Hannah Newsome - Future Graduate
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2026 AMA Queensland Foundation Medical Student Scholarship recipient and 1st year Griffith University medical student.
An aspiring rural practitioner, Hannah’s upbringing on a farm near Glen Innes has contributed greatly to her desire to undertake medical studies.
“I have seen firsthand the desperate need for qualified health professionals in rural areas and I’m passionate about being part of the solution to the healthcare shortage in rural Australia. I am honoured to be embarking on a career that allows me to directly assist underprivileged communities,” she said.
“I love that medicine allows me to combine my love of people with a hunger for knowledge that I can continue to nurture over a lifetime.”
Having previously completed a Bachelor of Psychological Science with first-class honours, Hannah was excited to begin her medical degree in 2025, but difficult circumstances forced her to defer her studies.
“Sudden family ill-health left me with considerable stress and put me in further financial hardship, and I was unable to relocate to the Gold Coast to take up my position,” she said.
“While I have been working hard over the year to alleviate this as much as possible, the cost of relocation has remained too great for me, and I have restarted my first year of medicine commuting from some accommodation I have secured in Brisbane.”
Not only has the commute limited her available study time alongside paid work, but it has also been made extra difficult due to Hannah’s newly diagnosed eye condition.
“I am unable to drive at night, which makes commuting to campus and placements incredibly difficult, and I will require expensive treatment for this condition to provide partial correction but have not been able to afford this.”
The scholarship funds will make a huge difference to Hannah’s circumstances and provide her with an opportunity to address the pressing financial concerns that are creating additional stress.
“The scholarship will be life-changing, allowing me to can engage fully in my studies and become the best possible doctor I can be,” she said.
“I’d like to wholeheartedly thank the AMA Queensland Foundation and the sponsors of this scholarship for their support.
I have had a particularly difficult start to my medical journey due to both my personal circumstances and financial hardship and have often questioned my ability to continue down this path.
This scholarship will allow me to address some of the financial obstacles in my path and ease up some of the stress I have carried throughout my studies so far.
Being selected for this honour by the Foundation has allowed me to feel that I am not going forward alone.”
Read more about our 2026 recipients here.
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