Advancing trauma care in regional Queensland: The Emergency Medicine Foundation annual grants ceremony

An image of a woman standing behind a podium labelled "Victoria Park," delivering a speech with a microphone. The background is a large window with a blurred view of green.

The Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF) recently held its annual grants ceremony event to acknowledge their newest grants recipients.

Since 2021, the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC) has funded a special grants program administered by EMF which targets clinicians in regional, rural and remote areas. While claims to the Queensland Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance scheme occur less frequently in these areas, when they do, they often result in more serious injuries.

These grants aim to enhance research and clinical capacity by providing these clinicians with the opportunity to engage in research or research-related scholarship opportunities for the first time, as a way of translating their ideas into practice and stimulating enhancements to trauma management.

At the ceremony Acting Insurance Commissioner Gaenor Walker was honoured to present awards to the successful applicants from the 2025 program at the ceremony. This included two new research project grants and two scholarships.

The new research projects funded were awarded to:

Dr Amanda McConnell, Senior Physician Cairns Hospital – Trauma Research and Analysis in the Understanding of Major Accidents in North Queensland (2022-2025). This study will analyse major trauma cases that occurred in North Queensland Hospitals during this period to establish a baseline for quality improvement, guide clinical practice and support equitable trauma care in regional and remote communities.
Ms Elizabeth Doran, Medical Chest Service Manager for the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) Queensland – leading a study to examine the perceived and economic value of the RFDS Queensland medical chest service from the perspectives of patients, chest holders and other stakeholders in regional and remote Queensland.

An image of two women standing in front of two green and red banners displaying "EMF Emergency Medicine Foundation”. One woman is showing a paper certificate with the EMF and MAIC logos on it. — (*Acting Insurance Commissioner, Gaenor Walker (right), with Elizabeth Doran from RFDS (left) – one of the research program grant recipients.*)

The scholarship winners included:

Tara Pidgeon, Clinical Research Coordinator at Lifeflight, and
Roberta Ridolfi, Clinical Nurse Educator at Retrieval Services Queensland.

An image of two women standing in front of two green and red banners displaying "EMF Emergency Medicine Foundation”. Both women are smiling, with one handing a paper certificate to the other. — (*Acting Insurance Commissioner, Gaenor Walker (left), with Tara Pidgeon from Lifeflight (right) – one of the scholarship recipients.*)

MAIC is proud of our ongoing collaboration with EMF and we look forward to hearing of the outcomes of these research projects as they progress during 2026.

Round 6 of the Trauma Program for Research Grants is due to open on 7 April 2026, while applications for the first intake for the scholarship are currently active. For further information visit EMF » Trauma Care in Regional, Rural and Remote Queensland