Next generation of regional Queensland doctors celebrate graduation

A new wave of future doctors is set to join Queensland’s regional medical workforce, after completing training at The University of Queensland’s Rural Clinical School.   

UQ’s Medical School is celebrating the achievements of 78 Doctor of Medicine students, who completed their degrees at 1 of 4 training hubs across regional Queensland.

Rural Clinical School Acting Director Associate Professor Doogie Whitcombe said he was extremely proud of their 2025 graduates.

“We congratulate them for their hard work and dedication to completing their studies whilst immersing themselves and engaging in our local community,” Dr Whitcombe said.

The Rural Clinical School operates across Toowoomba, Rockhampton, Bundaberg and Hervey Bay.

Thirty-eight will graduate from Toowoomba, 19 from Rockhampton, 7 from Bundaberg and 14 from Hervey Bay.

From next year, students will be able to complete all their undergraduate and postgraduate studies and practical training in the Darling Downs and South West regions.  

This follows the expansion of the Darling Downs South West Medical Pathway, a partnership forged between UQ, the University of Southern Queensland, and the Darling Downs and South West Hospital and Health Services.

It means up to 144 students will be able to undertake their full Doctor of Medicine studies with the Toowoomba Regional Clinical Unit.

After a positive experience training in the regional city, Toowoomba graduates Helena Ruddell and Lincoln Browne have chosen to stay on to complete their internships next year.

Miss Ruddell said she chose to study at the Rural Clinical School to gain meaningful exposure to regional and rural medicine.

“The supportive medical staff, close-knit student group and welcoming community has made it an easy decision to stay,” Miss Ruddell said.

“The environment at Toowoomba Hospital has genuinely shaped how I understand and deliver patient care.

“Having been here for the last 2 years, I already know the hospital well – that familiarity, along with the excellent support offered to junior doctors has made Toowoomba an easy choice.”

Mr Browne said he chose RCS to gain hands-on regional medicine experience, but it was the local Toowoomba community made him feel at home. 

“Every rotation has offered an experience that stayed with me in its own way,” Mr Browne said.

“From watching a GP navigate the delicate process of breaking bad news, assisting in the delivery of a baby, to helping with an intubation in theatre—these varied experiences have helped me grow as a clinician and appreciate the breadth of skills involved in patient care.”

Mr Browne’s decision to study medicine was shaped by his experiences in Year 12, when a family member required multiple hospital admissions, an experience that had a deep impact on him.

“Over the months visiting my cousin, I saw first-hand the compassion, support and skill the medical team showed to him and to our family,” he said.

“That experience inspired me to pursue medicine so I could provide that same level of care to others.”