I grew up in regional Western Australia, which was challenging in terms of access to adequate healthcare facilities.    General practitioners were booked out weeks in advance, there were minimal locum specialist clinics and no adequate surgical facilities.   I have seen this system expand and develop over time, however, I have also experienced the brunt of the problem.   Having to travel hundreds of kilometres just for a CT scan, travelling to and from Perth fro pediatric appointments, waiting months for locum services, and losing immediate family to coronary artery disease are some of the most significant, of many, reason of how disadvantaged the rural healthcare setting is.   I have witnessed and experienced the implications from a lack of essential healthcare services and that is the driving force for me to become a doctor.  I would like to use my position as a qualified health practitioner to help address inequities in the rural healthcare setting to improve patient outcomes.

My interests are contralised around changing Indigenous health outcomes through education and intervention, improving health literacy within regional Indigenous communities, and working to enhance access to essential health services.   I believe this will strengthen treatment regimens and ultimately reduce the amount of preventable deaths in the rural Aboriginal communities.

Coronary artery disease is one of the leading causes of preventable death among Aboriginal communities and I believe this burden remains unaddressed in the rural setting.   Infrequent cardiology outpatient clinics, lack of intervention screening and lack of adequate surgical facilities is something patients are less likely to experience in a metropolitan area.   However, for many rural and regional towns this is a common story and it is to the detriment of the patient and their families.

My first goal is to complete my medical degree and go on to complete my internship and residency in a rural teaching hospital.   I believe this will provide me with greater exposure to Aboriginal groups from diverse backgrounds and will allow me to further explore the real impact of poor access to health services on them at an individual, family and spiritual level.   In addition, I would like to commence my registrar training in either general medicine or emergency medicine as this will afford me the opportunity to travel around regional Western Australia – with a broad set of skills that I can apply in practice.  During my registrar training I would also like to undertake a research project to investigate the link between poor access to health and increased rates of morbidity and mortality in remote Aboriginal communities as this will provide greater strength in advocating the need for funding and services in the rural context.