Canberra doctor and ACT Australian Medical Association president Dr Betty Xiaoting Ge has won the Medicine category of the 2026 Asian-Australian Leadership Awards, announced at a gala dinner in Sydney on Thursday (November 12).

Dr Ge helped lead the fight for more than 2200 junior doctors who secured a $31.5 million settlement over unpaid overtime.

A former nurse who worked in the profession for five years before studying medicine, she has also advocated for greater support for migrant doctors and gender equity in medicine.

Her recognition comes as a survey of past winners and finalists of the awards reveals 84 per cent felt they had to work harder than non-Asian colleagues to receive the same recognition or career opportunities.

The survey also found 82 per cent had felt pressure to downplay their cultural identity to advance their careers, while 47 per cent said their authority or expertise had been underestimated because of their cultural background.

Despite those experiences, 84 per cent were optimistic about opportunities for the next generation of Asian-Australians.

The awards, jointly run by Asialink at the University of Melbourne and Johnson Partners, recognise Asian-Australian leadership across medicine, business, sport, the arts and other fields.

News all day, every day at CityNewsQBN.com.au.