2027 Medical Campaign Webinar Series
The 2027 Medical Campaign Webinar Series is designed specifically for medical students and junior doctors preparing to apply for Queensland Health’s Intern and RMO and Registrar recruitment campaigns.
Across multiple live sessions, you’ll hear straight from Queensland Health recruitment teams, experienced clinicians, and current trainees, with plenty of opportunity to ask questions and build your confidence before you apply.
A network of medical training opportunities
We connect medical students, interns and junior doctors with resources and opportunities to prepare for specialist training and beyond, creating stronger health outcomes in our region.
Dr Tadiwa Mashavave, Junior Doctor, Mackay Base Hospital
“It was during my time at JCU that I decided I wanted to end up somewhere rural or regional and I thought I would be able to gain a lot of hands-on skills in my junior years at a regional hospital like Mackay Base Hospital. It’s been great working with other doctors who are as passionate about rural health and the people it serves.”
Dr Hannah Bennett, Rural Generalist and Pain Specialist, Townsville University Hospital
"As a consultant in Pain Medicine, I have excellent work-life balance. Townsville is a great place to raise a family and there's so much on your doorstep here. It's just an easy life.” Read More
Dr Anthony Brazzale, Cardiologist, Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service
“We have advanced trainees who come from Brisbane and want to come back here now as consultants. They tell us this is one of the best training centres in Australia. The opportunities you get up here, you’ll get nowhere else.” Read MoreKeep up to date with our latest news & events!
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10 March 2026
Built on Sport, Bound for Medicine: Dr Monet Visser’s Next Chapter
Sport and an active lifestyle have been central to Dr Monet Visser’s life from the start. From years spent as a competitive gymnast to competing in athletics, touch football and later rugby sevens at university, active competition has long been second nature for the Cairns local. When it came time to chart her path after completing her medical degree at James Cook University, a career in Sports and Exercise Medicine felt almost inevitable. Raised in Cairns, Monet grew up in the very community she now serves. After finishing high school, she relocated to Townsville to study medicine, before returning to Cairns for her final years of training. She returned to Townsville as an intern at the city’s hospital after graduation, but the pull of Far North Queensland remained strong. Now in her third postgraduate year, Monet has come full circle—returning to Cairns to continue her training at the Cairns Hospital as she focuses on a career in sports medicine. “The main reason for my move back to Cairns this year was to assist in my career development in Sports Medicine. Sports medicine is a rapidly growing specialisation and like applying for any training program, requires exposure, mentorship and support in that field. For me, Cairns offered all of the above,” Monet says. Finding direction in an idyllic regional setting While Monet explored a range of specialties throughout medical school and her early career, sports medicine proved her passion and the field where she believes she can make the greatest impact. Cairns has proven an ideal environment to pursue her sports medicine career. As a competitive and evolving specialty, Sports and Exercise Medicine demands strong mentorship and hands-on experience—both of which Monet has found in abundance in Far North Queensland. “We are extremely lucky up here to have a very special mentor Dr Kira James (Sports and Exercise Medicine Physician) and her registrars at FNQ Sports Medicine. They are also the first in Australia to offer a sports medicine service through the public hospital system,” Monet says. “Cairns is also a great place for sports medicine exposure. There are so many opportunities to gain exposure to the field of sports medicine up here.” Monet points to the region’s strong sporting culture as a major advantage, with elite teams such as the Northern Pride men’s and women’s teams, the Cairns Taipans, and a rapidly growing AFL community—particularly in the women’s game. “There are also sporting events such as the Cairns Ironman, Cairns Marathon, Triple R mountain bike event, the Cardiac Challenge, to name a few! Always so much happening in Cairns, and therefore offers lots of opportunity for me to learn.” Through her own sporting background, Monet has developed a deep understanding of both the physical and mental demands of sport. Her interest in this field kicked off before university when she volunteered with the medical support crew on the three-day annual Cardiac Challenge – a challenging charity cycling event in Far North Queensland that raises funds for cardiac services at Cairns Hospital – at just 16. “Looking back, I think I always knew this was the path for me,” she says. That lived experience—combined with her medical training—has shaped a career focused not only on performance and progression, but on helping people stay active, healthy and connected to their communities.
