Past Research

I am a proud Aboriginal man with my ancestors originating on Ngengi Wumirri land on the Daly River in the Northern Territory. I was lucky enough to grow up in Darwin where we’d spend most of our weekends goose shooting the swamps or up the Daly river chasing that big meter barramundi. I competed in many sports such as AFL, touch, rugby union, rugby league and athletics. This is where my love for sport began. With this love for sport I began studying sports and exercise science at JCU in Townsville. Mid-course I transferred to USC on the sunshine coast where I completed the degree.

My name is Madison Ludwig. I am a proud Gurindji and Kungarakan woman from Darwin, Northern Territory. I have spent most of my life living in Darwin, but did relocate to Perth to study my undergraduate degree in Nursing. Since high school, I knew that I wanted to one day work in healthcare and after 4 years of nursing, I decided to make the move across and study medicine, and am now in my final year

As a child I always wanted to help. I enjoyed helping people in and around my community and have continued volunteering throughout my adult life. I have been a volunteer firefighter with the CFA since 1993. An encouraging comment during an event where I was providing first aid led me to a career change into Nursing. I first attended TAFE and completed an Advanced Diploma and now after 10 years as an Enrolled Nurse have undertaken a Bachelor of Nursing.

Sarah Blackwell, a proud Wiradjuri woman, traces her familial roots from the Mudgee area to the Wellington region of New South Wales, deep into Wiradjuri country. Despite her immediate family residing in Mt Druitt, Sarah’s upbringing unfolded on Darug and Gundungurra country in Penrith and the lower Blue Mountains region. This rich cultural environment has profoundly shaped Sarah’s outlook and fuelled her unwavering dedication to serving Indigenous communities within her medical career.

I am a mature aged student with a background as a solicitor. Having been raised on an Aboriginal community and strongly encouraged by my uncles and aunts as an adolescent/teenager, I sought a career as a lawyer to help my people. My career included working as initially as an inhouse bank lawyer, then a lawyer in private practise, to a government lawyer in Queensland and work in Aboriginal community organisations, then to a government lawyer in the Northern Territory, then finally back to Aboriginal community organisations in NSW.

My name is Jessica Storrar and I am a proud Yuin woman of the Central Coast of New South Wales. I am currently in my sixth and final year of my Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at James Cook University (JCU). Throughout my time at JCU I have been actively involved in advocating for my Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peers in both an academic and healthcare setting.

My name is Nathan Cash, I am a final year MD student at the University of Western Australia.   I was born and raised in country NSW before moving to Queensland with my family during my primary school years.   I did not always know I wanted to study medicine, but I always knew I wanted to one day return and work in rural Australia.   My heritage is that of Ngarigo Nation which spans throughout the alpine region of NSW/Victoria.   As a child I took many trips to Kunama Namadji (Snowy Mountains), at which time I developed a deep love for this region of Australia.

As an Indigenous woman, I am especially passionate about improving the health outcomes of Indigenous communities and breaking down the barriers to accessing healthcare services. Growing up in a rural and remote area and being a Registered Nurse has given me a first hand understanding of the challenges faced by Indigenous communities, including limited access to healthcare services and a lack of culturally sensitive care.

I applied and successfully got into nursing and can proudly say I have worked as a nurse for the past 14 years. In this time, I have also completed a Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine which has launched many opportunities, including working for Doctors Without Borders. I have worked in remote, low resource settings in developing countries in places such as refugee camps, detention centres and war zones.

My name is Maiysha Craig, I am a proud Gumbayggirr and Yaegi woman, and I am in  my final year of  the Doctor of Medicine program at University of Sydney.   I am currently studying full time and also working casual weekends and night shifts as a midwife, so I believe this scholarship would help me immensely to be able to focus primarily on my studies to be able to graduate.