The Purple Bush Medicine Leaves Bursary Program

In 2026, the Purple Bush Medicine Leaves Bursary Program applications will open on National Sorry Day, Tuesday 26 May 2026 — a day of remembrance, healing and action.

Now in its sixth year, the Program continues to give back to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in medicine who are already leading, caring, advocating and contributing so much to their communities.

This year, at least Five (5) bursaries valued at $1,500 each will be available to support professional development, leadership, networking and academic opportunities, with recipients to be announced during NAIDOC Week, 5–12 July 2026.

This growth has been made possible through the generosity of our donors, sponsors and supporters.

Applicants are encouraged to review the Eligibility and Selection Criteria tabs before applying.

Applications may be submitted online here and will close on Monday 29 June 2026.

To be eligible to apply you must meet each of the Eligibility Criteria.

You are:

Examples of Conferences and Meetings that may be relevant (but not exclusive) to this Bursary:

• Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA) Conference, annually or PRIDoc (Pacific Region Indigenous Doctors Congress)
• Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education (LIME) Biannual Connection events
• Australian Federation of Medical Women Face to Face meeting, annually, November
• Rural Medicine Australia Conference
• Commission on the Status of Women, New York as AFMW Delegate and/or presenter at the AFMW Parallel event (annually in February)
• Professional development workshops, on topics for example, including Doctor Wellbeing, Ethics, Leadership and Governance in the Medical Workforce
• Medical Women’s International Association Meetings:
  • MWIA Triennial Conference
  • MWIA Regional Conference e.g. Western Pacific
  • WHO World Health Assembly, Geneva, annually in May
• Australian Medical Students Association (AMSA) National Convention, annually

The following Selection Criteria, including the Personal Statement, will be used to assess your application.                          (Providing your Curriculum Vitae is optional in addition to this).

You can:

Applications open (National Sorry Day) – Tuesday 26 May 2026  

Applications close – Monday 29 June 2026  

Bursary Recipients formally announced – NAIDOC Week 5-12 July 2026                                                                                               

The Presentation of the Bursary may be held at a dinner event of the relevant State Medical Women’s Society and/or at the AFMW Face to Face meeting in November, either in person or virtually.

If you have any queries or concerns when completing this application, please do not hesitate to contact the bursary co-coordinator Dr Lydia Pitcher at [email protected]