Dental Health Services Victoria's Indigenous Dental Assistant Traineeship graduate Michael Lawler has been announced as one of the two winners of The Quantum Leap scholarship.
The Australian Hospitals and Healthcare Association (AHHA) scholarship is awarded to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students enrolled part-time or full-time in a degree at an Australian University.
Supported by HESTA, the scholarship included registration to attend The Quantum Leap conference in September (and associated travel, meals and accommodation) and a cash allocation to assist with ongoing study costs.
Federal Minister for Health, Mr Peter Dutton, presented Michael with the award during the conference.
Michael is currently studying dentistry at La Trobe University in Bendigo after graduating in the pioneer batch of the Indigenous Dental Assistant Traineeship program last year.
The 18-month traineeship was first offered in 2012 to encourage fresh, young talent into the organisation and the public dental sector as a whole.
(Image from left: DHSV CEO Dr Deborah Cole, Michael Lawler and Federal Minister for Health, Mr Peter Dutton)