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25 February 2026
A Regional Dream Realised: Dr Susie Lee’s Cairns Orthopaedics journey
A career-defining moment at the end of her first degree — and a determination to train in Far North Queensland — has set Dr Susie Lee on a pathway to a thriving career in orthopaedics at Cairns Hospital. Brisbane born and bred, Dr Lee initially completed a physiotherapy degree and was pursuing that career when an opportunity in her final year changed everything. “I had the opportunity to observe my first operation, a dynamic hip screw for a patient who sustained a neck of femur fracture. “This sparked my interest in medicine and ultimately orthopaedics. As a physiotherapist, I always worked with patients who were in the pre-operative or post-operative rehabilitation stages. “After observing this surgery, I wanted to be the one doing the operations and seeing the outcomes firsthand.” Diving headfirst into medicine Susie enrolled to study medicine at Griffith University across the Gold and Sunshine Coast campuses, with a clear goal in mind — to complete her internship in a regional centre, ideally Cairns. “I did an elective orthopaedic placement in Cairns and loved the hospital and surrounds so applied to Cairns for internship as my first preference. However, I unfortunately missed out,” Susie says. She chose to complete her internship at Toowoomba’s regional hospital instead. “This was a great experience, and I loved it so much I ended up staying for three years to do my orthopaedic senior house officer and first year of principal house officer years there too.” Her passion for orthopaedics remained steadfast during these years. “The bread and butter of orthopaedics, fixing fractures, joint replacements, and tendon repairs which help improve patients' pain and functional outcome has motivated me to continue pursuing orthopaedics.” But the Cairns hospital remained firmly in her sights. “Cairns has a great orthopaedic department led by our director, Associated Professor Christopher Morrey, who has created a supportive and collegiate environment with female senior consultant and registrars,” she says. The department’s strong female representation was a significant drawcard. “Cairns has had a strong track record of female orthopaedic registrars and principal house officers who have been supported to pursue training. “There are three female consultants in the department (Dr Shkolnikova, Dr Lees and Dr Kira James) who have provided a great example and act as amazing role models.”
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4 February 2026
Dr Carolyn Belonogoff’s Rural Commitment
For Dr Carolyn Belonogoff, rural medicine is not just a career pathway — it is a calling rooted in community, continuity, and care. She was named the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) Queensland Registrar of the Year last year, an award which Carolyn says was an incredible honour and came as a huge surprise. “Personally, I look around at my colleagues and peers and feel a bit of a tall poppy; how did I get this award when there are so many people doing such amazing things in their rural communities?” For Carolyn, recognition is less about individual achievement and more about the collective impact rural doctors can have. “I am grateful that I've been able to find a community that I love and want help create positive change in. As a rural doctor there's so much you can do for a community, and something as simple as being a constant in the community makes a big difference.” Carolyn and her husband, also a local doctor, juggle their work whilst raising four young children, aged four and under, in the small town she now proudly calls home. Working as a Rural Generalist registrar and provisional Senior Medical Officer at Babinda Multi-Purpose Health Service, Carolyn provides care across emergency, inpatient, aged care and general practice settings. Her role places her at the heart of the community — a position she values deeply. From America to North Queensland Carolyn, who is originally from the United States, came to North Queensland with plans to study a Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at James Cook University (JCU). “Initially I was coming over to JCU to start a Masters of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. The Dean at that time suggested I do medicine first, and I was fortunate enough to get accepted,” she explains. Carolyn initially imagined a future in global health. “I thought to make a difference I would have to go overseas and join something like MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières).” But early exposure to rural generalism during her medical degree reframed what meaningful impact could look like. “Then in first year I heard about a rural generalist and all they could do and how they serviced underserved populations. It was my dream job laid out for me,” she says. JCU’s strong emphasis on rural and remote placements proved pivotal. In the fourth year of her medicine degree, Carolyn was placed in Far North Queensland — a moment that would ultimately define her future. Equally influential was the mentorship she received while there. “I had a rural placement in Babinda and fell in love with the community. Dr Renee Cremen was my mentor, she was in the position I am now, finishing up fellowship while navigating having a family. I saw her do the juggle and make it look possible, which was the first time I had seen a doctor who had a positive work life balance,” Carolyn says. When Carolyn’s husband — whom she met at medical school — secured an intern position in Cairns, Babinda was the obvious choice. “I reached out to Renee to see if I could come back to Babinda.”
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22 October 2025
“Fell in love with the place and never looked back”
When Dr Jason King first visited Yarrabah in 2017, he “fell in love with the place and never looked back.” Now Director of Clinical Services at Gurriny Yealamucka Health Services, he’s building stronger communities and inspiring a new generation of JCU-trained doctors in the North.
Read MoreThe NQRTH medical training network:
NQRTH is an initiative of the Australian Government's Integrated Rural Training Pipeline (IRTP) and is facilitated by James Cook University in partnership with public and private hospitals, Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC), health services, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) and GP clinics.
Cairns region
(07) 4226 7138
Central West region
(07) 4764 1547
Mackay region
(07) 4885 7122
North West region
(07) 4764 1547
Torres and Cape region
(07) 4095 6103
Townsville region
(07) 4781 3424