Introducing Ava Allen
As a passionate advocate for equitable healthcare, I am deeply honoured and grateful for the Queensland Medical Women’s Society and Australian Medical Association Queensland for generously awarding me this bursary. The invaluable support will enable me to attend vital conferences, fostering connections with thought leaders in surgery and First Nations health and propelling my goal to become a socially accountable medical practitioner.
Experiences leading outreach trips as Clinical Skills Director of the Rural Health Society and community initiatives as AMSA Representative in the Global Health Society have made me viscerally aware of my privilege, fuelling my aspiration to apply the skills I’ve developed through achieving Second Dux of my cohort and consistent Vice-Chancellor’s awards to drive upstream health interventions in underserved communities, such as ear checks for First Nations children.
I aim to use this bursary to meet mentors, contribute meaningfully to medical research, and work toward eradicating systemic health disparities. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity and am excited to give back to this empowering community in every way possible.
Congratulations Ava!
Acknowledgements
Professor Tess Cramond AO OBE, (1926-2015), former President of the AMAQ, and lifelong member of the QMWS, is credited with saving thousands of lives. A trail blazer for women in anaesthetics and medical politics, as medical adviser to Surf Life Saving, she introduced and promoted Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training across that organisation.
Professor Cramond established and headed the Royal Brisbane Hospital’s Multidisciplinary Pain Clinic and became Dean of the Faculty of Anaesthetists of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. Professor Cramond established the Multidisciplinary Pain Clinic based on a model she had seen in the United States, and continued as Unit Director for 42 years.
The bursary is intended to assist the recipient to attend, present, or participate at a Medical Women’s and/or AMA Queensland event or conference, particularly where the topic is relevant to medical women, women’s health issues, social issues relevant to women’s health or leadership by women.
We again gratefully acknowledge our sponsors and supporters.
