• The Lam Medical Scholarship will provide one Charles Sturt medical student with $45,000 per year and is one of the largest undergraduate scholarships in Australia
• The Charles Sturt School of Rural Medicine trains doctors for regional Australia and has 47 Commonwealth-Supported Places for medical students

The largest individual scholarship in Charles Sturt University’s history will support one future doctor throughout their study at the University’s School of Rural Medicine.

The Lam Medical Scholarship is valued at $225,000 or $45,000 per year over the five-year Bachelor of Clinical Science (Medicine)/Doctor of Medicine course, and can be used to cover costs of study, including accomodation and fees. It is one of the largest undergraduate scholarships in Australia.

The scholarship has been donated by Mr Victor Lam and his wife Anita (pictured) who are passionate about supporting the next generation of regional doctors.

The Charles Sturt School of Rural Medicine is focused on educating and training doctors for regional Australia. It now has up to 47 Commonwealth-Supported Places each year for medical students.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data shows approximately seven million people - or 27 per cent of the Australian population - live in regional, rural and remote areas and have higher rates of hospitalisations, deaths and injury, and poorer access to primary healthcare services.

Charles Sturt University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Renée Leon, said the Lam Medical Scholarship would help train another doctor in regional Australia, for regional Australia.

“Our regional-first approach is already delivering results, with 84 per cent of the School’s current Year 5 students starting their internships next year in a regional location,” Professor Leon said.

“There are unique challenges faced by regional students pursuing medical careers and the Lam Scholarship will help alleviate tuition, living and study costs, enabling the student to focus on their studies and ultimately return to serve his or her community.

“I want to personally thank Victor and Anita for their incredible generosity.”

Head of the Charles Sturt School of Rural Medicine, Professor Jacqui Epps, said what makes this scholarship so impactful is that it recognises the barriers many regional students face when pursuing a medical career.

“Victor and Anita’s generosity will help create opportunities for students who may otherwise struggle to complete their studies, providing support that can make a meaningful difference throughout their medicine course,” Professor Epps said.

Two other new scholarships will also help support regional Australia’s future workforce.

The Torie Finnane Foundation Scholarship, in partnership with the Charles Sturt Foundation, commemorates the life of Charles Sturt alumna Ms Torie Finnane who died suddenly from bacterial meningitis in December 2020, aged 34, just three days after the birth of her third child.

The scholarship aims to support the next generation of midwives by offering $15,000 worth of support for rural or regional NSW students studying the Graduate Diploma of Midwifery in the Charles Sturt School of Nursing, Paramedicine and Healthcare Sciences. It consists of a $5,000 scholarship while studying and $10,000 of further support if the recipient continues to work regionally.

Another new scholarship, the Dombrovski Medical Laboratory Science Scholarship valued at $3,000 per year for continuing students studying the Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science (Pathology) in the Charles Sturt School of Dentistry and Medical Sciences, was established by Charles Sturt alumnus Mr Andrew Dombrovski who graduated in 2012.

Scholarship applications open in September.