Dr Springer receives prestigious national healthcare award

Posted by QAIHC | Dec 11, 2025 | News, Sector News

Dr Springer with her ACRRM Award. Image: ACRRM

Dr Sarah Jane Springer, a proud Wiradjuri woman and Rural Generalist, has been awarded the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) 2025 Outstanding Contribution to First Nations Healthcare Award on Friday, October 24, 2025.

With over 20 years’ experience across Aboriginal health, obstetrics, emergency medicine, and primary care in remote Australia, Dr Springer is widely respected as a national leader in culturally safe healthcare and workforce reform.

Dr Springer is the project lead for Australia’s first ACCHO-led Single Employer Model trial, pioneering structural change to build and retain a culturally safe remote health workforce. The project is being delivered by CWAATSICH in partnership with QAIHC.

The award was announced at Rural Medicine Australia 2025 in Perth, co-hosted by ACRRM and the Rural Doctors Association of Australia.

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The Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) is a leadership and policy organisation. We were established in 1990 and are the peak organisation representing all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Organisations (ATSICCHO) in Queensland at both a state and national level. The QAIHC Membership is comprised of ATSICCHOs located throughout Queensland. Nationally, we represent Queensland through its affiliation and Membership on the board of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO).

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