Dr Duncan is in her final year of Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) training and has worked extensively to advocate for doctors in training in the prevocational space.
AMA President Dr Danielle McMullen said Dr Duncan represents the very best of the next generation of doctors leading change from within the system.
“Her work developing trainee-led education models, and her advocacy for doctors in training in the prevocational space, is already improving the experience of junior doctors in the Northern Territory and beyond."
As a medical education registrar with NT health, Dr Duncan has introduced innovative models of education into the training program of the Royal Darwin Hospital and has championed trainee-led orientation.
She has been recognised as an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy for her skills and experience in teaching and supporting learning in higher education.
“Her dedication to rural generalist and remote training is helping build a more sustainable medical workforce that can meet the diverse healthcare needs of rural and remote communities in Australia,” Dr McMullen said.
In addition to her other achievements, Dr Duncan is the Vice President of AMA NT, demonstrating that doctors in training are capable of exceptional leadership at all levels of our profession.
Dr Duncan currently works part-time at Danila Dilba Health Services, an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service. She said balancing frontline clinical work alongside education, keeps her knowledge up to date and reconnects her to the sense of excitement that drew her to medicine, as seen through the eyes of the students she teaches.
Dr Duncan said she is honoured to receive this award and was quick to credit the NT community that have helped shaped her career.
“In the Territory, the social and cultural determinants of health are front and centre every day, meaning that doctors are compelled to work not just with patients but on the systems and structures that determine health outcomes.
“There are so many amazing senior role models in the NT who have been working in health leadership and advocacy alongside community for decades.
“I’ve learned so much from them and still have a lot more to learn.”
