Rural health advocate named Victoria’s 2027 Rhodes Scholar
Monash University medical student Eliza O’Sullivan has been named Victoria’s 2027 Rhodes Scholar, recognising her outstanding academic achievement, leadership and commitment to improving healthcare in rural communities.
Eliza will take up the scholarship at the University of Oxford in 2027, undertaking a Master of International Health and Tropical Medicine followed by a Master of Health Systems Design and Evaluation.
The opportunity will allow her to deepen her understanding of global health and healthcare systems while developing the skills and networks to pursue her longer-term goal of improving access and equity in rural Australia.
“Through my medical degree, community service and work in a regional emergency department, I’ve seen the inequalities experienced by rural and regional communities,” Eliza said.
“The Rhodes Scholarship is an incredible opportunity to build the leadership experience, international networks and practical skills to help address some of those challenges.”
Eliza is completing a Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine at Monash and has consistently ranked among the highest-performing students in her cohort. Her achievements include the Belinda Farrell Community Medicine Prize and the Deva Award for the highest overall exam marks in the Bendigo 2025 Year 4C cohort.
That commitment extends well beyond her studies.
In 2025, Eliza co-founded Rural Rounds with fellow medical student Brooke McDonald. The national not-for-profit supports disadvantaged rural high school students navigate pathways into medicine, prepare for admissions processes and access work experience.
“Rural Rounds has inspired me to look for gaps in policy and services and think about solutions that can make a real difference,” Eliza said.
“We hope that supporting more rural students into medicine can help strengthen the future rural medical workforce and, ultimately, improve health outcomes.”
Monash University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Sharon Pickering, said Eliza’s achievement embodies the University's enduring commitment to academic excellence, service to the community, and a determination to create positive change.
“At Monash, we want our students to graduate not only with exceptional knowledge and capabilities, but with the experience and sense of purpose to make a tangible and positive difference to the communities around them. Eliza embodies that commitment,” Professor Pickering said.
“Throughout her medical studies, she has looked beyond the challenges facing rural healthcare to ask what she can do to change them. Through Rural Rounds, her research and her work in regional communities, she is already putting her education into action and creating opportunities for others”
We are immensely proud of Eliza and look forward to seeing the contribution she makes to rural health in Australia and internationally,” Professor Pickering said.
At Oxford, Eliza plans to explore global health research, humanitarian ethics and the use of artificial intelligence in medicine, while building a stronger understanding of how healthcare systems can be designed, evaluated and improved.
“I want to better understand how change happens within health systems and how we can develop more equitable healthcare policy in rural Australia,” Eliza said.
“I’m also excited to learn alongside other young leaders through the Rhodes community, build international connections and bring new ideas back to the communities I hope to serve.
Eliza’s broader community contribution includes leadership and volunteering with Youthrive Victoria, Rural Workforce Victoria and the Monash Obstetrics and Gynaecology Interest Group. Her research into rural VCE students’ interest in medical careers received a Victorian Premier’s Award and was presented at the Rural Medicine Australia conference.
The Rhodes Trust awards nine scholarships each year to outstanding Australians to study at the University of Oxford. One Rhodes Scholarship is offered in each state, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania, with a further three awarded for Australia-at-large.
Past Monash University Rhodes Scholars include Catherine Zhou (2025) Rachel Niesen (2024), Harrison Jones (2023), Laura McArthur (2022), Kate Maddern (2021) and Nicholas Young (2021), Patrick Daniel Lindesay Maclean (2020), Daniel D’Hotman (2019), Connor Rochford (2017), Lewis Fry (2017), Thom Woodroofe (2014), Geoffrey Michael Pascoe (2013), Victor David Finkel (2012), Evelyn See-Yuan Chan (2011), Anthea Lindquist (2009), Farnaz Sabet (2005), Lucas Bluff (2004), Geraldine Buckingham (2003) and Nathan Grills (2002). For further information about the Rhodes Trust, visit the Rhodes House website.