AMA Indigenous Peoples' Medical Scholarship Trust Fund 

The Indigenous Peoples' Medical Scholarship Trust Fund has been established with a contribution from the Australian Government.  The Trust is administered by the Australian Medical Association, with the help of an advisory committee appointed by the Board of Trustees.

Applicants must be Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. For the purposes of this application, an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander is someone who is of Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, or who identifies as an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and is accepted as such by the community in which he or she lives or has lived. Applicants will be asked to provide a letter from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community organisation supporting their claim.

Applicants must be eligible for ABSTUDY. A scholarship will not be awarded to an applicant who already holds any other scholarship. To be eligible, the applicant must be currently enrolled at an Australian Medical School and completing at least their first year of medicine. Scholarships will be awarded on the recommendation of an advisory committee appointed by the Board of Trustees. Selection of scholarship recipients will be based on:

• satisfactory academic performance judged on results achieved
• reports from referees familiar with the applicants' work and suitability for a career in
  medicine
• a brief statement produced by the applicant of their aspirations, describing their purpose in studying medicine, and outlining the uses to which they hope to put their medical training (maximum 500 words)
• community involvement by the applicant.

Applicants will be asked to provide a brief curriculum vitae and the names, addresses and telephone numbers of two referees and copies of their most recent transcript.

The value of any scholarship given in 2009 will be a maximum of $9,000 per annum. 

The Australian Medical Association would like to acknowledge the Reuben Pelerman Benevolent Foundation for its support of the Indigenous Peoples’ Medical Scholarship.

Applications close 30 January 2009.

For further information and application forms, please visit the AMA website or email Sophia at shabib@ama.com.au or call (02) 6270 5452.