Mania Ahmed

“Anti-TNF-related opportunistic infections, pulmonary toxicities, and a case of missed clexane charting resulting in bilateral PEs at a rural hospital – every doctor’s nightmare”

Ahmed is currently a PGY1 anaesthetics intern at Goulburn Valley Health in Shepparton, Victoria. Originally from Mississauga, Canada, Ahmed finished their first-year of post-graduate medical school in rural Churchill in Gippsland. Prior to internship, Ahmed was set on their decision to pursue a career in Anaesthetics in the future - until they met their wonderful supervisor in Gen Med who inspired and piqued Ahmed’s interest in Rheumatology. Thus, they are now hoping to apply to either BPT or Critical Care Stream next year - jury is still out!

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Lobna Alukaidey

“Length of Time for Transfer for ERCP at a Regional Hospital”

Alukaidey grew up in regional Victoria and lived in Shepparton, Horsham, and finally settled in Torquay. They spent their entire second year of medical school based at the Shepparton Rural Clinical School and completed 6 months of rural general surgery at Mildura Base Regional Health last year as an unaccredited general surgical registrar (from Aug 2021 to Jan 2022). Currently, Alukaidey is completing a further 6 months of rural general surgery at Central Gippsland Health Service this year (from Feb 2022 to Jul 2022). They are passionate about pursuing rural general surgeon.

Manoj Anandan

“Sporotrichosis : a rare cause of a forearm ulcer in rural Victoria is selected for the Case Study Blitz Presentation”

Dr Manoj Anandan studied at Monash University, Malaysia and graduated with MBBS(Hons) in 2017 following which he moved to Australia to work as an intern in Tasmania. He did some research with a General Surgeon (Mr James Robert-Thomson) in 2019 before moving to University Hospital Geelong (UHG) to continue his surgical residency. He has published multiple articles in ANZ Journal of Surgery and Journal of Surgical Case Reports. He is currently enrolled in Masters of Traumatology with University of Newcastle while working full time as a Surgical Registrar at UHG.

Claudine Banal

“Streptococcus gallolyticus bacteraemia and colorectal neoplasia: an old association with a new name”

Dr. Claudine Banal obtained her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the Deakin University.  She is an unaccredited Surgical Registrar at University Hospital Geelong. She has an interest in rural and regional health and surgical education. She has established the GSSE teaching program at her base hospital and was recently awarded the 7News Young Achiever Awards for creating an education group for those with surgical interests and those preparing for the Generic Surgical Science Examination (GSSE).

Laura Bennett

“Analysis of Acute Surgical Inter-Hospital Transfers from a Regional Hospital”

Hailing from the small regional Victorian town of Mia Mia, Laura completed her Doctor of Medicine at the University of Sydney and is working as an unaccredited surgical registrar at Royal Melbourne Hospital with a current rotation to Wimmera Base Hospital. Laura is passionate about rural health and aspires to complete general surgical training and work in regional Victoria.

Katie Blunt

“A Clinical Audit of Ultrasound Use in Predicting Fetal Macrosomia at a Regional Hospital”

Dr Katie Blunt is a junior doctor based at Bendigo Health with a passion for regional and rural medicine. She completed her clinical placements as a student in north-west Victoria as part of the Monash University Extended Rural Cohort. She has a blossoming interest in a career in obstetrics and gynaecology and is currently working as a unaccredited registrar. She is the former bi-national co-chair of the Pre-Vocational Obstetrics & Gynaecology Society of Australia and New Zealand and is currently Registrar Representative for the Bendigo HMO Society. Katie is a semi-retired water polo player. She enjoys staying active, travelling and visiting her family.

Lachlan Butcher

“Structuring a GP learning environment in rural and regional practices”

Lachlan Butcher is a Project Coordinator at General Practice Supervisors Australia (GPSA) based in Bendigo. He is actively engaged in advocating for equitable access to quality healthcare. Following degrees in both Psychology and Public Health from the University of Sydney, he spent many years working abroad including in Sierra Leone for the Ebola Response. He has led projects to establish an oncology service in Solomon Islands and ear health services in Samoa. For services to health and international development he was awarded Fellowship to the Royal Geographical Society (UK) and is a member of The Royal Society of Medicine (UK).

