While growing up in her hometown of Rockhampton on Darumbal country, Tylin Guthrie noticed the health disparities that her community faced.
Although this motivated her to find a way to make a difference, at first it seemed like there wasn’t anything she could do without leaving home.
“As a kid, I never saw any Aboriginal doctors around and, honestly, as a young Indigenous girl, that made medicine feel like something way out of reach,” says Tylin.
“But as I got older, I started to see the importance of having culturally grounded clinicians who understand our stories and lived experiences.”
“I wanted to be part of changing that narrative and bridging that gap in health care.”
Tylin knew medicine was her calling and her way to create change, but she didn’t love the idea of moving far from home to study.
“Having my family and local community around me has always been my anchor,” she says.
“Being connected to this place and staying close to my roots in Central Queensland gives me a real sense of purpose in everything I do.”
Discovering UQ’s rural pathways to medicine, which extend across Central Queensland, Wide Bay and Darling Downs South West regions, made Tylin realise she didn’t need to sacrifice her connection to home to pursue her healthcare ambitions.
UQ partners with Central Queensland University, University of Southern Queensland and health services in regional Queensland to create these pathways, enabling rural students to complete their entire medical education closer to home.
They start by completing a Bachelor of Medical Science (with CQUniversity or UniSQ) before studying the Doctor of Medicine through one of UQ’s Regional Clinical Units in Rockhampton, Bundaberg or Toowoomba.
“The thought of studying medicine always seemed out of reach by virtue of the emotional, cultural and financial toll of moving away,” says Tylin.
“But studying on the rural pathway with CQUniversity and UQ has allowed me to train in my hometown, which means I am surrounded by my family, culture and support systems.”
“Navigating a demanding degree in medicine would be almost impossible in isolation, and having a strong circle has been my anchor. My family has been my biggest rock, keeping me grounded when study can seem overwhelming."
Tylin’s journey so far
Tylin says her community, her family and especially her parents have been on board with her medicine studies from the very beginning, and this support has given her the confidence and encouragement to take on the challenge.
While she was already aware of the health concerns prevalent in her community, getting into medicine has forced her to confront these issues directly.
“Chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular illness continue to heavily impact our mob, and mental health is another area which I see affecting our mob, particularly through high rates of anxiety, depression and suicide,” says Tylin.
“I feel motivated to advocate for community-led, culturally safe health care that addresses these challenges, as this should improve long-term outcomes.”
Studying in Rockhampton has also enabled Tylin to discover the realities of regional health care firsthand.
“Rural training highlights how vital local, accessible services are so that patients don’t always have to travel away from their families and support systems to get the care they need,” she says.
However, she has also experienced a more positive aspect of being a rural doctor.
“During a local GP placement in Rocky, I put my first stitches in a patient… and a week later, they returned to have those exact stitches removed, and I got to do that too,” says Tylin.
“Experiencing that full circle of care highlighted the unique beauty of regional medicine: continuity of care.”
“You build real rapport and get to follow patients throughout their health journey.”
Moments like these, along with every other step forward, reassure Tylin that she is walking the right path and that showing up as an Aboriginal medical student is worthwhile.
“Every milestone, from passing clinical exams to performing hands-on procedures on placement, every little moment of progression feels like a win not just for me, but for my community,” she says.
Tylin’s vision for the future
Tylin hopes to graduate and become a doctor with a focus on delivering accessible and culturally safe health care to her mob.
For her, representation is essential – but it’s about more than just statistics. Representation means trust, safety and cultural understanding.
“When First Nations patients see an Indigenous medical student or doctor walk into the room, there is an immediate shift, a sense of relief and comfort,” says Tylin.
“Growing up in Rockhampton, I’ve seen how important it is for our community to feel heard, respected and supported in health spaces… and the thought that I get to be someone who provides that for our mob is what drives me.”
She is especially excited at the prospect of being someone that young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids can look up to, becoming that Indigenous doctor that she herself didn’t have to look up to.
If I can be the person who inspired another young Indigenous kid to pursue their dream, then I will feel like I’ve achieved a more meaningful outcome in my career. Because, after all, you can’t be what you can’t see.
Learn more about UQ's Doctor of Medicine Explore Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders pathways to the Doctor of Medicine
Article originally published in the Koori Mail Education Feature, September 2026
