Canberra doctor takes home prestigious radiology prize

Since the 1980s, a prize in radiology has been awarded to less than 20 people – and that select list now includes Canberra-based Dr Chia Low.

Dr Low recently won the Kaye Scott Prize from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR).

The prize is for the most outstanding performance in Phase 2 Radiation Oncology Examinations.

“Since 1986, they have awarded this prize to only 14 trainees across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, but they have not conferred it since 2019, making Dr Low’s achievement especially significant,” a Canberra Health Services (CHS) spokesperson said.

When speaking to Region, Dr Low said winning the prize meant a lot to her on both professional and personal levels.

“[It’s] all a little bit surreal still and I can’t quite believe it,” she said.

“It’s just nice to have something that I’ve achieved at the end of a long road of hard work.”

RANZCAR says a radiation oncologist is a specialist medical doctor with training in the use of radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, as well as in the overall medical care of cancer patients.

Dr Low said she liked radiation oncology as it mixed the “nerdy stuff” of physics with patient care and patient contact.

It is also a speciality that has been advancing and progressing, so it was “exciting” to be a part of, she said.

“I think what makes it also interesting is radiation has been long feared as this really scary thing,” she said.

“I think our job as radio oncologists is to highlight the therapeutic role with radiation.”

The CHS spokesperson said winning the Kaye Scott Prize was a landmark moment in Dr Lowe’s career and she hoped it would open doors to further opportunities in academia and research.

In the future, she is eager to advance radiotherapy techniques, delve into research on adaptive radiotherapy and radiogenomics, and mentor future trainees as a leader in the field.

Dr Low grew up in Malaysia, studied for a medical degree in the United Kingdom, then moved to Canberra in 2016.

“I liked it here so much that I stayed!” she said.

She qualified as a specialist in radiation oncology in December and said she had been “job hunting”.

She hopes to be based at Canberra Hospital in 2025, as well as do some work in the city’s north.

RANZCR says the prize she won is named in honour of the late Dr Kaye Scott, who played a vital role in the life its college for many years in roles such as president, warden of the membership and chair of various education committees.