Jake Carr

“Hitting it off as a Rural Doctor”

Jake is a current intern at Bendigo Health. He has a keen interest in Cardiology and medical education. He has previous experience presenting study skills to parents and students around Australia and Asia and he is always ready to speak about time management. When he's not at the hospital, you can usually find him on the golf course or training for the next big event.

Andrew Chen

“Prospective study of sources of psychological distress among cancer patients completing chemotherapy in Regional Victoria”

Andrew Chen is a third year Monash medical student. Having relocated from South Australia, he is enjoying familiarising himself with both regional and metropolitan Victoria. He loves to engage in extracurriculars including the Monash Medical Orchestra, Peer Support Programs, Teddy Bear Hospital, and more. This year, he is placed at the Latrobe Regional Hospital, and as part of Monash's Extended Rural Cohort, Andrew is undertaking more regional placements. He believes regional placements are an excellent learning opportunity for students, with abundant learning opportunities. Outside of studying, you can find Andrew at the gym, playing badminton, or enjoying a good book.

Nevin Chen

“Unique management of severe secondary bleeding following haemorrhoidal banding”

Nevin Chen is an avid unaccredited registrar interested in General Surgery and rural health. Nevin has over two years of clinical experience working in Bendigo, Mildura and throughout East Gippsland and is well versed in the challenges and situations that a rural health practitioner encounters on a regular basis. Nevin has several presentations in international conferences and publications in peer reviewed journals.

Jacinta Clark

“Are we meeting the standard: Inductions of Labour in a Rural Hospital in South Australia”

Dr Jacinta Clark is a junior doctor working as an obstetric and gynaecology service registrar in Mount Gambier in rural SA. She has a passion for rural health and quality improvement, especially around ensuring access for rural patients and supporting rural health staff.

Sharon Del Vecchio

“Bladder Amyloidosis in a Regional Tertiary Hospital in Australia”

Sharon is an aspiring surgeon, and currently works as a surgical resident at Barwon Health. Her previous research has been focused on characterising kidney tumours using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and she has recently submitted her PhD thesis. In her free time she enjoys going on outdoor adventures with her dog Tally.

Megan Emonson

“The Importance of Pooling Resources in Rural and Regional Trauma- A Case Study”

Megan Emonson is a current General Surgical Registrar at Ballarat Health Services in Victoria. Dr Emonson grew up in country Victoria and has completed all of her training to date in rural and regional settings. She is committed to providing ongoing high quality health care to the residence in rural and regional Victoria, having experienced first-hand the health disadvantages and disparities these communities can face. Once she has completed her training as a General Surgeon, Dr Emonson and her husband plan to permanently reside in regional Victoria and raise their family.

Henna Eqbal

“Virtual multidisciplinary meetings in a new COVID 19 world: How well are we doing it?”

Henna is a PGY4 unaccredited surgical registrar at Barwon Health, passionate in pursuing a career in ENT. Henna is passionate about rural and regional health. Having completed clinical placements in regional areas such as Lismore Base and Pushpagiri in Kerala, India.  Henna’s interests outside of medicine include a love for community culture and the arts. Henna engages in extra-curricular activities such as life-drawing classes and music production events.

Kayla Gallert

“Patient survivorship sequalae following immunotherapy toxicity, as audited at a Regional Cancer Centre”

Kayla grew up in Gippsland and is currently a third-year medical student at Monash University. Having previously completed both a biomedical science and a pharmacy degree, medicine has allowed Kayla to combine interests in pharmacology with physiology, and apply this to clinical situations. Currently in her first clinical year at Latrobe Regional Hospital, Kayla has not only enjoyed the opportunity to participate in research, but to also interact with patients.

