Bermudian Sarah Winstanley has been given a head start in her medical career thanks to a scholarship from Butterfield Bank and Bermuda Hospitals Board.

Ms Winstanley, who is in her final year of medical school at Imperial College, London, is the first recipient of the Dr. James A C King Medical Scholarship.

The scholarship, which has an annual value of $40,000 and is awarded to a deserving full-time medical student who is within two years of completing their degree and plans to return to the Island to practice, was established earlier this year to recognise the contributions of Dr. King, a life-long medical practitioner and community leader, and retired Butterfield Bank director and chairman.

Ms Winstanley graduated from The Bermuda High School for Girls in 1996, and continued her studies at United World College of the Atlantic in Wales. She earned her BSc in Biological Anthropology and Anatomy at Duke University in 2002, and her MSc in Immunology at Imperial College in 2003.

As part of her studies, Ms Winstanley worked with King Edward Memorial Hospital in 2005, assisting with an audit of acute care in cardiac failure patients. She is planning to return to Bermuda in December to complete a psychiatric assignment with the Mid Atlantic Wellness Institute and is considering a career in psychiatry.

"I know that there is a pressing need for a qualified Bermudian psychiatrist," she said. "I look forward to becoming a valuable member of the community and to providing top quality health care to the people of Bermuda."