Kojonup local and Albany Health Campus intern Holly Reid bags intern of the year at rural health awards

Kojonup native and Albany Health Campus medical intern Holly Reid was been awarded intern of the year at the recent Rural Health Excellence Awards in Perth. Dr Reid was one of four finalists vying for the category, alongside Nicholas Baxter from Geraldton Regional Hospital, Ashley Cridland from Bunbury Regional Hospital, and Riorden O’Shea from Broome Health Campus. The awards were held in Perth on March 22 as a highlight event of the WA Rural Health Weekend, with the awards gala bringing together a crowd of rural medicine’s finest, along with their families, colleagues and friends. The WA Rural Health Excellence Awards honour a range of medical professionals who have made significant contributions to rural health and medicine, from young doctors starting their careers to clinical leaders, midwives and nurses, and Indigenous health professionals. The awards were formerly known as the country doctors awards, and is co-hosted by Rural Health West and the WA Country Health Service. From a Kojonup farming family, Dr Reid brought a passion for rural health to Albany when she started her internship in Albany, and was recognised for the significant impact she has already made early in her career. “Her leadership in junior doctor education and quality improvement initiatives suggests a bright future in rural medicine,” an AMA spokesperson said. “We’re proud to support doctors like Holly who are making a real difference in regional communities, and we thank Rural Health West and WA Country Health Service for highlighting the incredible talent across WA.”