11 March 2025
Perth Modern School students, Samantha See and Porshia Fernando, have claimed the first two places in the 2025 Young Doctors Essay competition.
The prestigious competition is a platform which gives West Australian high school students the opportunity to explore their passion for medicine and connect with professionals in the field.
Samantha See and Porshia Fernando claimed first and second place in the competition, and Aleena Binu Nair and Alice Lin achieved Certificates of Excellence (left to right).
The judges, Dr Louise Peach and Professor Keith McNaught, examined all essays across three categories, mental health, global health and medical ethics.
In their essays, Porshia and Samantha discussed attitudes and practices in contemporary healthcare.
Porshia, Year 11 said she was surprised, but also happy to find out that she had placed second in the competition.
“I have always been interested in medicine, and when I heard about this competition, I saw it as a great opportunity to challenge myself,” Porshia said.
“This competition reinforced the importance of critical thinking in medicine. It taught me that ethical discussions have multiple perspectives to consider.”
Samantha, Year 12, won the competition and said that through her research she learnt about the ethical challenges that medical professionals are faced with in their jobs.
“I gained a deeper understanding of the perspective from medical professionals about patient autonomy and the factors they must consider when making decisions.
Dr Peach and Professor McNaught said they were highly impressed with the quality of their essays.
Along with claiming the top two placings, Perth Modern School students Alice Lin, Aleena Binu Nai and Brendan Daniel all also achieved Certificates of Excellence in the competition.
Perth Modern School has a proud history in this competition, with Spandan Kankumbkar finishing runner up in 2024.
More information about the Young Doctors Essay Competition can be found on its website1.