Dr Mandeep Kaur, a junior doctor of Indian origin who grew up on a farm in remote NSW and went on to study Medicine in India, has received the inaugural Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) Rural Doctor in Training of the Year Award for 2023.
Dr Kaur was presented with the Award at the Rural Medicine Australia (RMA23) conference dinner in Hobart in October 2023.
Dr Kaur was raised in her family’s vineyard in Hillston, New South Wales (NSW), which is nearly 700 kilometres from Sydney.
After undertaking her medical studies in India, she trained as a junior doctor at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital before moving to St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney in 2021 to commence Basic Physician Training.
Dr Kaur said in a statement:
“I’m really grateful to the RDAA for this award – I feel so honoured! I love Rural Medicine because of the breadth of clinical medicine you practice and the difference you can make while becoming a part of the community. Growing up in Hillston, I’ve always been aware of the challenges that rural patients can face, but value the opportunity to help those who often don’t have the same access to care as those in the city.”
Dr Kaur has helped develop a remote Rheumatology telehealth service for the Riverina region – making it much easier for patients to be able to access the additional specialist care they need without having to travel long distances.
She hopes that remote Rheumatology telehealth service will ultimately be rolled out more widely across rural and remote Australia.
Dr RT Lewandowski, RDAA President, said in a statement:
“Mandeep is the perfect example of someone who grew up rurally, and plans to return to rural Australia to work as a doctor in the future. Throughout her junior doctor years, Mandeep has been a tireless advocate for improving access to healthcare for rural Australians.”
Dr Kaur organised numerous initiatives to boost rural health research capacity including the
Murrumbidgee Regional Research Symposium at Wagga.
In addition, she was also a key contributor to various initiatives to support the well-being of junior
doctors particularly required during the peak years of the COVID pandemic. For her efforts, she was also named Resident of the Year at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital in 2020.
Dr Kaur is passionate about cardiology and is committed to a career in Rural Generalism.
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