The future leadership of rural medicine is in good hands, according to the winner of the Louis Ariotti Memorial Award, Associate Professor Lucie Walters.

The $10,000 award for innovation and excellence of national significance to rural and remote health was presented at  the National Rural Health conference in Adelaide. The award commemorates Queensland rural medico Dr Louis Ariotti.

A practising GP-obstetrician in Mount Gambier, Associate Professor Walters leads the Flinders University Parallel Rural Community Curriculum (PRCC), an award-winning program that places medical students in rural communities for a full-year.

Accepting the award, Associate Professor Walters acknowledged leaders in rural health and education past and present, and thanked her local community, colleagues at the Flinders Rural Clinical School and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM).

Her speech called for her colleagues to be “good company” in supporting the next generation of leaders as they embark on their journey in health professional education.

“I’ve been listening to the inspiring presentations from young people on rural and Indigenous health at this conference and I believe the future is in good hands,” Associate Professor Walters said.

The Academic Director of ACRRM and a council member of the SA Institute of Medical Education and Training, Associate Professor Walters was instrumental in the development of the only intern training program in rural South Australia. She also serves on the State Clinical Senate, a peak health advisory body to the SA Government.

Her research interests include work-integrated learning, adult education pedagogies, and rural training pathways.