Gladstone region products Joshua Liaw and Remi Sayre graduate on path to becoming doctors

Two former Central Queensland students, who have been in each other’s classes since kindergarten, have graduated together again - this time among James Cook University’s new crop of doctors.

A pair of former Tannum Sands State High School classmates have graduated together once again - this time among James Cook University’s new crop of doctors.

Having been in each other’s classes since kindergarten, Joshua Liaw and Remi Sayre attended JCU and even their university placements together.

Dr Sayre, originally from Boyne Island, said it was “really cool” to go through everything with the same friend since the beginning.

Dr Liaw, originally from Tannum Sands, has started his internship at Townsville University Hospital, while Dr Sayre is on the Queensland Rural Generalist Pathway, interning at Proserpine and Mackay hospitals.

All JCU medical students do at least 20 weeks of rural placements during their degrees as part of the JCU College of Medicine and Dentistry’s commitment to building a fit-for-purpose medical workforce for underserved communities in Queensland.

Dr Liaw got valuable experience being immersed in communities from Proserpine to Bowen and Innisfail, while Dr Sayre loved her rural placements in Proserpine, Mount Isa, Normanton and Biloela.

Family has been a big inspiration and support for the new doctors, both of whom were based in Mackay for the final years of their degree.

The former said she was always interest in becoming a doctor, but became set on it when her mum suffered a stroke when she was in Year 12.

“Going through everything with her and having to travel so much for her treatment made me realise how significant the gaps in health care distribution are,” Dr Sayre said.

Dr Liaw revealed his inspiration for becoming a doctor could also be traced back to his mum.

“She has been a nurse at Gladstone Hospital since we were born,” Dr Liaw said.

“She purposely took up night shifts just so she could make our lunch boxes in the morning, drop us off and pick us up from school, help us with homework in the afternoons – all with a few hours of sleep while we were at class.

“My dad would come home to take over night duties as the cycle repeated. We often don’t appreciate the sacrifices of our loved ones until we’re older.”

Dr Liaw graduated with Honours and won the prestigious Rural Doctors Association of Queensland Academic Award in 2021 for his research on the prevention of Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD).

He said one of the highlights of his degree was working with many inspiring clinicians and researchers on projects that aimed to improve service delivery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children living with RHD.

Professor Sarah Larkins, Dean at JCU College of Medicine and Dentistry, said JCU was proud to train

doctors and health researchers “from, in, with, and for rural, regional and remote communities”.

“Around 70 per cent of our students come from rural, regional or remote backgrounds, three quarters of JCU medicine graduates ‘go rural’ after graduation, and almost half of our graduates are now generalist practitioners, far more than any other university in the country,” Professor Larkins said.

She said despite graduating just 2.4 per cent of the national output of doctors, around 50 per cent of rural, regional and remote doctors in Queensland were JCU graduates.