2026 WA Rural Health Excellence Awards finalist: Dr Tom Bowles
Albany surgeon extraordinaire Dr Tom Bowles has been shortlisted for a prestigious award for his pivotal work establishing the Great Southern as a leading training hub for up-and-coming rural surgeons.
Dr Bowles, who has served the region as a General Surgeon for nearly two decades, is a finalist in the Specialist (Non-GP) of the Year category at the 2026 WA Rural Health Excellence Awards.
As WA Country Health Service’s Clinical Director of Surgery, Dr Bowles provides statewide leadership in surgical governance, credentialing, recruitment, complex case review and service development across country WA.
He is also head of the Albany Health Campus Surgery Department and has held myriad influential roles with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS), where he was the first country-based WA State Chair.
“I’ve lived in Albany for a bit over 19 years and for 15 years I’ve provided coverage to Esperance, where I work one week in four,” Dr Bowles said.
“I’ve also been visiting Merredin, Katanning and Narrogin over the years at various times, and providing locum backup for Kununurra and Broome.”
Dr Bowles hails from the small town of Donald in regional Victoria and studied medicine at the University of Melbourne.
In 2019, he co-founded the Great Southern Specialist Centre, co-located with Albany Day Hospital, where he also serves as Medical Director.
“I consult at the Great Southern Specialist Centre and provide public operating and emergency cover to Albany Health Campus,” Dr Bowles said.
He was also the driving force behind the ASPIRE program – a two-year applied surgical pathway, run through Albany Health Campus and Bunbury Regional Hospital, that prepares WA Country Health Service junior doctors to apply for the highly competitive RACS General Surgical Training Program.
Many surgeons now practising in Albany trained under Dr Bowles’ leadership, reflecting his long-standing commitment to growing a stable, high-quality regional workforce.
Asked what he loved about working in rural surgery, Dr Bowles cited the variety, the sense of community, and the opportunity to support fellow country healthcare professionals.
“I also love proving to my metro colleagues that we perform surgery just as well as they do and that care, skill and ability has nothing to do with where you choose to live,” he said.
Dr Bowles’ previous accolades include the 2017 RACS Rural Surgeons Award and the 2018 Certificate for Outstanding Service to the RACS WA State Board.
Hosted by WA Country Health Service and Rural Health West, the WA Rural Health Excellence Awards celebrate the dedication, compassion, skills and ingenuity of outstanding health professionals.
Winners will be announced at a gala ceremony during the WA Rural Health Conference on Saturday, 14 March 2026.