Boost to indigenous health with Peter Sharp scholarship

Christopher Hagan, a first year Indigenous medical student at The Australian National University (ANU), and passionate advocate for Indigenous health, has been awarded the 2018 Peter Sharp scholarship. The scholarship to support an Indigenous student through medicine at ANU is part of an ACT Health funding package worth $352,000 over four years. Christopher, 22, is from Koorawatha, between Cowra and Young. One of five children of his Wiradjuri father and Greek mother, he has seen the impact of health issues on his own family. "I have opportunities here that a lot of people in my family and my community have never had and I feel so lucky and so grateful, I'm really going to use this opportunity," he said. "My dream is to be a rural GP in a country town - hopefully back home in Cowra or Young, and be part of that community to help it grow and be healthy." "Receiving the Peter Sharp scholarship has made life a lot easier for me, it has given me financial security. Now I don't have to juggle work and I can focus 100 per cent on my study - it's a real gift," Christopher said.