Three surgeons standing in a line, smiling joyfully.

Scholarships that change futures

We’re dedicated to building capacity in our partner countries by equipping local medical professionals including surgeons, anaesthetists, allied health professionals and nurses with the skills to provide high quality treatment to their patients and communities.

Interplast administers a number of scholarships aimed at developing the next generation of medical leaders through training, exposure to new technologies and ways of working, and cultural exchange, including specific scholarships supporting women in leadership roles.

Scholarship recipients can have the opportunity to attend and participate in professional conferences relevant to their profession, developing networks, participating in workshops and undertaking observational attachments at leading Australian hospitals. All scholarship recipients formally report on their learnings and share their learnings with their colleagues in their home institution via education sessions, mentoring and/or clinical demonstrations.

Sponsor a scholarship

  • Profile picture of Scott Buadromo.

    “Interplast scholarships are a chance to grow in leaps and bounds”.

    Dr Scott Buadromo
    Interplast Scholarship Recipient 2023
    Principal Medical Officer (General Surgery) at Labasa Hospital, Fiji.

  • Profile picture of Akisi Dovibua.

    “It’s only been 5 years since my graduation, I hear from my boss that what I’m achieving now she would have achieved in 20-25 years of work. This is a great opportunity to learn from other people how they are turning their challenges into something they would call their strengths now.”

    Akisi Dovibua
    Interplast Scholarship Recipient 2023
    Physiotherapist – Colonial War Memorial Hospital, Fiji

  • Profile picture of Mereia Seru.

    “I’m thankful to be here to learn all this and whatever we have learned from here I will take it back and make sure that I do something about it. Just to pull up the standard that we have in Fiji for burns nursing.”

    Mereia Seru
    Interplast Scholarship Recipient 2023
    Burns Unit Team Leader – Colonial War Memorial Hospital – Fiji

  • Profile picture of Reena Gauchan.

    “I will take a lot of educations, lot of experiences, from here and take it back to my home.”

    Reena Gauchan
    Interplast Scholarship Recipient 2023
    Nursing Supervisor – ICU and Burns Unit – Kirtipur Hospital, Nepal

  • Profile picture of Tanveer Ahmed.

    “Whenever we get support from organisations like Interplast, it helps us to come to Australia and see some advanced works and to get inspiration and motivation, and bring back some new ideas too.”

    Dr Tanveer Ahmed
    Interplast Scholarship Recipient 2023
    Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery – Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burns and Plastic Surgery, Bangladesh

Past and potential future Interplast Scholarship recipients

Dr Alamea Fulivai

Alamea sits at a desk, smiling at something out of frame.

Dr Alamea Fulivai is a General Surgeon in Tonga, and one of only two consultant surgeons in all of Tonga.

Having recently completed her training in New Zealand, Dr Fulivai is now back in Tonga, and will lead the new generation of surgery in Tonga.

She has a strong interest in plastic surgery and would benefit greatly from any ongoing professional development opportunities which would strengthen her clinical and leadership skills that she can utilise in her role.

Dr Fulivai is one of very few female surgeons in the Pacific in a leadership role.

Dr Mayday Fanueli

Two surgeons, a man and a woman, work together to complete a procedure.

Dr Mayday Fanueli is a general surgical registrar in Samoa with an interest in plastic surgery. Dr Fanueli has been supporting the Interplast team on recent visits, working alongside and learning from the team.

She has not yet had the opportunity to train overseas, and would greatly benefit from any professional development experiences. As one of a very small number of surgeons working in relative isolation in Samoa, Dr Fanueli would also benefit from opportunities to grow her AUS/NZ surgical networks to support her future work in Samoa.

Almah Kuambu

Almah, a woman with a lower limb prosthesis, takes a cast of a young girls residual lower limb.

Almah Kuambu is a qualified Prosthetist Orthotist, and the Technical Advisor of the National Orthotics and Prosthetics Service (NOPS) with the National Department of Health in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

She is hard-working, optimistic and a tireless advocate for people with disabilities. She is a leader in her field and has presented at the World Health Organization in Geneva.

Almah is passionate about advocating to improve prosthetics and orthotics services in PNG, particularly for women and girls. This ambition is driving the expansion of NOPS into more provinces of PNG.

Almah and her colleagues would benefit greatly from the opportunity to further strengthen their regional networks and professional mentor relationships, observe practice in Australia, and present and share their own experiences with their peers in other countries.

How to get involved

Your sponsorship will ensure an identified medical professional in one of our 17 partner countries has the opportunity to develop and strengthen their knowledge, enabling them to provide high quality treatment to their patients and communities.

You can sponsor a scholarship for $10,000 individually or via your business (tax deductible).

For more information, please phone 03 9249 1231 or email us at contactus@interplast.org.au.

Return

In return, scholarship assets may include:

  • Potential opportunities to connect with your sponsored scholarship recipient.
  • Certificates / photos for offices.
  • Content for your business’ social media / stories for email newsletters.
  • Inclusion in Interplast’s communications – social media, eDM, Annual Report etc.
  • Inclusion on an Honour Board for display at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
  • Invitation to relevant Interplast event / function.
  • Receive the written report where the scholarship recipient shares their learnings.
  • PR opportunities in relevant publications.

FAQs

What does the Scholarship cover?

Each Scholarship covers flights, accommodation, visa costs, travel and health insurance, living allowance (per-diem) and attendance at the relevant industry/professional conference.

Scholarship recipients must report back to Interplast via a written report following the completion of the scholarship to share their meaningful learnings and feedback.

Scholarship recipients must commit to share their learnings with colleagues in their home institution via education sessions / mentoring and / or clinical demonstrations.

What is the selection criteria?

  • Medical, nursing or allied health professional with a strong interest in developing further skills and knowledge.
  • Demonstrated record of engagement with Interplast programs in their home country.
  • Good ability with English language (to enable them to fully participate, and also be able to present at the professional development conference).
  • Leadership or future leadership potential within their local context, including the ability and commitment to return home and feed learning back to their peers.

I have a particular interest in one area. Can I specify the kind of scholarship opportunity I’d like to support?

Yes. We have a range of specific opportunities from supporting women in leadership to supporting by specialty eg. Surgery / Anaesthetics / Allied Health / Nursing etc.

Our different scholarships are the Tim Proudman Scholarship, the Kylie Shae Scholarship and the Don Marshall Scholarship.

Can I pay by the month?

Yes, we can set this up as a monthly direct debit and spread across a 12 month period.

Is it tax deductible?

Yes, sponsoring a scholarship is tax deductible.

How can I find out more information?

For more information, please phone 03 9249 1231 or email us at contactus@interplast.org.au