Harshika Herath

“Prospective analysis of physical distress after cancer treatment in Regional Victoria”

Harshika is currently a third year medical student from Monash University. They have been placed at Latrobe Regional Hospital in Traralgon for the year 3 full-year placement. Having completed their schooling years in regional Tasmania, and now currently placed in regional Victoria, Harshika’s interest in rural and regional health is ever growing. They hope to return to regional Victoria for their internship to further develop their understanding and contribution to rural and regional health.

Nerida Hyett

“Developing sustainable rural healthcare models for the Mallee”

Nerida is the Integrated Health Network Project Lead in Murray PHN’s Strategy and Performance Unit. Her specific expertise is in co-design and action research, working with communities and the service sector to solve real world problems in rural health. She is interested in designing and strengthening sustainable healthcare with rural communities.

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Kumail Jaffry

“Abstract on The Relationship Between Air Pollution Exposure air pollution on childhood educational outcomes across the world”

Kumail is a final year medical student at Monash University. As a country boy from Mildura, Kumail will be one of the very few Afghan-Hazara Doctors and is committed to improving the health of marginalised and diverse socio-economic groups in rural Australia.

Being from the country, the lack of surgical access in rural areas is something he wants to help change. During placements Kumail developed a special love for general surgery which he is keen to further explore as a junior doctor.

An Ambassador with the Rural Workforce Agency Victoria (RWAV), he aims to address rural workforce shortages by promoting the benefits of rural placements to students. Kumail volunteers as a Community Champion with the Department of Health, organising weekly education sessions in six languages promoting health literacy amongst refugee women.

Peter Kaldas

“Laparoscopic Choledochoscopy for choledocholithiasis is possible in the anatomical anomaly of left gallbladder”

Peter is a non-accredited general surgery registrar, dedicated to pursuing a career in General Surgery with future plans to permanently reside in a Regional/Rural area after finishing their training in General Surgery. Peter is currently on a rotation with Central Gippsland Health Services (Sale Hospital).

Ellen Kelsey

“Recurrent urethral polyps, an atypical presentation of ductal prostate carcinoma”

“Can changing the intraoperative methods of 100units of intravesical OnabotulinumtoxinA administration, for females with medically refractory idiopathic overactive bladder, result in efficacious reduction of symptoms and reduction in the post-operative com”

Ellen completed her medical degree and has spent her working career in Geelong. Elleb completed a two week placement in Ararat as a medical student and did an intern term in Warrnambool.

Jiwon Kim

“Improving the completion of antimicrobial indication section on the MR6 drug chart”

Dr Jiwon Kim is a current intern at Goulburn Valley Health, Shepparton. He has a strong passion for cardiology, accompanied by a growing interest in research, through which he hopes to make a positive impact on patient outcomes.

Visakan Krishnananthan

“Building the future rural paediatric workforce. Reflections of a first year extended rural paediatric trainee”

“Acute management of a 14 year old with an ischaemic stroke in a subregional setting”

Visakan was raised 10 years in rural USA (Rocky Hill, Connecticut). They are currently a PGY3 (2022) Pilot Trainee for Extended Rural Training Program for Basic Paediatric Training. Which comprises three years of basic training divided into 1.5 years in Gippsland and 1.5 years in the metro. Currently 4 out of 6 months into Paediatric HMO term in Sale Hospital. Having spent the last few years working an elective in Alice Springs, with an internship in Bairnsdale and working core in Bendigo the next six months will be spent in Traralgon, followed by another six months in Warragul.

Varsh Kularadhan

“Optimising the delivery of sexual health services in Australia: A qualitative study”

Dr Varsh Kularadhan is currently PGY2 based at Bendigo Health. Growing up in rural Queensland, and completing medical school throughout the Loddon Mallee Region, she has a strong commitment to rural and regional medicine, and plans to pursue rural generalism in the future. She has a passion for women's and sexual health, and improving access to such services in this region. Her research focusses on optimising sexual health services for priority populations.

