The RDAA Podcast Lounge

Cheryl has served the people of Inverell and region as a Rural Generalist Obstetrician for more than 25 years. With a deep commitment to medical education, she is a Senior Lecturer in General Practice at the University of New England and plays a pivotal role in training and supervising medical students, junior doctors and GP registrars at her practice and the local hospital. This has included being one of the key drivers behind an innovative program bringing medical students to Inverell and nearby towns for six month placements, as well as being a strong local facilitator of a NSW Rural Doctors Network program bringing city-based medical students to rural locations to enable them to experience rural practice. And if she hadn’t chosen a career in Rural Medicine, Cheryl may have become a…? We'll let you find out as you listen to the podcast!

Jean is an absolute dynamo of Rural Medicine, and the phrase she coined – ‘Guilt is not a rural recruitment strategy’ – has taken on a life of its own! Now in her final year of Rural Generalist training with the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM), she’s already contributed to the work of numerous organisations, including serving for 3 years on the Rural Doctors Association of NSW’s Management Committee. One of her most impactful contributions while on that Committee was the part she played in gaining a fairer deal for NSW’s rurally-based Junior Medical Officers (JMOs) when they undertake rotations to metropolitan hospitals. Jean is currently working and training in the North West NSW town of Coonabarabran...and if she’s not busy enough already, she still finds time to take to the field for a game or two of country rugby union – a sport she’s played at a NSW representative level.

Eiryn is a final year medical student from Griffith University who sought out the opportunity two years ago to relocate to Kingaroy, in rural Queensland, to undertake her training as part of RuralMedEd’s LongLook program. She’s also been working as a nurse at the local hospital. As you’ll hear, she and her fiancé Luke jumped boots and all into local community life from their first week in town…and they’ve made an enormous impact.

Arron is the first ever permanent Palliative Care Specialist at Taree, in the beautiful Manning Valley region on the NSW Mid North Coast. Raised in outer suburban Melbourne, his passion for Rural Medicine began with a six week medical student placement he undertook 25 years ago – also in Taree! After working for six years as a GP, Arron took a new career path into Palliative Care – a field of Medicine that, in his own words, had petrified him as a student, as he’d felt powerless in the face of the dying process – but he hasn’t looked back, learning what really matters most to those nearing the end of life and recognising the true value of a Palliative Care doctor to the patient and their family. Along the way too, he has experienced first-hand what it’s like to be the patient rather than the doctor – something that has shaped the way he approaches his work.

Raised in rural Victoria, Jessica’s training to be a Rural General Surgeon…and she’s a real dynamo! A strong advocate for increasing access to rural healthcare and expanding rurally-based training, she has led the way in training and working rurally during her own medical career, and in doing so has encouraged numerous junior doctors and medical students to follow suit. She’s also driven the development of quality research on rural medicine – particularly rural surgery – knowing how important this is in both fighting against the centralisation of care, and advocating for better investment in rural health services.

Jemma is a final year medical student from the University of Melbourne who has worked hard to promote rural medical careers to her peers – particularly the 1400-strong medical student cohort at her university. With a father who worked as a bush nurse, and a childhood spent in numerous rural locations, it was nearly inevitable that Jemma would embark on a career in rural health…but there was a detour along the way!

Of Punjabi-Sikh heritage, Mandeep was raised on her immigrant family’s vineyard in the remote NSW town of Hillston – nearly 700 kilometres from Sydney. After undertaking her initial medical studies in India – her family’s country of origin – she returned to Australia to train as a junior doctor at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital, before moving to Sydney to commence Basic Physician Training at St Vincent’s Hospital. While her passion is cardiology, Mandeep is equally passionate about pursuing a career in Rural Generalism and returning to country Australia to live and work. The road to Rural Medicine has been an exciting one for her, detouring not only via India but also past what could have been a career in viticulture…had it not been for some timely advice from her mum!

Kate Hurst is a final year medical student at the University of Notre Dame’s Rural Clinical School in her home town of Wagga Wagga, NSW. A born and bred country girl, she’s been a strong advocate for initiatives to encourage and assist more rural high school students to consider Medicine and other healthcare fields for their future careers - and in her own backyard, the Riverina region, she's put this into action.

Dr Gerard Quigley is a quintessential Rural Generalist doctor who has served the small community of Cummins, on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, for over 30 years – providing crucial local healthcare through both his general practice and the local hospital. 

He’s also been a long-term supervisor of GP registrars and taught countless medical students in Cummins…helping to attract the next generation of doctors to a career in Rural Medicine.

In this podcast, Gerard talks about his path to Rural Medicine, his journey to Cummins, what has kept him there for more than three decades, how his clinical interests in Rural Medicine have changed over the years, and what he gets up to outside work.

Dr Regina Waterhouse – or ‘Dr Reggie’ as she is affectionately known by her patients – has provided medical care on Palm Island for more than 18 months, after completing her obstetrics training in Cairns.

A proud Torres Strait Islander woman, Regina was born and raised in Far North Queensland.

She initially trained as a teacher, and worked in the community services and disability support sector, before completing medical school as a mature age student.

In this podcast, Regina talks about her work on Palm Island, and also her path to Rural Medicine...and all that has entailed!