MED NORRTH Research Conference 2026
MED NORRTH (Northern Outcomes in Regional Research, Translation, and Health) offers medical students, junior doctors and local and national medical and health researchers an opportunity to showcase their evidence-based research, build connections and learn more about research in northern Queensland. This year's conference will be run in conjunction with the North Queensland Physicians’ Conference, with several shared sessions and events across both programs.
Date: Saturday 1 August 2026
Location: Crystalbrook Riley, Cairns
Theme: From Reef to Remote - Advancing Research Skills for Health Challenges in Northern Australia
A network of medical training opportunities
We connect medical students, interns and junior doctors with resources and opportunities to prepare for specialist training and beyond, creating stronger health outcomes in our region.
Dr Tadiwa Mashavave, Junior Doctor, Mackay Base Hospital
“It was during my time at JCU that I decided I wanted to end up somewhere rural or regional and I thought I would be able to gain a lot of hands-on skills in my junior years at a regional hospital like Mackay Base Hospital. It’s been great working with other doctors who are as passionate about rural health and the people it serves.”
Dr Hannah Bennett, Rural Generalist and Pain Specialist, Townsville University Hospital
"As a consultant in Pain Medicine, I have excellent work-life balance. Townsville is a great place to raise a family and there's so much on your doorstep here. It's just an easy life.” Read More
Dr Anthony Brazzale, Cardiologist, Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service
“We have advanced trainees who come from Brisbane and want to come back here now as consultants. They tell us this is one of the best training centres in Australia. The opportunities you get up here, you’ll get nowhere else.” Read MoreKeep up to date with our latest news & events!
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17 August 2026
Big Opportunities in Regional Medicine
From intensive care units in regional Queensland to international collaborations with NASA-linked researchers and some of the world’s leading neuroscience institutions, Associate Professor Eamon Raith is helping put Mackay on the map as an emerging centre for advanced medicine and healthcare innovation. The intensive care medicine specialist and neurocritical care researcher has built a career spanning frontline regional medicine, global research partnerships and cutting-edge work in biophotonics — all while remaining committed to improving healthcare outcomes for rural and regional communities. Despite training and working internationally, including at London’s renowned National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery at Queen Square, A/Prof Raith believes Mackay offers something increasingly rare in modern medicine: the opportunity for junior doctors to gain hands-on experience, contribute meaningfully to patient care and become involved in globally connected research while embedded in a regional community. A/Prof Raith, the Research Lead at Mackay Clinical School, believes that regional centres like Mackay are reshaping outdated ideas about where advanced medicine happens and who gets to be involved in it. “I've had a lot of exposure to rural and regional medicine during my training and always took opportunities to work in regional environments as a medical student and as a junior doctor,” he said. “I think critical care in regional settings gets the reputation of being simpler cases and the hard cases get flown down to the big city ICUs. But that's very much not the case.”
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13 August 2026
A Doctor for the North
Some of Dr Dennis Perez Castillo's most influential moments as a medical student did not happen in lecture theatres or simulation labs. They happened in communities like Atherton, Innisfail and Proserpine, where the James Cook University medical graduate discovered firsthand the impact regional doctors can have far beyond hospital walls. Now an intern at Townsville University Hospital and recipient of the University Medal, the highest academic honour awarded by JCU, Dr Perez Castillo is part of the growing pipeline of young doctors choosing to build their careers in northern Queensland. He says the regional training experiences, clinical placements and mentors he encountered throughout medical school shaped both the doctor he has become and the future he hopes to build. "Being a Townsville local, growing up and going to school here, choosing to study Medicine at JCU felt like the only right decision," he said. "I wanted to pursue my dream career in a place I already felt connected to, in a community that values service, connection, and looking after one another."
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5 August 2026
JCU showcases Mackay’s future of regional medicine through junior doctors conference
James Cook University has helped showcase Mackay as an emerging centre for advanced regional medicine, research and healthcare innovation, hosting the first-ever Australian Medical Association Queensland (AMAQ) Junior Doctors Conference in the Whitsunday region. Delivered with support from JCU’s Northern Queensland Regional Training Hubs (NQRTH), the three-day conference brought together junior doctors and medical students from across Queensland to explore regional career pathways, connect with leading clinicians and discover the diverse opportunities available in communities outside metropolitan centres. The conference highlighted the critical role regional Queensland can play in developing the future medical workforce, challenging perceptions that complex medicine, specialist training and research opportunities are only available in major cities. Through a program featuring leading clinicians, medical educators and healthcare leaders from across Queensland, participants explored career development, wellbeing, leadership and the future of medicine, while gaining first-hand insight into the rewarding careers available in regional communities.
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8 July 2026
Underground Emergencies, Mine Rescue and High-Stakes Medicine
Junior Doctors Conference Showcases Mackay's Unique Training Opportunities A simulated underground mine emergency might not be what most junior doctors expect when they attend a medical conference. But that is exactly the kind of experience awaiting participants at the 2026 Junior Doctors Conference in Mackay, where medicine will meet one of Australia's most important industries in a hands-on training exercise unlike anything available in a metropolitan setting. Held at the Mantra Mackay on July 25 and 26, the conference will bring together junior doctors, medical students and senior clinicians from across Queensland to explore career pathways in regional medicine while experiencing firsthand the unique clinical opportunities available in Mackay and the wider region. The centrepiece of the weekend will be an immersive emergency medicine simulation program that transports participants into the high-pressure world of mine site medicine and rescue operations.
Read MoreThe NQRTH medical training network:
NQRTH is an initiative of the Australian Government's Integrated Rural Training Pipeline (IRTP) and is facilitated by James Cook University in partnership with public and private hospitals, Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC), health services, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) and GP clinics.
Cairns Region
(07) 4226 7138
Central West Region
(07) 4764 1547
Mackay Region
(07) 4885 7122
North West Region
(07) 4764 1547
Torres and Cape Region
(07) 4226 7138
Townsville Region
(07) 4781 3424