The RACS Scholarships and Grants program supports surgeons, Trainees, Surgical Education Training (SET) applicants and other health professionals to further their knowledge and expertise in surgery. The program aims not only to benefit recipients, but importantly to contribute to the highest quality levels of surgical care and practice for our patients.

In April 2023 applications opened for the 2024 Scholarships and Grants program, offering a range of prestigious research scholarships and learning and development grants, valued at approximately $1.3 million.

There were 81 compelling applications from a range of surgical specialties, making it a difficult task for our reviewers to determine the worthiest for each scholarship and grant.

Our reviewers comprise of ANZ Scholarship and Grant committee members, RACS Fellows and invited expert selection panel members. The Scholarships and Grants team would like to thank them all for dedicating their time and energy to assessing applications in a thorough and highly competitive selection process.

Congratulations to all applicants, especially our 23 successful awardees. Applicants are encouraged to re-apply when opportunities are next offered, particularly as their applications improve and research projects evolve.

We take this opportunity to thank the Foundation for Surgery and the generosity of Fellows and benefactors who have established these living legacies and bequests—without whose support the RACS Scholarships and Grants program would not be possible. It is with great appreciation to these groups that we celebrate our 2024 recipients.

Meet our 2024 Research Scholarship recipients

John Mitchell Crouch Fellowship

Value: $170,000
Awarded to: Associate Professor Anthony Glover (New South Wales)
Specialty: General Surgery
Topic: Improving outcomes for patients with advanced thyroid cancer

Tour de Cure Cancer Research Scholarship

Value: $125,000
Awarded to: Dr Michael Bozin (Victoria)
Specialty: General Surgery
Topic: Fluorescence and molecular guided surgery in oesophago-gastric cancer

SAGES ASERNIPS-S Research Scholarship

Value: $132,000
Awarded to: Dr Jasamine Coles-Black (Victoria)
Specialty: Urology SET applicant
Research activity: Participation in systematic review research and development of clinical practice guidelines

Meet our 2024 Learning and Development Grant recipients

Pickard Robotic Training Grant (four recipients)

Value: $10,000
Awarded to: Dr Li Lian Kuan (South Australia)
Specialty: General Surgery
Activity: Robotic heptaopancreato biliary training and development

Value: $20,000
Awarded to: Dr Daniel Awwad (South Australia)
Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery
Activity: Glasgow Clinical Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Fellowship – Glasgow

Value: $30,000
Awarded to: Dr Carolyn Chew (South Australia)
Specialty: General Surgery
Activity: Colorectal Robotic Fellowship – UK or Europe

Value: $40,000
Awarded to: Dr Jake Jervis Bardy (South Australia)
Specialty: Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery
Activity: Fellowship in Advanced Head and Neck Oncology and Reconstructive Microvascular Surgery – Canada

Bongiorno National Network Younger Fellows Travel Grant

Value: $10,000
Awarded to: Dr Ashraf Tokhi (Victoria)
Specialty: General Surgery
Activity: Clinical Fellowship in Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery – Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

Hugh Johnston ANZ Chapter ACS Travel Fellowship

Value: $8000
Awarded to: Dr Liesel Porrett (Queensland)
Specialty: Paediatric Surgery
Activity: The development and implementation of a multi-disciplinary health service, for complex colorectal and urological anomalies

Morgan Travel Fellowship

Value: $10,000
Awarded to: Dr Su Kah Goh (Victoria)
Specialty: General Surgery
Activity: Learning and Development Support for Overseas Clinical Fellowship

Poate Family Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Travel Grant

Value: $4500
Awarded to: Dr Justin Parr (Aotearoa New Zealand)
Specialty: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Activity: Advanced Hand and Wrist Fellowship

ASC Peer Support Award

Value: $5000
Awarded to: Dr Nasya Thompson (Aotearoa New Zealand)
Specialty: Medical student
Activity: To attend the upcoming Annual Scientific Meeting

Johnson & Johnson MedTech Scholarship (three recipients)

Value: $20,000
Awarded to: Dr Wiremu MacFater (Aotearoa New Zealand)
Specialty: Otolaryngology
Activity: Research investigating middle ear disease in Aotearoa

Value: $20,000
Awarded to: Dr Emily Mason (New South Wales)
Specialty: Junior doctor
Activity: SET application

Value: $20,000
Awarded to: Dr Maccalla Fenn (Tasmania)
Specialty: Junior doctor
Activity: Masters of Trauma completion and Advanced Paediatric Life Support course attendance

John Buckingham Travel Grant

Value: $4000
Awarded to: Dr Ngoc Ha (South Australia)
Specialty: General Surgery
Activity: American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2024

Medtronic Younger Fellows Travel Grant (two recipients)

Value: $7500
Awarded to: Dr Chien Yew Kow (Aotearoa New Zealand)
Specialty: Neurosurgery
Activity: University of Calgary Combined Spine Fellowship

Value: $7500
Awarded to: Dr Josephine Xu (New South Wales)
Specialty: General Surgery
Activity: Exchange travel to Canada for proposed international collaboration on normothermic machine perfusion of the pancreas

Queensland Younger Fellows Grant

Value: $2500
Awarded to: Dr Brendan Davis (Queensland)
Specialty: Neurosurgery
Activity: Post-certificate of completion of training Skull Base Fellowship, Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge

Rural Junior Doctors Surgical Skills Course Grant

Value: $1500
Awarded to: Dr Dhanushke Fernando (Western Australia)
Specialty: Junior doctor
Activity: Care of the Critically Ill Surgical Patient (CCrISP®) course

Rural Surgery Fellowship for Provincial Surgeons (three recipients)

Value: $10,000
Awarded to: Dr Robert Capstick (Victoria)
Specialty: Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Activity: Craniofacial Fellowship at the University of British Columbia Division of Plastic Surgery, Vancouver, Canada

Value: $10,000
Awarded to: Dr Robert Knox (New South Wales)
Specialty: General Surgery
Activity: Surgical Leadership Program, Harvard University, Boston, USA

Value: $10,000
Awarded to: Dr Wilson Petrushnko (New South Wales)
Specialty: General Surgery
Activity: Colorectal Fellowship, Tweed Heads Hospital, New South Wales