Brittany Knezevic was awarded the prestigious Australian Medical Association Gold Medal for Medicine at the University of Western Australia. The prize is awarded to the student with the highest aggregate marks over the six year medical degree course. It was presented to her at a ceremony at Winthrop Hall, University of Western Australia, by Professor Ian Jenkins (Vice President of the AMA- WA), at the Dedication Ceremony for the 200 new medical graduates from UWA Medical School for 2010.

Brittany is the daughter of Beverley and Dr Vujo Knezevic, neurologist from Cottesloe in WA. She is the granddaughter of Marko and Marija Knezevic also from Cottesloe, originally from Oton, near Knin.

Brittany was educated in Perth at St Hilda’s School for Girls where she excelled academically and also in music. She has continued playing trumpet and played with the Western Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra during her studies in medicine. This year she was part of a jazz trio who played at the Annual Nikola Tesla Dinner in July in Perth.

During her medical course she received awards and scholarships enabling her to participate in a research project at WAIMR ( West Australian Institute of Medical Research) and a year of medical research at Cambridge University in England where she completed a Bachelor of Medical Science ( with honours). She also spent an elective term studying oncology in Sweden and a six week medical elective at Christian Medical College in Velore, India.

Brittany will be starting work as a doctor in 2011 at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth.

Below – Professor Ian Jenkins, Dr Brittany Knezevic, Dr Vujo Knezevic. Many thanks to the AMA for the use of this photo.