• Central NSW Joint Organisation (CNSWJO) will commit $75,000 for three scholarships to study medicine at Charles Sturt in Orange
• Scholarships will be on offer to commencing medicine students from Central West NSW to help support the region train its own doctors
• The scholarship commitment comes after years of advocacy by CNSWJO to establish a medicine program in the Central West

Central West students studying medicine at Charles Sturt University’s Orange campus in 2021 will have the chance to apply for $75,000 worth of scholarships funded by the Central NSW Joint Organisation (CNSWJO).

The scholarship commitment by CNSWJO comes after years of advocacy by the local councils in the organisation to establish the Charles Sturt and Western Sydney University Joint Program in Medicine.

CNSWJO will commit $75,000 to fund three scholarships worth $25,000 each over the course of five years.

The scholarships will be awarded to three students from the Central West region of NSW studying the five-year Joint Program in Medicine course full-time at Charles Sturt’s Orange campus.

Charles Sturt’s inaugural Dean of Rural Medicine Professor Lesley Forster OAM welcomed the scholarship funding and said it will make a significant contribution towards training regional doctors for regional Australia.

“This generous funding from the Central NSW Joint Organisation to support students from the Central West to study medicine demonstrates a significant investment in our region’s future doctors,” Professor Forster said.

“The Charles Sturt University School of Rural Medicine is committed to training highly-skilled doctors that are equipped to serve the health needs of people in regional Australia. This funding is another example of the ongoing support we have received from local councils across the Central West region to do this.

“I look forward to welcoming our first cohort of students in the Joint Program in Medicine and following the medical careers of the successful scholarship recipients and the many future regional doctors our program will train.”

Councillor John Medcalf OAM, Chair of CNSWJO and Mayor of Lachlan Shire Council, said, “Central NSW Councils have been staunch supporters of growing our own health workforce. By supporting our young people to study and become the health workforce of tomorrow, we hope they will stay working in region.

“This region has been very supportive of the Charles Sturt University model for growing our own health workforce and we will continue to support it wherever we can because the data says it works.

“I look forward to inviting my fellow Mayors of the region to tour the new facility and meet the students.”

The three CNSWJO-funded scholarships will be available to the first cohort of students due to commence their studies in February next year.

Funds from the scholarship will help the successful recipients cover the costs of a range of study-related expenses and fees.

Director of Advancement at Charles Sturt Ms Sarah Ansell said, “It is wonderful to see the impact the Central NSW Joint Organisation continues to have on the future of its communities.

“This fund and associated scholarships builds on the incredible work these organisations did lobbying for a medical school.

“It also demonstrates the role philanthropic investment can play in building social capital in communities.

“We applaud their foresight.”

Applications for the ‘Central NSW Joint Organisation Scholarship Fund’ will open on Monday 7 September 2020 and close on Monday 8 February 2021. Further information will be made available on the Charles Sturt scholarship webpage.

To be eligible for the scholarships, students must live in the Local Government Areas of Bathurst Regional, Blayney, Cabonne, Cowra, Forbes, Lachlan, Oberon, Orange City, Parkes, Weddin, or Central Tablelands County Council.

The three successful scholarship recipients will each receive $5,000 per year over the course of five years.

Applications for the 2021 cohort for the Joint Program in Medicine will open through The Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) on Saturday 1 August and close on Wednesday 30 September 2020.

To request information about the program, fill in the online information registration form on the University’s website. 

Construction of the Academic and Research Hub, which will be the centrepiece of the Charles Sturt School of Rural Medicine in Orange, is due to be completed in December 2020.