Anwar and Myrtha Girgis SIMG Grant

Dr Anwar Riad Girgis was an Orthopaedic surgeon who practised in Whyalla and Adelaide after migrating  to Australia in 1969.

Dr Girgis trained in medicine in Egypt and then undertook postgraduate training in the United Kingdom. In appreciation of the assistance given to him by generous colleagues in the UK and Australia, he and his wife Myrtha later supported Trainees and Specialist International Medical Graduates (SIMGs) who wished to settle in Australia.

Before applying, please refer to the:

To be eligible for this grant, you need to:

- be a doctor who is of refugee OR asylum seeker background OR who is a recent migrant (having arrived in Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand within the five years immediately prior to the closing date for applications for the grant) AND
- have been assessed by RACS as partially or substantially comparable to being Australian trained, AND have commenced (or been approved to commence) OR have completed clinical assessment with your assessment valid for 12 months from the time of application, OR
- have been assessed by the Medical Council of Aotearoa New Zealand as eligible for vocational registration in surgery or require assistance to meet the language criteria for your vocational registration application to proceed
- be eligible to work as a doctor in Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand. 

The grant may fund (but is not limited to) the following:

- Registration fees for exams, professional development and training course/s required to be able to practice in Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand.
- Costs for the professional care of young children or other dependents to enable participants who are primary carers to undertake this professional development, training, assessment and associated study.
- Attendance or presentation at a conference required to be able to practice in Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand.
- Reasonable travel and accommodation expenses related to the professional development opportunity (the expectation is the most economical travel options will be used).
- Costs associated with supervision.

The activity must be undertaken in Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand.

The activity for which funding is being sought must commence after the grant application closing date but prior to the end of the grant year (December 31st). All grant recipients will be required to provide an activity report at the end of the grant year outlining their progress against their proposal timeline.

Your application is to include:

- your career and employment details
- your activity proposal including: how your activity will benefit your professional development; and contribute to improving Australian and/or Aotearoa New Zealand surgical standards and knowledge base
- the expected outcomes of your activity
- proposed costs
- evidence of visa status and date of arrival in Australia and/or Aotearoa New Zealand
- evidence of your eligibility to practice as a medical doctor in Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand

Selection
The selection panel may be comprised of representatives of:
- the Chair, ANZ Scholarship and Grant Committee 
- the Deputy Chair, Board of Surgical Education and Training (responsible for SIMG governance)
- the Aotearoa New Zealand Censor (when applicant is Aotearoa based)
- the Clinical Director, SIMG Assessment and Support

Awarding
- payment is made directly to the recipient by 1 March in the scholarship year (following receipt of a valid invoice)

Scholarship and grant team
Email: scholarships@surgeons.org