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Scholarship supports first year venture into medicine

Being awarded this year’s Medical Council of Tasmania Scholarship was a welcome boost to first year University of Tasmania medical student Struen Vanderplas.

Building on a growing family presence in the medical field, the 18-year-old originally from the Huon Valley, follows in the footsteps of his big sister Crystelle who started her Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) at the University last year.

“I was really excited when I found out I had been successful applying for the Medical Council of Tasmania Scholarship,” Struen said.

“As one of six children in the family, this scholarship will take a lot of the stress off me and help me with the daily essentials for living, the luxury of my own laptop and a decent bike to get around Hobart.

“As a student, it gives me one thing less thing to worry about - juggling work and my Uni commitments - and I can now focus more on studying. I am also very grateful to be able to study in Tasmania.”

Struen said he was also very excited to be making his first inroads into his medical degree.

“My older sister started last year so I know what to expect,” he said.

While he was unsure about what area of medicine he would like to focus on, Struen said he was looking forward to experiencing the variety of fields medicine had to offer.

“I don’t have any definite focus on a particular field, but do have an interest in oncology,” he said.

“I guess in five years-time when I do have to make the decision, I will know much more about the options and will have the benefit of different placements and talking to other medical students, lecturers and doctors.”

Tasmanian School of Medicine Head Professor James Vickers congratulated Struen on his achievement and wished him all the best with his studies.

“We warmly welcome Struen to the Tasmanian School of Medicine where I am sure he will enjoy a broad range of learning and training experiences, which will pave the way for a rewarding future career in medicine.”

The Tasmanian School of Medicine is part of the University’s College of Health and Medicine.

About the scholarship

The Medical Council of Tasmania, upon its dissolution in 2010, invested with the University of Tasmania Foundation an endowment to provide the most significant scholarship for medicine students in the history of the University. Each year one new promising student is awarded the scholarship, valued at around $40,000 over five years, providing opportunity to the next generation of Tasmanian medical professionals who may not have otherwise had the financial ability to embark upon the challenging five-year degree.

Image: Struen Vanderplas (middle) with past scholarship recipients (l to r) Grace Badcock, Jordan Csar and Colin Pettman

Published on: 06 Mar 2020 3:34pm