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  5. Sarah new DRAFT

Learning and Development grant recipients 2023



Congratulations to our 2023 grant recipients!

Thanks to the many recipients who recorded acceptance videos, you can now hear directly from them about their grant activity by clicking on each video's Play triangle. 
To read a short summary on all recipient activity, scroll below the video list and click on each grant title.  

Pickard Robotic Training Grant

Dr Andrew Shepherd

Urology surgeon, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney NSW

Dr Thuy-My Nguyen

General Surgeon, Colorectal Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital  

ASC Grant

Dr Selwyn Te Paa

Junior Doctor at Wellington Hospital AoNZ

Career Enhancement Grant for Junior Doctors

Dr Callan Gibbs

Junior doctor at John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton Heights, NSW

Dr Emily Mason

Junior doctor, Port Macquarie Base Hospital, NSW

Dr Tamika Ponton

Junior doctor at Cairns Hospital, Qld

Bongiorno National Network Younger Fellows Travel Grant

Dr Matthew Yong

Cardiothoracic surgeon, Gold Coast University Hospital Qld

Dr Sunny Nalavenkata

Urology surgeon at Westmead Hospital, Sydney NSW

Morgan Travel Fellowship

Dr Enoch Wong

General Surgeon, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, WA

Skills Training Faculty Grant

 

Associate Professor Amanda Dawon

General Surgeon, University of Newcastle Central Coast Clinical School, NSW  

Medtronic Younger Fellows Travel Grant

Dr Edward Cooper

General Surgeon, St George Hospital, Kogarah, NSW

Hugh Johnston Travel Grant

Dr James Churchill

Urology Surgeon, St George Hospital, Sydney, NSW

Dr Leah Boyle

SET Trainee, General Surgery, Dunedin Hospital, New Zealand

Poate Family Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Travel Grant

Dr David Sparks

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery SET Trainee, Gold Coast University Hospital, Queensland

Davison Family Grant

Dr Callan Gibbs

Junior doctor, John Hunter Hospital, NSW

  • Pickard Robotic Training Grant

    Andrew Shepherd

    Dr Andrew Shepherd
    Urology surgeon, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney NSW 
    Value: $32,000 
    Dr Shepherd will undertake a Senior robotic clinical fellowship in Urology at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, UK 

    Thuy-My Nguyen

    Dr Thuy-My Nguyen 
    General surgeon, Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA 
    Value: $27,760 
    Dr Thuy-My Nguyen will complete a Masters of Surgical Education with the title  “Recommendations for a robotic colorectal surgery curriculum for fellowship training in Australia: A scoping review of the literature” 

     Justin Bessell

    Associate Professor Justin Bessell 
    General surgeon, Calvary Hospital, Adelaide SA 
    Value:  $19,676 
    A/Prof Bessell will be undertaking training at the Australian Medical Robotics Academy in Melbourne in International Medical Robotics Academy, Robotic Curriculum Levels 5-7.   

  • Stuart Morson Neurosurgery Grant 

    Michael Colditz

    Dr Michael Colditz 
    Neurosurgery surgeon, Royal Brisbane Hospital Qld 
    Dr Colditz will travel to Krembil Brain Institute, Toronto Western Hospital, Ontario Canada, to undertake a fellowship in functional neurosurgery 
  • Bongiorno National Network Younger Fellows Travel Grant 


    Sunny Nalavenkata
    Dr Sunny Nalavenkata 
    Urology surgeon at Westmead Hospital, Sydney NSW 
    Value: $10,000  
    Dr Nalavenkata will travel to New York to undertake a combined uro-oncology research and clinical fellowship where he will research validation and development of prostate cancer prognostic models 

    Ayman Khan
     
    Dr Ayman Khan 
    General surgeon, Epworth Hospital, Melbourne Vic 
    Value: $7,500  
    Dr Khan will travel to Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio USA, to undertake a clinical colorectal fellowship  


    Matthew Yong
     
    Dr Matthew Yong 
    Cardiothoracic surgeon, Gold Coast University Hospital Qld 
    Value: $7,500 
    Dr Yong will undertake an advanced cardiac surgery fellowship at the University of British Columbia, St Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, Canada 
  • Morgan Travel Fellowship 

    Geraldine Ooi

    Dr Geraldine Ooi 
    General surgeon, Alfred Health/Monash University, Melbourne Vic 
    Dr Ooi will travel to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, USA, to undertake a surgical oncology clinical and academic fellowship 

     Enoch Wong

    Dr Enoch Wong 
    General surgeon, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch WA 
    Dr Wong will undertake an upper gastrointestinal surgery fellowship at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, UK 
  • Rural Surgery Fellowship for Provincial Surgeons

    Dr Dr Emily Davenport received the Rural Surgery Fellowship for Provincial Surgeons and is using the grant for a secondment to Christchurch to learn lipofilling as adjunct to oncoplastic breast practice in a provincial setting.
    Dr Dr Jared White received the Rural Surgery Fellowship for Provincial Surgeons and is using the grant for a Urology-Oncology Fellowship in testicular cancer and robotic surgery at The Royal Marsden Hospital in London.
    Dr Dr Mohammed Khaleel received the Rural Surgery Fellowship for Provincial Surgeons and is using this to undertake a Master of Minimally Invasive Surgery in advanced laparoscopic and robotic surgery (MMIS) at Adelaide University and varied hospitals in South Australia.
     
