The Liberal party has chosen a woman to succeed the cabinet minister Kelly O’Dwyer in the blue-ribbon seat of Higgins in Melbourne.

The paediatrician and former state election candidate Katie Allen was on Sunday afternoon picked to succeed O’Dwyer.

“Congratulations to Katie Allen who was preselected today as the Liberal Victoria candidate for Higgins,” the party announced on Twitter.

The candidate was congratulated by the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, and the MP for Goldstein, Tim Wilson, on social media.

“Congratulations Katie Allen on her preselection in Higgins, an outstanding medical professional and an active member of the local community,” Frydenberg said.

The MP for Goldstein was also excited to have Allen on the ticket for Higgins.

“It will be outstanding to have another forward-looking modern Liberal in the parliament to continue the legacy of Kelly O’Dwyer,” he said.

The doctor defeated eight others for the plum seat including the NBN board member Zoe McKenzie, the former Victorian Liberal vice president Greg Hannan and the former Victorian state upper house MP Margaret Fitzherbert.

Other candidates included Jane Bell, Michael Flynn, Jeremy Hearn and Karen Massier.

The doctor was also the Liberal candidate for the seat of Prahran in the Victorian state election last year, which the Greens retained.