CDU hosts Australian medical student summit for the first time in NT

Charles Darwin University (CDU) has hosted the Australian Medical Student Association’s (AMSA) Rural Health Summit for the first time in the Northern Territory.

The CDU Menzies School of Medicine sponsored and hosted the summit at the CDU Waterfront Campus, attracting medical students from across the country interested in rural and remote career pathways.

CDU Menzies School of Medicine Foundation Dean Dianne Stephens gave the opening speech for the event, sharing her story of working in critical care in the NT for 25 years.

"Over my years in the NT, I've witnessed the power of healthcare professionals to transform lives and communities,” Professor Stephens said.

“Hopefully sharing the unique setting for our work and the potential to make a difference has inspired some of the medical students to come and work in the Territory when they graduate.”

The theme ‘Rural Medicine: Frontier of Healthcare Delivery’ celebrated the innovative and unique ways of delivering healthcare in rural, regional, and remote Australian communities.

Over 80 students attended a diverse schedule of academic sessions, social events, and workshops to build their skills, be inspired, and get a taste for all that the area of rural health has to offer.

Conference conveyors and medical students Senuri Pinto and Kyle Ryan said the goal for the summit was to showcase the Northern Territory, and in doing so, inspire students to return to the area as health professionals.

"As someone who grew up in the NT, I had the privilege of organising the first national medical student event in the territory along with my team,” Ms Pinto said.

“This milestone gathering not only celebrated the remarkable resilience and innovation ingrained in rural healthcare but also laid the foundation for future collaborations and initiatives in the NT.”

“As a very passionate Indigenous medical student who has done extensive work within AMSA, I originally proposed for the Rural Health Summit to come to Darwin,” Mr Ryan said.

“We are also extremely proud that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of being, doing and knowing were incorporated throughout the majority of our summit and hope we have set the scene for future AMSA events both in the Territory and across the nation.”