Value: up to $10,000

Apply by 30 June 2025

Calling Victorian and Tasmanian women in surgery!

RACS partner, the Bongiorno Group, recently announced the opening of its Women in Surgery Grant at RACS International Women’s Day events in Melbourne and Hobart.
Dr Amy Gibbens, who received the grant in 2024 as a final year Trainee, recently moved to Tasmania as the state’s first woman orthopaedic surgeon. Dr Gibbens spoke at the Hobart breakfast event, sharing her experiences around the challenges and rewards facing women in surgery, and her plans for her upcoming Oxford University Fellowship in paediatric orthopaedic surgery, which is being partially funded by the grant. On her return to Tasmania, Dr Gibbens plans to help bridge a gap in the state by offering a dedicated paediatric orthopaedic service, reducing the need for children and their families to travel to Melbourne for care.

The Bongiorno Group Women in Surgery Grant champions gender equity in surgery by supporting Victorian and Tasmanian women in surgery—Fellows, surgical Trainees or specialist international medical graduates (SIMGs) on the pathway to Fellowship. The grant funds learning and knowledge-sharing initiatives that contribute to gender equity in surgery and have a meaningful impact on the profession and others.

Established in 2024, the grant honours Tony Bongiorno, a friend to many surgeons and a trailblazer in promoting gender equity since the 1970s. As a founder of the Bongiorno Group, Tony worked with surgeons across all areas of tax and accounting, financial planning, insurance and finance. He was a mentor, teacher, and thought leader dedicated to education and the principle that career advancement should be equally accessible to everyone. The grant is fully funded and administered by the Bongiorno Group.

As a proud RACS partner, the Bongiorno Group actively contribute to RACS events such as Melbourne’s Preparation for Practice and supports Fellows through initiatives including the national Bongiorno Younger Fellows Travel Grant.

Interested? To learn more and watch the 2024 recipient, Dr Amy Gibbens, outline her grant activity, visit the Bongiorno Group.