Recipients of the Kate Scanlon Award are awarded an opportunity to pursue a project or activity that will improve allied health services for Tasmanians. There have been five recipients since the creation of the award in 2012.
People who have received the Kate Scanlon Award
| Award Recipient | Year of Award | Where |
| Hui Yu Yao (Social Work) | 2017 | Port Lincoln, SA |
| Claire Johns (Chiropractic) | 2016 | Canberra, ACT |
| Frances Aird (Physiotherapy) | 2015 | Kingscliff, NSW |
| Madeline Davey (Speech Pathology) | 2014 | Canberra, ACT |
| Alastair Norris (Dentistry) and Jordan McCreary (Physiotherapy) | 2013 | Launceston, TAS |
History of the Kate Scanlon Award
The Kate Scanlon award was created in 2012 in memory of Kate Scanlon who was a NAHSSS recipient. In November 2011 Kate Scanlon tragically lost her life in India when the train she was travelling in from Kolkata to the northern town of Dehradun, caught fire.
Kate was going there to run a first aid course and physiotherapy clinic along with other students. Twenty-one year old Kate from Tasmania was studying physiotherapy at Monash University and had been receiving the NAHSSS Undergraduate Scholarship since 2010.
The Kate Scanlon Award provides Tasmanian scholarship recipients with an opportunity to pursue a project or activity that will improve allied health services for Tasmanians.
Procedure for Determining a Kate Scanlon Award Recipient
Once a year, people are invited to submit a detailed proposal outlining a rural activity they would like to attend, or a project that the potential recipient would like to implement in their local community in the following year. The applicant explains how the activity or project will benefit their community and will show a strong passion and committment to improving rural health. To be eligible for the award, you need to be a current scholar under the Nursing and Allied Health Scholarship Support Scheme (NAHSSS) and be from Tasmania.
Previous recipients have utilised funding as follows:
- Undertake a clinical placement with the Royal Flying Doctor Service
- Set up an injury recovery program with a junior football team
- Undertake a placement with a not-for-profit organisation supporting children with a disability and their families
- Set up a sport based program for over 65's in their rural community incorporating correct warm up and cool down exercises.
Value of the Kate Scanlon Award
The successful recipient receives $5,000 towards their chosen activity or project.