Paving patient centric transformation in the health industry

Alexandra holds a Doctor of Medicine (MD) from Griffith University, a Bachelor of Biomedical Science from the University of Queensland, was awarded a Global Voices Scholarship to attend the World Health Organisation’s World Health Assembly in Geneva in May, and was Chair of the Queensland Medical Students Council in 2023.

Alexandra was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect – Tetralogy of Fallot – at birth, but after seven and a half hours of open-heart surgery, she was gifted a normal life expectancy.

“As a result, I have been able to witness the impact that truly great doctors have had on me, and this quickly became my why.

“I remember asking my parents one day at the age of three, ‘who fixed me?’, and they replied, ‘a group of great doctors’. My response, in a very binary fashion was, ‘I will do that’—without any understanding of training pathways, nightshifts, study and academic pressures.,” she said.

It was the 3am Emergency Department visits, copious follow-up appointments and series of tests, that inspired her career in medicine.

Dr Wilson’s passion for the health industry is about the ever-changing landscape of medicine, including championing critical discussions regarding gender and mental health care, as well as authoring several policies for the Australian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA).

“Like a good pitch in a football stadium, or concert hall for a performance, the structures around you must adapt and support the work within.

“Whether that is hospital or private practice, the frameworks around Medicare, medications, and vaccinations are all set out by previous policies that constantly need to be revised to reflect our emerging situations.

“Also, my experience as a woman in the medical industry has been both encouraging and demoralising. Sometimes the shock value of telling an individual you are studying Medicine makes me laugh. Maybe the more we shock people, it will start to resonate that this is normal,” she said.

After seven years of constant university study, casual employment and unpaid full-time placement, Alexandra is now looking forward to laying her new foundations as a doctor in Brisbane. Dr Wilson’s journey is paved with purpose-led transformation and an empathetic connection to others who are navigating health challenges – life experiences that will only elevate her patient’s experience under her expert care.