Applications for the 2027 Puggy Hunter Memorial Scholarship round are now open.
Offered by Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) and the National Association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners (NAATSIHWP) with support from the Rural Doctors Network (RDN), the Scholarship supports Indigenous undergraduate students completing an eligible entry-level health qualification.
The Scholarship was established in honour of the late Dr Arnold "Puggy" Hunter, a pioneer within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector and a widely respected Aboriginal leader.
Dr Hunter's daughter, Emily Hunter, provides essential leadership to the program and contributes her time to sit on the Governance Committee and assess scholarship applications.
"Each year I get to experience the joy of reading applications and seeing the future Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and medical workforce ready to continue the legacy of my father, our other leaders and old people," Ms Hunter said.
"It always heartens me to know we have such amazing students coming through, who will go on to make great change and help deliver culturally responsive care to our people, and to all Australians".
Scholarship recipients will receive access to financial and culturally responsive supports, mentoring, and other opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students studying in health, including access to up to $15,000 per annum (full time) for the normal duration of the course.
"As far as role models in health go, I would have to say, my late uncle, many of us may have been fortunate enough to receive a scholarship in his name (the Puggy Hunter Memorial Scholarship), but sadly not everyone knows his story," IAHA director, Kimberley Hunter, said.
"As one of the most influential Aboriginal men of our time, my uncle Puggy was a fierce grassroots leader who took community calls for change to the highest levels of government and made significant changes to the health policy landscape.
"He fought uncompromisingly until his last breath, and even still, his legacy lives on through the opportunities his scholarship continues to create for our mob."
IAHA said in the two years since it led consortium transitioned the program to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, 292 new scholarships have been awarded to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health students from across the country, with more than 100 scholarships available again in 2027.
The program is administered under Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community control, led by Indigenous Allied Health Australia, the National Association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners and the Puggy Hunter Memorial Scholarship Cultural Governance Committee.
Funding is also provided by the Commonwealth Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
The scholarship is available to Indigenous students studying across a diverse range of qualifications through vocational education and training and university, including: Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander primary health care, allied health (excluding pharmacy), dentistry and oral health (excluding dental assistants), medicine, mental health studies, nursing (registered and enrolled nursing), and midwifery.
Applications can be made online.
