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The Victorian Rural Health Awards, hosted by RWAV every year since 2005, recognises outstanding contributions made by rural health professionals working in rural communities.

Honour the exceptional medical professionals, nurses, allied health professionals, Aboriginal health workers, and practice managers across rural Victoria.

Watch the full recording with the link below

The Victorian Rural Health Awards are supported by the Victorian Government.
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2023 Award winners

Check out what we will celebrated in 2023

The 2023 Victorian Rural Health Awards included 11 categories

Length of Service Award (35+ years of service)

The Length of Service Award acknowledges the lifetime of dedication and commitment from rural doctors to the well-being of our Victorian rural communities.

Outstanding Contribution by a Rising Star Award

The Rising Star Award celebrates the future of rural healthcare. Each year we recognise a junior health professional who has shown a true passion for rural health and is intent on dedicating their career to rural communities.

Outstanding Contribution to Rural Allied Health

This award recognises an allied health professional who has shown professional and personal commitment to regional and rural communities, and has gone above the expectations of their role to provide services to the community.

Outstanding Contribution to Rural Practice Management

This award recognises a practice manager who has gone above the expectations of their role shown professional and personal commitment to regional and rural communities through their leadership, mentoring and innovation.

Outstanding Contribution by a Rural GP or Rural Generalist

This award recognises a rural doctor who has shown ongoing commitment to providing exceptional care to meet the current and future healthcare needs of their community.

Outstanding Contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health

This award recognises a health professional, team or organisation that has made significant contributions in providing care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients and communities.

Outstanding Contribution by a Rural Health Team

This award recognises an exceptional team contribution to create a positive difference in the delivery of health care in rural Victoria. This award also recognises the importance of a team contribution in providing excellence in service delivery and improved client outcomes.

Outstanding Contribution to Rural Outreach Provision

This award recognises a health professional, team or organisation that has made significant contributions in providing outreach services to rural and regional communities.

Outstanding Contribution by a Rural Health Consumer Advocate

This award recognises the contribution of a consumer, carer or community member from rural Victoria that has made a significant contribution to healthcare, by using their lived experience to engage with health professionals or health services to improve the quality, accessibility or safety of healthcare.

Outstanding Contribution to Rural Primary Care Nursing

The Outstanding Contribution to Rural Primary Care Nursing award recognises an exceptional rural nurse or midwife who has delivered outstanding patient care, positive outcomes and who performs above the expectations of their role.

Outstanding Contribution by a Rural Medical Specialist

The Outstanding Contribution by a Rural Medical Specialist Award recognises a rural non-GP specialist who has shown an ongoing commitment to providing exceptional care to the community.

Angie Hilton RWAV Host

2023 Virtual Gala Awards Event

WHEN: Tuesday, 27 June at 6 pm (AEST)


WHERE: Online


YOUR HOST: Angie Hilton 

(TV personality, travel show presenter and resident of regional Victoria)

registration

Our 2022 VRHA Winners!
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Outstanding Contribution by a Rising Star
Jessica Barton
Corryong Health
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Outstanding Contribution to Rural Allied Health
Dr Erin Dolan
Erin Dolan And Associates
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Outstanding Contribution To Rural Practice Management
Jane Garrett
Euroa Medical Clinic
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Outstanding Contribution To Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Health
Tanya Geier
Gunditjmara Health Services
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Outstanding Contribution To Rural Primary Care Nursing
Stuart Willder
Western District Health Service
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Outstanding Contribution By A Rural Health Team
Renee Kelly
Lime Therapy
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Outstanding Contribution To Rural Outreach Provision
Jacinta Maccormack
Swifts Creek Bush Nursing Centre
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Outstanding Contribution By A Rural Health Consumer Advocate
Kellie O'Callaghan
Mayor Of Latrobe City Council
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Outstanding Contribution By A Rural Gp Or Rural Generalist
Dr John Urie
Bairnsdale Regional Health Services
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Outstanding Contribution By A Rural Medical Specialist
Dr Vijay Raj
Healthy Mind Solutions