  • Hugh Johnston Travel Grant 

    James Churchill

    Dr James Churchill 
    Urology surgeon from the St George Hospital, NSW 
    Dr Churchill will undertake a fellowship in urologic oncology at the Christie NHS  
    Foundation Trust in Manchester, UK 

     Leah Boyle

    Dr Leah Boyle 
    General surgeon, Dunedin Hospital, Otago, AoNZ 
    Dr Boyle will complete a Masters of Global Health Science and Epidemiology  
    (MSc) at the University of Oxford, UK 

  • Skills Training Faculty Grant 

    Amanda Dawson

    Associate Professor Amanda Dawson 
    General surgeon at the University of Newcastle Central Coast Clinical  
    School, Gosford, NSW 
    A/Prof Dawson will attend the International Clinical Skills conference at Monash Prato Centre in Prato, Italy 
  • Rural Surgery Fellowship for Provincial Surgeons 

     

    Aasim Khan

    Dr Aasim Khan 
    General surgeon, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, NSW 
    Dr Khan will continue the randomised control trial at the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle titled “Proactive use of DCBs in dysfunctional fistulas – Safety study” 

  • Fellowship Examiners Grant 

    Professor Ngaire Susan Stott 
    Orthopaedic surgeon, Starship Childrens Hospital, Auckland, AoNZ 
    Prof Stott will be an observer at the FRCS Trauma and Orthopaedics Section 2 exam in the UK to benchmark the FRACS exam against the FRCS Section 2 exam and will also observe the examination for international surgeon candidates in Malta. 

  • Hugh Johnston ANZ Chapter ASC Travel Fellowship 

    Zubair Hasan

    Dr Zubair Hasan 
    Otolaryngology Head & Neck surgeon, Westmead Hospital, NSW 
    Dr Hasan will undertake a fellowship in neurotology/auditory implants at the Duke University in North Carolina, USA, and will also attend the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Annual Clinical Congress in Boston USA
  • Medtronic Younger Fellows Travel Grant 


    Thomas Clifton

    Dr Thomas Clifton 
    Orthopaedic surgeon, Bunbury Regional Hospital, WA 
    Dr Clifton will travel to Wrightington Hospital, Lancashire, UK, to undertake an upper limb fellowship 

     Edward Cooper

    Dr Edward Cooper 
    General Surgeon, St George Hospital, Kogarah, NSW 
    Dr Cooper will undertake a senior clinical fellowship in colorectal surgery with Oxford University Hospital Trust at Oxford, UK 
  • Younger Fellows Leadership Exchange Fellowship 

     

    Jasan Dannaway

    Dr Jasan Dannaway, Orthopaedic surgeon, formerly at Macquarie University Hospital, NSW 
    Dr Dannaway will undertake an upper limb fellowship with North Bristol Trust NHS UK (Southmead Hospital and Bristol Royal Infirmary) 

  • ASC Grant 

    These grants provide opportunities for Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori final year medical students and doctors with an interest in surgery to attend the upcoming RACS ASC. 

     
    Emma Espiner
     
    Dr Emma Espiner 
    Junior Doctor at Middlemore Hospital, AoNZ 

     
    Selwyn Te Paa
     
    Dr Selwyn Te Paa 
    Junior Doctor at Wellington Hospital AoNZ 

     
    Samuel Lloyd
     
    Dr Samuel Lloyd 
    Junior Doctor at Te Whatu ora – Te matau a Māui, Camberley, AoNZ 

     Sara Lai

     Dr Sara Lai 
    Junior Doctor at Albury Base Hospital, NSW 
  • Career Enhancement Grant for Junior Doctors 

    These grants support Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori junior doctors to strengthen their career pathway by acquiring knowledge and skills. 

     Callan Gibbs
    Dr Callan Gibbs,  
    Junior doctor at John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton Heights, NSW 

     
    Maccalla Fenn
    Dr Maccalla Fenn 
    PGY3 doctor at Launceston General Hospital, Tas 

     Megan Kent

    Dr Megan Kent 
    Junior doctor at Royal Melbourne Hospital, Vic 

     
    Ponton Tamika
     

    Dr Tamika Ponton 
    Junior doctor at Cairns Hospital, Qld 

    Emily Mason>

    Dr Emily Mason 
    Junior doctor at Port Macquarie Base Hospital, NSW 

  • Poate Family Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Travel Grant 

    David Sparks
    Dr David Sparks 
    Plastic and Reconstructive Trainee, Gold Coast University Hospital, Qld 
    Dr Sparks will travel to Seattle Children’s Hospital, Washington State, USA, to conduct a clinical observership in craniofacial surgery and to commence a research project. 

  • Davison Family Grant 

    This grant is to support Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander junior doctors to pursue a career in surgery. 

    Callan Gibbs
    Dr Callan Gibbs 
    Junior Doctor at John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton Heights, NSW 

  • Queensland Younger Fellows Grant 

     

    Shiv Chopra

    Dr Shiv Chopra 

    Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery surgeon, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Qld 
    Dr Chopra will travel to Royal Marsden Hospital, London UK as a Microsurgery fellow oncology/surgery, as well as visit other European oncoplastic units such as the Paris Breast Institute and the University Hospital Gent. 

     

  • Aziz Hamza Rural Surgery Grant 

    Matthew Watson

    Dr Matthew Watson 
    General surgeon at Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA 
    Dr Watson will attend the Definitive Surgical Trauma Care course 

  • Rural Junior Doctors Surgical Skills Course Grant 

     

    Jessica Wynn

    Dr Jessica Wynn 
    Junior doctor at University Hospital, Geelong, Vic 
    Dr Wynn will attend the Australia and AoNZ Surgical Skills Education (ASSET) course at RACS in Melbourne. 

  • Ngarra Grant 

    Maccalla Fenn

    Dr Maccalla Fenn 
    PGY3 doctor at Launceston General Hospital, Tas 
    Dr Fenn will attend the ASSET and Advanced Paediatric Life Support (APLS) courses 

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