Baneen’s story is one of a refugee experience, having travelled to Australia in-utero, crossing the perilous seas via an illegal boat with parents who had dreams of a safer life and to set roots in a new community. For her that community was Cobram, a beautiful rural town on the banks of the Murray river. Her early exposure to inequalities ignited a passion for community service, culminating in her recognition as the 2019 Moira Shire Young Australian of the Year. Today, Baneen is a junior doctor at Albury Wodonga Health and is passionate about developing her leadership skills to advocate for rural health, global health and women’s health. She is a research assistant; a recipient of the 2023 NSW Rural Women scholarship; a NSW RDN resident rural medical officer cadet; a former vice chair of the National Rural Health Student Network and a mentee to the adjunct Professor Ruth Stewart.

Dr Sue Velovski in the Chair of RDAA’s Rural Specialist Group (RSG), a committee member of RDANSW and the 2022 co-Rural Doctor of the Year. She is a General Surgeon with a particular interest in cancer and trauma surgery, practising in the Northern Rivers area of NSW. Sue continues to be a passionate advocate for all rural doctors across Australia and for health professionals and services in her community which continues to experience significant distress as a result of major flooding.

Throughout my journey, I've developed a keen interest in other cultures. Born in France, I attended school in Africa and have lived across Australia for the past 17 years. After traveling to over 40 countries, I decided to pursue medicine as a mature-age student, starting from scratch and earning a Dean's medal for my academic success. I am currently a Hospital Medical Officer at Albury Wodonga Health, working towards becoming a GP-RG. My passion for rural and remote health grew stronger after completing several placements in Central Australia. In 2021, I was elected Chair of the National Rural Health Student Network (NRHSN), representing over 12,000 rural health students in 29 university rural health clubs. I have always embraced the opportunity to give back to my community by facilitating over 150 Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) and mentoring over 30 facilitators, earning an international teaching award. I've also received prestigious awards such as the NSW Rural Resident Medical Officer Cadetship, the John Flynn Placement Program, and the RACGP Rural Medical Student Award. To further pursue my aspirations of improving the health sector, I also worked as a management consultant with KPMG.