Dianne Lim

“Multiparametric prostate MRI – changing PSA testing, prostate biopsies and prostate cancer diagnosis in Victoria, Australia”

Dr Diane Lim is an unaccredited Radiation Oncology registrar based in Bendigo with a passion for teaching and research. Having had great experiences during placements at Launceston and Traralgon as a medical student, Diane grew to love regional Australia, working various stints in Ballarat, Bendigo, Burnie, Mildura, Launceston and Traralgon. She hopes to undertake training in Radiation Oncology and to be a part of the team of healthcare professionals that expands radiotherapy services available outside of metropolitan cities. In her spare time, Diane loves swimming and bushwalking, as long as she can keep the sandflies away!

Sue Liu

“A qualitative content analysis of the quality of life of melanoma cancer survivors in rural and metropolitan settings”

Sue is a Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours) student at Monash University, currently working on a project on the feasibility of implementing continuous wireless thermometers in healthcare services for the paediatric population. Her interests currently lie in dermatology, paediatrics and general practice.

Zhao Feng (Felix) Liu

“What is important to living with and beyond cancer: comparing the responses of Victorian rural and metropolitan breast cancer survivors”

Felix is a final year medical student from Monash University. He has thoroughly enjoyed his clinical placements at Bendigo Health and Latrobe Regional Hospital. Felix is interested in pursuing basic physicians training and has a keen interest in both qualitative and quantitative research.

Georgia Maroske

“Mother’s experience of Breastfeeding complications. Perspectives from mothers and clinicians”

Georgia Maroske is a 22y/o medical student who is five years into her undergraduate degree at Monash University. This year she is undertaking an Honours project, which focuses on breastfeeding in rural Australia.

With a background in farming in rural Victoria, Georgia has a special interest in the health and wellbeing of rural and remote Australians. Having experienced medicine in both metropolitan Melbourne and rural Victoria, Georgia aspires to return to the country as an Obstetrician-Gynaecologist or Emergency Physician.

In her spare time Georgia enjoys camping, motorbike riding, and playing piano. She is currently learning the church organ.

Durr-e-Nayab Masood

“Post colonoscopy splenic injury in a rural hospital: A case report”

Durr-e-Nayab is currently on a 12 month rotation at Sale Hospital.

Joshua McAdams

“A Quality Assessment of Treatment and Outcomes for STEMI patients admitted to Bendigo Health CCU”

Dr Joshua McAdams is currently undertaking his PGY3 year at Bendigo Health. He lived and studied in Gippsland for multiple years during his training before moving to Bendigo for his internship and he hasn't left since. He is particularly passionate about critical care medicine and hopes to make his own contribution to the incredible evidence base in this specialty.

Harrison Monk

“A narrative review into the development of research centres/activities in rural areas and its implications for workforce development”

Harrison is  a current final year medical student at Monash University placed in Mildura. Originally from Warrnambool he has a keen interest to develop a career in rural Victoria. Harrison’s areas of interest include Psychiatry and General Practice.

Ratna Manideep Namburi

“A Case Series on Brunner's Gland Hamartoma in Gippsland”

Ratna Manideep Namburi is an international student currently placed in Latrobe Regional Hospital (LRH). He is interested in a wide range of fields, including gastroenterology, neurology, cognition and digital health. He has interned in a digital health start-up called huru, and is keen to understand more on how therapies can be modified to be used in digital medicine. His time in LRH has given him an understanding of the importance of community engagement and preventative health for better health outcomes in rural and regional areas.

Belinda O’Sullivan

“Supervision Roadmap: Rural Generalist Training in Victoria”

Dr Belinda O’Sullivan is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University and Chief of Strategy and Performance at Murray PHN. She led the evaluation of the rural generalist training program in Victoria and after her PhD about rural specialists, she led the evaluation of the Monash Medical Program. She has a long association with GP Supervisors Australia and prior to that worked in the Office of the National Rural Health Commissioner. Belinda has over 50 publications and continues to have an active research interest in rural workforce training, models of care, and building evaluative thinking in rural health systems design.

