ACEM Foundation Conference Scholarship

AP418 v8.1

 

 

The purpose of the ACEM Foundation Conference Scholarship is to support Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and  Māori  medical  practitioners,  medical  students  and  other  health  professionals  in  attending  the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM; the College) Winter Symposium or the ACEM Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM).

ACEM acknowledges that increasing the Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori health workforce is an essential step in reducing the current health disparities experienced by Indigenous people. By supporting attendance at the ACEM ASM or Winter Symposium, the Scholarship aims to provide the recipient with an opportunity for professional development and: 

1. Encourage the sharing of current knowledge and expertise in emergency medicine with Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori health practitioners;
2. strengthen relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous health practitioners; and 
3. facilitate leadership development for Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori health practitioners

 

2. Definitions

College member

means a person admitted as a member of the College pursuant to the provisions of the ACEM Constitution and associated regulations.

Good standing

means a member who is currently compliant with all relevant ACEM renewal of membership requirements and has no financial debts to the College, or a trainee who has no financial debts to the College and has fulfilled all training and assessment requirements applicable to their stage of training.

Recipient

means the person to whom the Grant funds in question were made available.

Trainee

an individual enrolled in an ACEM training program and, for the purposes of this policy, undertaking College requirements for the purpose of attaining eligibility for election to Fellowship of the College.

 

3.1 Eligibility criteria – Applicant

Eligible applicants include Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori trainees, medical practitioners, medical students or health professionals who are actual or potential leaders in the development of emergency medicine.

Previous recipients are not eligible to reapply. 

3.2 Eligibility criteria – Supporter

Applicants are required to submit a letter of support (via the specified form) as part of their application. The supporter must be:  

a. An ACEM Fellow or FACEM Training Program trainee who is of Good Standing with the College and has developed linkages with the applicant; or 

b. A doctor, nurse, social worker, or Indigenous liaison worker who is active in emergency medicine care and has developed linkages with the applicant; or 

c. An Indigenous graduate member of the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA) or Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa (Te ORA) – Māori Medical Practitioners Association.

3.3 Applications

Eligible persons interested in making an application for the scholarship will be required to submit the completed application form. All requirements and any accompanying information specified on that form must be completed and submitted by the deadline specified by the College. 

 

4.1 Selection criteria

The applicant will be selected according to the following criteria:

a. demonstrated interest in emergency medicine practice and/or research;

b. demonstrated leadership qualities;

c. current engagement in an area of work or study that will benefit from the opportunities and learning experiences to be gained at the ACEM event.  

It is also preferable that the applicant is a member of the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association (AIDA), Lowitja Institute Research Foundation or Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa – Māori Medical Practitioners Association (Te ORA), or equivalent organisation. 

4.2 Adjudication

A panel of three (3) or more assessors convened by the Indigenous Health Committee shall adjudicate the applications based on the selection criteria outlined in 4.1 of this policy and recommend to the ACEM Foundation Committee recipients for the Scholarships (s). 

The ACEM Board shall determine the recipient(s) of the Scholarship. The decision of the ACEM Board will be final and no correspondence will be entered in to. 

All parts of the selection process must be conducted in accordance with the College Conflict of Interest Policy (COR139). 

 

5.1 Nature of scholarship

The ACEM Foundation Conference Scholarship will be awarded annually to a maximum total amount of $15,000. Up to three scholarships can be awarded annually.

The Scholarship will fund attendance at the ACEM Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) or Winter Symposium either in person or virtually. The Scholarship shall be used to cover the event registration and if in-person attendance, the return economy-class airfares, accommodation, travel and living expenses while the recipient is at the ACEM event and travel insurance. 

The awarding of virtual registration may be included or additional to this annual amount, circumstantial to the format of the ASM. The decision of registration delegation will be made to ensure maximum reach and participation of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and Māori Emergency Medicine professionals. 

The Scholarship(s) is made annually, where this is appropriate. If no applicant meets the criteria in a particular year, then the Scholarship(s) will not be made. 

Successful applicants will be appointed an ACEM member, trainee, or staff member host for the conference upon receiving the Scholarship. 

5.2 Acknowledgement of Scholarship

The recipient(s) are presented with a certificate acknowledging the Scholarship at a College Ceremony. Virtual certificate will be sent to virtual registrants on confirmation of attendance. 

5.3 Scholarship expenditure

Eligible costs incurred for living expenses outside the ACEM event, such as non-conference meals, or airport and  venue  transfers  will  be  reimbursed  to  the  Scholarship  recipients  through  the  standard  College reimbursement process. Ancillary costs and any costs associated with family members or others who travel with the delegate are not covered by the Scholarship. 

Where possible, travel and accommodation arrangements should be made through relevant College service providers. All travel and living expenses must adhere to the ACEM Travel and Expenditure Guideline. 

 

The Scholarship recipient shall provide a one-page report detailing their experience to ACEM within 30 days of attending the ACEM event. 

The Indigenous Health Committee administrator shall provide a report detailing the expenditure associated with the Scholarship to the ACEM Foundation Committee within 30 days of the corresponding ACEM event. 

 

• AP419 ACEM Foundation Conference Scholarship Nomination Form
• FND845 ACEM Foundation Conference Scholarship Post-Conference Report Form
• CF193 Travel and College Expenditure Guidelines
• COR139 Conflict of Interest Policy