All-rounder wins renowned Rhodes scholarship

Medical student and leader Thomas Swinburn has been named a Rhodes Scholar - one of the most prestigious scholarships in the world.

Established in 1903, the Rhodes Scholarship brings outstanding young people together from around the world to study at the University of Oxford.

The selection panel, which in New Zealand is chaired by Governor-General Her Excellency the Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro, seeks young people with proven academic excellence who also show exceptional character, leadership, and commitment to solving humanity’s challenges.

Thomas (Tom) will soon be graduating with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, and Bachelor of Medical Science with first-class honours from Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

In the past year, Tom has worked with the University’s Sex and Prevention of Transmission Study (SPOTS) team, including writing a thesis on issues around disclosure and Rainbow healthcare.

Tom’s honours research received the Margaret Sparrow Prize for best sexual health presentation at the New Zealand Sexual Health Society conference, and he presented two in-person posters at the large international AIDS 2024 conference in Munich in July this year.

As a Rhodes Scholar, Tom is looking forward to deepening his understanding of global health and epidemiology (population health) through a masters degree and a doctorate.

Tom is also looking forward to immersing himself in the wider life at Oxford and meeting peers from all corners of the globe.

The past year’s honours research has cemented Tom’s commitment to population health and preventive healthcare.

“I found it really satisfying to come up with a meaningful question, construct a study to answer that question, and communicate the findings in such a way that could lead to changes in policy and practices for the benefit of the community.”

During his six years at medical school, Tom has developed a deep sense of the challenges facing modern healthcare, and the need for a much greater focus on prevention and population health. In the longer term, he hopes his research will address New Zealand’s health inequities, particularly life expectancy gaps.

As all of Tom’s referees note, his exemplary academic record places him in the top of the top one percent of all students. However, this is matched by his “courage, trustworthiness, industry, compassion and advocacy”.

Tom has held various leadership roles, including President of the Auckland University then New Zealand Medical Students’ Associations.

Among many awards and prizes, in 2023 alone, he received from the University a Kupe Leadership Scholarship and was mentored by Sir Ashley Bloomfield, a Blues Award for Service and Leadership, and a Distinguished Graduate Award. In the same year, he also received a COVID-19 Response Recognition Award from the New Zealand Government for his roles as a vaccinator and contact tracer.

Tom excelled in languages at Dilworth School, especially French, and loves the outdoors, completing Duke of Edinburgh Gold in 2022 and Outward Bound in 2023. Among his summer plans, he is particularly looking forward to spending two weeks in Fiordland on a much-awaited tramp to Dusky Sound.

He also enjoys writing and won the Ascona Prize, an international award for essays on the medical student-patient relationship, which included a trip to Brussels in late 2022 and publication.

He is deeply grateful to the University community from first-year tutors to clinical supervisors, senior academic leaders, and professional staff, all of whom have played a part in his journey.

Dame Cindy congratulated the winners saying, “I am always delighted to meet the exceptional young people who have been shortlisted for the Rhodes Scholarship.

“These extraordinary young New Zealanders are exemplars of academic excellence and outstanding character, and I look forward to following their careers as they become leaders in their fields.”