Katharine gains regional experience

She already boasts an impressive list of qualifications, but medical student Katharine Osborne wants to add regional medicine to her diverse skill set.

A Phase 3 Medical Student with the University of Wollongong Rural School of Medicine, Katharine has joined the Ulladulla Medical Clinic team where she will spend 12 months training in a rural general practice setting under the supervision of Dr Paul Rothe.

Katharine will also spend time at the Milton-Ulladulla Hospital where she hopes to broaden her skill base, including anaesthetics.

A contingent of medical students are training at local medical centres, led by Regional Academic Leader with University of Wollongong Dr Matthew Allan, also from the Ulladulla Medical Clinic.

Katharine is considering a career in surgery, especially orthopaedics, dermatology and reconstructive/plastics, and is also interested in infectious diseases, immunology, rheumatology and paediatrics.

She comes to Ulladulla with a host of qualifications under her belt, including a Diploma of Music (classical studies, oboe) from the ANU School of Music, Canberra; a BSc (Hons class 1) Microbiology and biochemistry, minor in psychology from Sydney University where she gained Honours in honey bee behavioural ecology; and has suspended her PhD (Medicine) in Cancer Immunology at Sydney University and RPAH while she completes her MD training.

Katharine has published four peer review journal articles and worked as a medical research scientist at the Centenary Institute in Sydney for two years where she studied how the microbiome in the human gut can impact our health, and how nutritional biochemistry can be used to help stop cell growth in cancers.

After living and studying in the city, Katharine is enjoying spending time in the bush and at the beach, where she likes to hike, kayak and cycle. She also loves reading, art, global economics and health, as well as baking, astronomy and astrobiology.

People will have an opportunity to meet Katharine at the Ulladulla Medical Clinic where she is looking forward to meeting new patients and gaining experience in general practice in a rural area where every day offers up a new challenge.