Harriet O’Rouke

“Impact of the COVID Pandemic on Supportive Care Outcomes of Breast Cancer Patients in the Gippsland Oncology Survivorship Clinic”

Harriet is  a first-year medical oncology advanced trainee working at Latrobe Regional Hospital. Having completed their internship and basic physician training at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne, and as part of this between 2020 and 2021, Harriet spent six months as a general medical registrar working at Central Gippsland Health in Sale. Their time working in Gippsland gave them a new insight and appreciation for the challenges and joys of working regionally. Harriet has learned the difficulties and importance of providing holistic, timely and patient centred care to a population spread over large distances.

Renata Pajtak

“Avoiding the re-do sternotomy: treatment of an ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm using a percutaneous Amplatzer PFO closure device”

“Use of Surgtrac to enhance laparoscopic skills education in rural medical students”

Dr Renata Pajtak is a general surgical unaccredited registrar with a passion for rural healthcare, medical education and contributing to an innovative future in medicine through research. She has been awarded the Professor Noel Tait Prize from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons for her passion for surgery. Her research efforts have been recognised through receiving the prestigious Brian Smith Memorial Award and Bright Sparks Award and publication in peer reviewed journals.

Laura Panozzo

“Prevalence and correlates of advance care planning among Victorian hospital inpatients”

Dr Laura Panozzo is an Adjunct Research Fellow with Monash Rural Health Bendigo. She is experienced in both quantitative and qualitative research methods and has published widely in Australian and international journals. Her current research projects centre around Palliative Medicine, Oncology, and rural and regional healthcare. Laura is passionate about building research capacity in regional healthcare services. She is currently completing the first year of her physician training and intends to practice in regional Victoria in the future.

Jessica Paynter

“Rural emergency general surgery transfers – insights from the Loddon Mallee”

“Rural General Surgery: characterising female rural General Surgeons to respond to gender gap”

“Rural general surgical fellows - who is recruited, returns and remains?”

“A 12 year retrospective review of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm repairs by a rural general surgery centre”

Jessica Paynter is a junior doctor from the Mallee, Victoria who is passionate about pursuing a career in rural general surgery, hopefully returning to her home town of Swan Hill. Her personal background from the Swan Hill region has underpinned the trajectory of her career - she was a medical student with the Monash University Extended Rural Cohort in North West Victoria (including her hometown), and she has lived and worked as a junior Doctor within North West Victoria for the entirety of her career. She is passionate about rural medical education and fostering improved surgical outcomes for those who live and work rurally.

Natasha Pritchard

“Defining poor growth in pregnancy for infants of mothers with overweight and obesity”

Natasha is an Obstetrics and Gynaecology Registrar living and working in Bendigo, Australia. They are also completing their PhD through University of Melbourne in Perinatal Epidemiology.

Romanie Rodrigo

“A 12 year retrospective review of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm repairs by a rural general surgery centre”

Dr Romanie Rodrigo has completed her training in General Paediatrics, working as a senior paediatric registrar at Latrobe Regional Hospital. She had her training done in Australia, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. Most of her training has been completed at regional hospital level. She has contributed at departmental quality assurance audits and research work involving making guidelines at local level. Romanie’s future goal is to work as a general paediatrician in Regional Victoria.

Ella Ryan

“A retrospective audit looking at the diagnosis, management, and coding of sepsis in the Bendigo Health Emergency Department (in progress)”

Ella is currently in the final year of her studies of a Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine at Monash University. She has a strong interest in regional, rural, and remote medicine, having spent the past three years of her studies in Bendigo and North-West Victoria in the Extended Rural Cohort. Her extensive experiences in remote indigenous communities of the Northern Territory, as well as volunteering with rural school students, refugees, and people experiencing social disadvantage, has emphasised to her the imperative of quality medical attention to under-served communities. She hopes to pursue a career in paediatrics.

