For the third year in a row, Joint Colleges Training Services (JCTS) supported Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander GP and RG registrars to attend a conference run by the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA).
This year’s JCTS AIDA Conference scholarship gave 25 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander GP and RG registrars and medical students from all over Australia the opportunity to attend the peak conference dedicated to professional development, connection to culture and networking for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander doctors.
This scholarship builds on JCTS-funded scholarships from previous years, with 17 registrars supported to attend AIDA Conference in 2025 and 18 registrars supported in 2024. In 2026, JCTS expanded our support by opening scholarships up to the future of our Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander GP and RG workforce by sponsoring medical students for the first time. JCTS is now proud to have supported 60 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander GP and RG registrars and medical students across the three years, with the 2026 scholarship our largest and most successful to date.
A key part of JCTS’s vision is a medical workforce representative of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. To help achieve this, we provide equitable opportunities for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander GP and RG registrars and medical students as they work towards their career goals, helping to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways in GP and RG training.
Courtney Geddes, a medical student from James Cook University was one of eight students accepted for the JCTS AIDA Scholarship.
“As a recipient of the JCTS AIDA Scholarship, I found the funding extremely helpful. Without this scholarship, I would not have had the opportunity to attend the AIDA 2026 Conference. The conference provided me with a valuable opportunity to connect with fellow Indigenous medical students and doctors, as well as participate in the amazing workshops. I am truly grateful that JCTS was able to support my attendance, allowing me to further develop my learning, knowledge, and professional relationships.”
Reflecting on both the 2026 JCTS AIDA scholarship and the scholarship opportunities available to registrars over the last few years, JCTS General Manager Anthony Paulson, said he felt a deep sense of pride in the support JCTS continues to provide Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander registrars and medical students.
“Connecting with our scholarship recipients is always one of the highlights of my year. It was great to meet the students coming through the GP and RG training pipeline, and reconnect with registrars, some of whom we have supported with the scholarship three years in a row. If you’re an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander GP, RG or med student, I encourage you to get in touch with JCTS and see what support is available to you. JCTS is always here to help.”
As JCTS’s scope and work continues to grow, so does our support for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander GP and RG registrars and med students. Our partnership and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indigenous General Practice Trainee Network (IGPTN) gives us great opportunities to connect with registrars, medical students and Fellows. Collectively, we work together to create a culturally safe GP and RG workforce that embeds Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways in general practice and rural generalism to create greater access, acceptance and participation in healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.
Media contact
For interviews, images, or further information, please contact:
- Kate Silvey, Communications and Marketing Specialist, on +61 3 9698 0616 or kate.silvey@jcts.org.au