University of Notre Dame Australia medical student Preeti Raghwani has been recognised for her outstanding commitment to medicine, advocacy and community service, being shortlisted for the prestigious 2026 Australian Medical Association (WA) Medical Student of the Year Award.
Currently in her fourth year of the Doctor of Medicine program at Notre Dame's School of Medicine, Preeti said being shortlisted was both humbling and deeply meaningful.
“I was genuinely moved and incredibly grateful,” she said.
“I knew I had been nominated, but being shortlisted made it feel very real. My first thought was honestly about how much this journey has involved not just for me, but for my family and how meaningful it was to have that recognised.
“I also felt very humbled because I know there are so many extraordinary medical students doing important work across Western Australia.”
For Preeti, medicine is far more than a career path. Her journey into healthcare was shaped by the loss of her daughter, Ziya, who was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease and died at just 20 months of age.
Through navigating complex healthcare systems, advocacy and palliative care as a parent, she experienced firsthand the impact compassionate clinicians can have on families facing unimaginable circumstances.
“When she passed, I knew I wanted to carry something of what she had taught me forward and I made her a promise that I would help change one life at a time,” she said.
“Medicine eventually became the way I felt I could do that.”
That experience sparked a dedication to advocacy, leading to involvement in consumer governance, paediatric palliative care education, rare disease advocacy and a range of community initiatives.
Alongside her medical studies, she has continued to champion the voices of patients and families navigating complex health journeys.
Preeti said her advocacy and medical training complemented one another.
“It is affirming to know that advocacy, lived experience, community work and medicine do not have to sit in separate boxes,” she said.
“They can inform one another and I hope, make me a more compassionate and thoughtful doctor.”
Preeti said studying medicine at Notre Dame had reinforced her belief that being a doctor is about far more than clinical expertise, with the University's strong focus on ethics, communication and person-centred care helping to shape the practitioner she hopes to become.
“I hope to become a doctor who is clinically safe and capable, but also someone who listens carefully, communicates honestly and remembers that even brief interactions can have a lasting effect on patients and families,” she said.
While honoured by the recognition, she said she remained most proud of staying true to the purpose that first led her to medicine.
“I am proud that I have been able to continue contributing while progressing through the degree, and that the experiences that brought me to medicine have continued to shape rather than disappear from the doctor I am becoming,” she said.
She also encouraged other students to pursue the causes they care about and look for opportunities to create positive change.
“You do not have to wait until you are qualified or have a title to contribute meaningfully,” she said.
“Advocacy does not always mean having the loudest voice, sometimes it is asking the right question, making space for someone else's perspective, or staying involved long enough to help create change.”
Preeti said she was grateful to Notre Dame's School of Medicine for nominating her and thanked the many people who had supported her throughout her journey, particularly her family.
“My husband Janesh and my daughter Mahi have carried this journey with me in ways that are not always visible and of course Ziya remains at the heart of why I began it.”
Winners of the AMA (WA) Awards 2026 will be announced at this year’s MEDBALL26 on Saturday 31 October.
Media Contact: media@nd.edu.au