Tess Ryan

“What role do medical assistant officers play in improving emergency department efficiency?- A pilot retrospective and prospective cohort study at Bendigo Health Ambulatory Care”

Tess is a final year medical student at Monash University who has a strong passion for regional and remote medicine, completing majority of her clinical years in regional Victoria. In addition to this she grew up in country Victoria and as a result understands the importance of community. In 2022, she is looking forward to completing her internship at Bendigo Health, and in the future is hoping to pursue a career in either psychiatry or general practise in North West Victoria.

Georgia Seamer

“Rural Surgical Transfers from Mildura: a tri-state border model of general surgical care”

Georgia is a current final year medical student at Monash University.Growing up on a property near the small town of Berrigan in the Southern Riverina, NSW, Georgia has completed the majority of her clinical placements in the Loddon Mallee, specifically Mildura which has fostered a passion for rural health care. Georgia hopes to continue to live and work in rural and regional Victoria in the future, pursuing her interest in rural general surgery.

Gagandeep Singh

“To study number of patients who presented to Northwest hospital Tasmania and their transfer time in comparison to national guideline for shifting to closest PCI centre”

Gagandeep moved to Australia in September 2020 with their wife in middle of pandemic, before which they were working as a consultant (General medicine) in India. Gagandeep has a fair interest in research and tries to implement their learning into day to day practice. Gagandeep also hopes that their small research contributes towards improving daily medical practice. They are currently working as medical registrar at Northwest Hospital in Tasmania. In their  free time, Gagandeep likes photography, cooking and loves spending time with family.

Amy Sylivris

"Enhanced Recovery After Surgery" can improve our rural healthcare crisis: An audit at Latrobe Regional Hospital”

Amy is a final year student from Monash University. She has passion for surgical research, with several publications and multiple ongoing projects. As an aspiring general surgeon, she is keen to further her involvement in rural healthcare.

Vienna Tran

“The applications of space medicine for rural and remote health on Earth”

Vienna is a junior doctor working in Mount Gambier for the Limestone Coast Local Health Network (LCLHN).  She has published research on the use artificial gravity to mitigate the deconditioning of the hip muscles of astronauts. Vienna is this year’s winner of the Australian Space Awards Graduate of the Year and has worked for the Australian Space Agency. Vienna is a member of Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA), in which she has helped organise events and held various leadership roles. Vienna has also undertaken postings with the RFDS and a number of rural General Practice clinics.

Lauren Wallace

“Factors contributing to delays in transfer from regional hospitals to tertiary centres from ERCP and impact on patient outcomes”

Lauren is currently a pre-SET general surgical registrar working at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and currently on rotation at Wimmera Base Hospital, a Victorian rural hospital north-west of Melbourne. This research was developed and completed here, motivated by both her passion for hepatobiliary surgery and by observing the difficulties patients from a rural background often experience accessing specialist surgical services. She has completed a Doctor of Medicine and Graduate Diploma of Surgical Anatomy at the University or Melbourne and is undertaking a Master of Surgery at the University of Sydney.

Amy Wombwell

“Are Single-Use Flexible Cystoscopes Environmentally Sustainable? A Simplified Lifecycle Analysis”

Amy is currently a surgical HMO at Barwon Health. Having completed her undergraduate degree in Medical Science at the University of Birmingham, Amy completed her postgraduate MD at Deakin University, Geelong. Since then she has been working at Barwon Health both for their intern and residency years. Amy’s surgical interest is urology and is currently completing research and work within this field.

Jessica Wynn

“Introducing New Surgical Techniques and Technologies to a Regional Setting: Learnings, Tips and Tricks”

“Establishing a Service in Regional Horsham to Deliver Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for the Treatment of Bladder Cancer”

“The “spiked helmet sign”, a mimic of ST elevation myocardial infarction in post-operative ileus”

Jessica is a surgical resident in regional Victoria, Australia. Her clinical interest is in urology and general surgery. Her research interests include making surgery accessible to patients in regional Australia and clinical education. She is also passionate about female representation in surgical specialties.