on the person and their families.

The financial stress of having to travel so far, the mental stress from isolation if they cannot afford to have their mob stay with them, in addition being so far off country. It is situations like these that pushed me to healthcare and hopefully into a speciality where I can make some change and reduce the need to travel so far for life saving care.

This scholarship will allow me to dedicate my time completely to my medical education in hopes of bridging the gap so many rural and indigenous communities face. I’ve seen first hand how when in need of life saving or end of life care, people of these communities must travel hundreds or thousands of kilometres, off their country and isolated from their kin. It’s these experiences that motivate me in my studies and drive me toward my goals in research, practice and advocacy.

I’ll also have the freedom to pursue unpaid academic and clinical opportunities I otherwise wouldn’t have access to. Things such as internships, research or volunteering at Indigenous health initiatives, things that would be vital for me and my aspiration to publish research that would make more doctors aware of just how much of an impact receiving healthcare on country has on indigenous people and communities, while developing skills to better my future practice.

In addition to my research aspirations and my hopes to take down the barriers rural Indigenous communities face when accessing healthcare, I also hope to be a role model for the next generation of indigenous students. Through the continuation of my studies, as I am part of the Extended Rural Cohort, I will undergo placements in rural Victoria, and likely subsequently practice there, I hope to inspire Indigenous kids within these communities, showing them that tertiary education is not only attainable, but it can also be a catalyst for change, especially within healthcare.

In addition to my research aspirations and my hopes to take down the barriers rural indigenous communities face when accessing healthcare, I also hope to be a role model for the next generation of indigenous students. Through the continuation of my studies, as I’m part of the Extended Rural Cohort, I will undergo placements in rural Victoria, and likely subsequently practice there, I hope to inspire indigenous kids within these communities, showing them that tertiary education is not only attainable, but it can also be a catalyst for change, especially within healthcare.