Latest News

Tegan helps build inclusion and community connection in the South West

Tegan Espinos wanted an internship that would allow her to contribute to the community while gaining practical experience beyond the lecture theatre. Through a McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship with Advocacy WA in Bunbury, she found both.

21 September, 2026

Trisha builds engineering project skills and supports infrastructure delivery during City of Nedlands internship 

UWA Master of Professional Engineering (Civil) student Trisha Sharma applied her skills during her McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship with the City of Nedlands.

18 September, 2026

Turning exercise science into everyday language: Komal’s internship with MHEX 

Explaining research can be harder than actually doing it. For Komal Saini, that challenge became the focus of her McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship with the Mental Health & Exercise Research (MHEX) team at UWA. 

14 September, 2026

Marna uses communication to strengthen inclusive employment at HDNWA

For Marna Jiang, a public health student, communication became a practical way to improve access to employment. During her internship with Hospitality Disability Network WA (HDNWA), Marna moved beyond theory to support an organisation working to create employment opportunities for people with disability in the hospitality and tourism industries.

11 September, 2026

Shandilya builds automated tools to support mental health research at the Perron Institute

Raja Venkata Shandilya Puram applied for a McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship to move beyond theory and test his skills on a real research problem.

8 September, 2026

Ellie turns internship into ongoing research contribution in women’s health

Ellie Birch’s internship didn’t end when her placement finished. What began as a short-term research experience within the Women and Newborn Mental Health Service has continued into ongoing work, including a co-authorship on a forthcoming academic paper.

4 September, 2026

Maggie captures the value of connection through Care Song storytelling project

Working with Melville Cares, Maggie supported the Care Song program, a partnership between Melville Cares, the City of Melville and Care Song. The choir brings together people living with dementia and their carers, using music to support connection and participation.

3 September, 2026

Keighlee recognised for research contribution to an international rural health workforce project 

Keighlee Burkhardt’s McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship has led to recognition beyond the placement itself, with her work recently awarded the WA Centre for Rural Health – Rural Health West Student Research Award. 

24 August, 2026

Phillip gains experience in culturally responsive governance at the Aboriginal Health Council of WA 

UWA Master of Public Policy student Phillip Wu gained hands‑on experience in culturally responsive governance during his McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship with the Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia (AHCWA). 

21 August, 2026

Romnic creates digital resources to support end‑of‑life planning at Melville Cares

Romnic Stephen didn’t expect his internship to focus on end‑of‑life planning, but the experience showed him how digital skills can support real community needs. 

19 August, 2026