Awarded one of the most prestigious international scholarships in the world, Westmead Hospital junior doctor Rosemary Kirk is looking to take everything she’s learned from western Sydney all the way to Oxford University.
In terms of scholarships, becoming a Rhodes Scholar is about as exclusive as it gets. A fully funded, full time, postgraduate award, a Rhodes Scholarship enables talented young people from around the world to study at the University of Oxford.
As a recipient of a scholarship in Renal and Cardiac Genetic Medicine, Dr Kirk said she originally thought becoming a Rhodes Scholar would be a “long-shot”.
“I was so surprised when I got it! I was really grateful and you also feel this sense of responsibility that you do something valuable with it,” she said.
Starting at Westmead Hospital at the beginning of 2021, Dr Kirk said she has learnt a lot from working in one of the areas hit hardest by COVID in NSW.
“It’s been a great experience and I’m glad I did my medical training at Westmead. I’ve learned a lot, my colleagues are really supportive and approachable, but it has also been hard through the pandemic,” she said.
“Westmead bore a lot of that burden, particularly last year. I think it’s very tiring for everyone working in an environment with that sort of COVID anxiety level around and all the PPE. In some ways it bought everyone together but it was difficult too.”
Despite the struggles the pandemic presented, Dr Kirk credits her experience of working as a doctor in western Sydney in shaping what she now aspires to accomplish in her future.
“Working in western Sydney, you see the different communities, the way they’re affected by things and the extra barriers to health they can face, particularly we see a lot of people with English as a second language or non-English speaking people,” she said.
“It’s just made me much more aware of those barriers, it’s not something we can just feel bad about, we should actively take measures to help push past them.”
Now, Dr Kirk wants to encourage Australia’s future Rhodes Scholars, especially those who live in western Sydney, to apply.
“Applications are now open for the next round. I think a lot of people self-select themselves out of applying for something like a Rhodes Scholarship because we have these pictures in our minds of an athlete superstar [with a] perfect resume applying,” she said.
“But my experience in applying is they are actively seeking diversity in terms of university, life experience, other activities and all sorts of dimensions. I think it would be a good time for [people from western Sydney] to apply.”
Dr Kirk is set to commence her PHD at Oxford University in September this year.
For information on how to apply for a Rhodes Scholarship go to: rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/scholarships/the-rhodes-scholarship.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.