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Two RDN Cadets announced State Medical Student of the Year for NSW/ACT and VIC
27th October 2025
Two Rural Doctors Network (RDN) Cadets have been recognised as the 2025 State Medical Student of the Year for their state, as part of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) Excellence Awards.
Fifth-year medical student at Charles Sturt University, former nurse and founder of the not-for-profit Boots to Scrubs program, Chloe Campbell has been named the NSW/ACT Medical Student of the Year. As part of the Boots to Scrubs program, Chloe has already provided more than $60,000 in scholarships and mentoring for rural women in medicine amongst a whole host of accomplishments and achievements.
Meanwhile final-year medical student also from Charles Sturt University, Heidi Annand has been named the Victorian Medical Student of the Year. Heidi founded her university’s medical society and has combined clinical placements in Swan Hill, Deniliquin, Melbourne, and Karnataka, India, with a strong leadership record. She has also served on the National Rural Health Student Network and edits its student newsletter.
The Awards recognise exceptional medical students showing a clear pathway towards a career as a Rural Generalist and celebrate their commitment to training in rural and remote locations, strong leadership in their communities, and dedication to building their future as Rural Generalists.
ACRRM President, Dr Rod Martin, said the students are already making an extraordinary contribution to their peers, their communities, and the Rural Generalist profession.
“They represent the passion, innovation, and dedication that will ensure rural, remote, and First Nations communities continue to have access to high-quality healthcare into the future,” Dr Martin said.
Chloe spoke with RDN and said she’s so proud to have won the award, not only for herself, but for the generations of rural women who may one day also want to become a doctor.
“It feels very surreal to win the award for a girl that didn't even know if she was going to pass her HSC, to then being a medical student of the Year for NSW and ACT,” Chloe said.
“I initially thought, gosh, this might even be a spam email or they’ve gotten the wrong person,” Chloe laughed. “But I'm very, very proud to have won it and so incredibly grateful,” she said.
“The Award is testament to the work that the Boots to Scrubs team has done and the plight of rural women in the bush; wanting to make it better for all our community and then also the next generation of women doctors.
“I'm very proud to have done it for, hopefully, generations to come of rural women that are going to go through Boots to Scrubs and the women that may be in similar positions that I have been in so they can say “yes, I want to become a doctor and I want to pursue this.”
Congratulations Chloe and Heidi!
Related news:
- Last week, Chloe and Heidi travelled to Boorloo, Perth WA and joined other state winner who were in line for the National Rural Generalist Medical Student of the Year Award which was announced on Friday night as part of the Rural Medicine Australia 2025 (RMA25) Conference. Congratulations to 2025 National Medical Student of the Year, Eiryn Twidale, from Kingaroy in Queensland's South Burnett region.
- RDN, on behalf of the NSW Ministry of Health, offers cadetships to medical students with a strong intent to undertake a medical career in rural NSW. Learn more about the Cadetship Program that Chloe and Heidi are both part of here.
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