2011 RCS Alumni Dr Kat Franklin returns to Shepparton

Paediatrician Kat Franklin has left her footprints across the world. For the moment however, Dr Franklin’s feet are firmly planted in Shepparton, doing what she loves.

Doctors often face the question, what made you want to be a doctor? Dr Franklin is clear about her motivation – the moment her brother, then only nine years old, became seriously ill. Her mind was set from then on.

Dr Franklin completed her medical training in 2011 and looks back at her time in the Rural Health Medical School with fondness.

“It was such a great experience. Combine great teaching with hands-on training and depth, breadth and exposure, and you have a unique way of learning,” she says.

“Spending time in a rural setting prepared me for the challenges that were to come.”

Since graduating 10 years ago, Kat has travelled the world and worked in some difficult but rewarding settings. Destinations have included Afghanistan, South Sudan, Iraq and closer to home, some time spent in Darwin with remote communities. In between, she worked for the World Health Organisation (WHO) and completed a Masters of International Health and Tropical Medicine at Oxford University.

“I was supposed to be going to Afghanistan again in October to work with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) (Doctors Without Borders). Recent events have made that impossible. It is a place I hold dear and I truly loved my time there. I especially recall my work in the neo-natal ward supervising some remarkable clinicians.”

Kat knew that to be a paediatrician meant a commitment to further study. Due to her travels and working in the field with MSF, it took a little more time to complete the training.

Now she is prepared for anything, and at the end of December, will fly out to Liberia to work with MSF. Armed with her special knowledge of paediatrics and experience dealing with tropical diseases, Kat will be well-equipped for this next chapter.

In the meantime, she is working in the paediatric and emergency departments of Goulburn Valley Health. This includes working the night shift.

Thankful for her career and the resilience of children, Kat is ready for whatever comes next in her challenging but rewarding medical career.