The Joseph Epstein Scholarship for Indigenous Advanced Emergency Medicine Trainees (the scholarship) was established in 2013 by Foundation Fellow Associate Professor Joseph Epstein.

The purpose of the scholarship is to encourage and support Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori doctors undertaking training in the FACEM Training Program.

The scholarship aims to increase the number of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori specialists in emergency medicine in Australia and New Zealand.

2.1 Nature of the award

The award consists of a scholarship available to a FACEM trainee who identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander or Māori. The scholarship is available from Training Stage 1 (TS1) and covers the payment of:

• annual training fees (commencing the February after the scholarship is awarded);
• the examination fee for one attempt at the Fellowship Examination (Written); and
• the examination fee for one attempt at the Fellowship Examination (Clinical).

The College, through the ACEM Foundation, is committed to increasing the number of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori trainees completing the FACEM Training Program in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. In order to encourage application for the scholarship, the number of scholarships available in any calendar year is not capped.

2.2 Conditions

The scholarship is payable from the time the application is accepted by the ACEM Foundation. It is not payable retrospectively.

The scholarship is tenable for a period of up to ten years, for so long as the awardee remains a FACEM trainee of the College. It will terminate when the awardee is elected to Fellowship or leaves the FACEM Training Program, whichever occurs first.

2.3 Eligibility criteria

Applicants for the scholarship must be:

1. Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, or Māori; and
2. registered as a trainee in the FACEM Training Program.

2.4 Application process

An eligible applicant should submit the appropriate application form to the ACEM Foundation as soon as possible after being admitted to the FACEM Training Program.

2.5 Selection process

All applicants who meet the eligibility criteria will be awarded the scholarship.

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 into.

2.6 Acknowledgement of award

New recipients of the scholarship shall be invited to be presented by the ACEM President at the annual College Ceremony (at the Annual Scientific Meeting) and their award published in the College Ceremony booklet.

If acceptable to the scholar, a profile article will be included on the ACEM website and in the ACEM Bulletin.

2.7 Associated documents

• COR344 Joseph Epstein Scholarship Application Form
• FND873 ACEM Foundation Policy