Tuckwell produces its second Rhodes Scholar

Lachlan Arthur (2015 Tuckwell Scholar) is the 2021 recipient of the Rhodes Scholarship for South Australia. He joins Marcus Dahl (2014 Tuckwell Scholar) who is the 2020 recipient of the Australia-at-Large Rhodes Scholarship.

In 2018, Lachlan completed a Bachelor of Philosophy (Honors) in Science, exploring medical research in biological sciences. As one of several Tuckwell Scholars on the Tuckwell-MChD pathway, Lachlan is currently studying the Doctor of Medicine and Surgery at the ANU Medical School.

Head of Scholars House Associate Professor Ryan Goss, a Rhodes Scholar himself, reflected on Lachlan’s achievement, "this is a wonderful opportunity for Lachlan to extend and challenge himself, and the whole Tuckwell community is thrilled for him".

As so many Tuckwell Scholars do, Lachlan has made the most of his time at ANU. He has been involved in several global projects including the Global Undergraduate Leaders Program, the IARU Global Summer Program at the University of Copenhagen and on Pentecost Island, Vanuatu where he volunteered at the Vanuatu Little Stars Summer School as a teacher. Of these experiences, Lachlan says, “Tuckwell made a lot of these opportunities possible… I couldn’t have imagined being able to do so much during my undergraduate but Tuckwell gave me the financial support to create my own experience”. In 2020, Lachlan served the Tuckwell community by providing advice and leadership through his membership of the Scholars House Committee.

Lachlan has his sights set on Global Surgery, a rapidly developing field of medicine that looks at addressing inequity in surgical care. He is the founding director of the ACT Global Surgery Working Group, within the Australasian Surgical Students Association. This Working Group focuses on projects that provide safe, accessible and affordable surgery in low and middle-income countries. At Oxford, he will undertake two masters degrees; the first in International Health and Tropical Medicine and the Second in Surgical Sciences.  Lachlan plans to make the most of his time at Oxford, intent to bring what he learns back to Australia for the benefit of the nation.

When asked about where he sees himself in the future, Lachlan says, “Down the track, I will think about doing a PhD but for now I want to finish Medical school and work towards enhancing surgical systems in Australia”.

The oldest and one of the most prestigious international graduate scholarship programs, the Rhodes Scholarships were established in 1903. Applicants are expected to demonstrate exceptional academic achievements, character, leadership and commitment to service. The primary goal of the program is to develop the leaders of tomorrow.

Each year, nine Rhodes Scholarships are available for outstanding Australians to study at the University of Oxford. One scholarship is offered in each of the states (NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania), and three for Australia at large.