Length of Service award

Dr Andrew Kirwan
Woori Yallock Medical Centre Woori Yallock
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Dr Antonio, De Sousa
Kilmore Medical Centre Kilmore
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Dr James (Cheng)
Rich River Health Group Echuca
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Dr David Tillett
Central Medical Group Wodonga
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Dr Derek Pope
Ararat Medical Centre Ararat
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Dr Jonathan Barrell
Springs Medical Centre Daylesford
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Our 2021 VRHA Winners!
Outstanding Contribution By a Rural GP
Dr Peter "Justin" Madden
Otway Medical Clinic
Recently retired from General Practice, Dr Madden is recognised for his contribution to the Colac community over nearly four decades. Dr Madden has been a credentialed VMO at the Colac Hospital for 38 years and for the last 25 years he has provided weekly clinics to aged care residents.
Outstanding Contribution by a Nurse/Midwife
Louise Holland
Bendigo Community Health Services
Nurse Practitioner Louise Holland has been at the forefront of sexual and reproductive health and women’s health for over 25 years. She plays a vital role in responding to the needs of the community including young people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, gay men, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Outstanding Contribution by a Rural Practice Manager
Miffanwy Shelton
Corangamite Clinic Colac
Miffy Shelton runs a busy general practice clinic that provides medical services to Colac Area Health. Miffy is recognised for guiding the clinic through the Covid-19 pandemic including arranging adaptations to practice, facilitating working from home for at risk GPs, telemedicine, time out for all staff and organizing Covid-19 immunisation clinics.
Rising star award
Muhammad Yousuf
HeadtoHelp Wellington (Sale)
Muhammad joined the team at HeadtoHelp Wellington as a provisional psychologist after recognising increased demand following drought, bushfires and more recently Covid-19. To meet the needs of his clients, he has undertaken further studies and is currently completing a Diploma of Clinical Hypnotherapy.
Outstanding Contribution by a Rural Generalist
Dr Elizabeth Garoni
Mt Beauty Medical Centre and The Gardens Albury
Dr Garoni has been working in the Mount Beauty community for more than 20 years. She provides comprehensive general practice and emergency care including x-ray services, fracture management, obstetrics and palliative care and is a credentialled Visiting Medical Officer at Alpine Health.
Outstanding Contribution by a Rural Allied Health Professional
Dr Naomi Malone
A Life Simply Lived Psychology, Boort
Dr Malone has worked in rural practice for almost two decades. Since establishing her practice in Boort, she has worked hard to provide outreach services in neighbouring communities. Dr Malone’s reputation for providing quality clinical supervision has also led to her being a highly sought-after clinical supervisor Australia wide.
Outstanding Contribution by a Rural Outreach Provider
Dr Andrew Horwood
Outreach to Wimmera region
Dr Horwood has been undertaking outreach visits to the Wimmera region one week a month for the last two and a half years. He works closely with multi-disciplinary teams, in particular the Persistent Pain Program at Wimmera Health Care Group, to improve patient education and reduce patient’s reliance on opiate medication.
Closing the Gap award
Dr Karoline Gunn
Gunditjmara Aboriginal Cooperative, Warrnambool
Dr Karoline Gunn has been working at Gunditjmara health clinic since October 2018. She is involved with the Clontarf Foundation, performing health checks for young Aboriginal boys, undertaking women’s health screening days, breast screening and bowel screening, alongside regular health checks specifically for Aboriginal people.
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For nearly 30 years, Catherine has worked as a consultant, senior executive, adviser and government relations specialist with a particular focus on health, social services, social policy and industry development.  Catherine is currently Partner and Co-founder of Evaluate, an economics consulting company, where she is engaged in the evaluation and development of efficient and cost-effective services and policies, principally in relation to health and lifesciences.  Prior to this, Catherine worked in the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries with responsibilities for government relations, stakeholder engagement, policy development, regulatory affairs and communication in Australia, the United Kingdom and Europe.  Catherine is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a past board member of Marriott Support Services, Melbourne City Mission and Victoria Legal Aid.

BAppSci, GradDipBus, MBus, GAICD, FIML

John is an experienced CEO and senior executive who has held many roles in various hospitals, in government (Health Department), and in professional associations related to healthcare. Until recently, John was the CEO of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS), where he had major involvement in various sustainability in healthcare initiatives, Indigenous health and ‘Building Respect’ cultural improvement strategies.
John’s expertise encompasses leadership, strategic policy development, professional standards and government relations. At RACS, he led the college through the COVID-19 pandemic and oversaw the digitisation of a range of member offerings, including aspects of training. He remains a key advocate for good corporate governance and the need for leaner and competent skills-based boards.

RWAV special responsibilities:
• Strategy, Policy and Stakeholder Engagement Committee Member
• People and Culture Committee Member

BBus(HRM)

Lauren commenced in the role of Manager People and Culture in August 2018 and is responsible for leading the implementation of RWAV’s People and Culture strategy, policies, processes, functions and team.

Lauren’s team is committed to implementing activities and initiatives to support the achievement of RWAV’s strategies and strengthen RWAV’s position as an ‘Employer of Choice’.

Lauren is an experienced Manager and HR professional, with a career spanning the professional services, automotive, defence, and not-for-profit sectors.

CPA
Albert Giorgini is the Senior Advisor to CEO at RWAV.

As an experienced finance executive, with an extensive career in public transport and in the automotive and industrial gas sectors, Albert has honed his skills in driving financial performance improvements with a commercial and business transformation focus.

Through his strategic financial skills, Albert has demonstrated an exceptional capacity to lead and develop large teams in complex and changing environments to achieve the financial and regulatory requirements of the business. His extensive experience has given him a deep understanding of the industry and its challenges, equipping him with the expertise to drive impactful change.

Albert has highly developed communication and stakeholder management skills to support his strong planning, analytical and financial performance improvement acumen, always striving to create innovative solutions that drive growth and success.

BMed, MMedSci, FRACGP, FARGP, FACRRM, DipPractDerm, DipMedHyp, DipFP, DipBusAdmin, GAICD

Morton is an experienced GP and medical educator. He is currently in clinical general practice in suburban Melbourne and previously practised in rural Victoria for 10 years. Morton is Chair of the General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaborative and a past Chair of the Mental Health Professionals Association and is a board member of the Mental Health Professionals Network. He is also the Medical Director of the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Victoria. He is a member of the RACGP Victoria Council.

RWAV special responsibilities:
• Board Chair
• Governance Committee Member
• Strategy, Policy and Stakeholder Engagement Committee Member

LLB, BSc, MMgt (Strategic Foresight), GAICD

As a lawyer and business consultant, Jane has worked for many years with company boards and executives across a range of areas including IP commercialisation, SaaS businesses, healthcare products/services, privacy compliance and data/IT security. Jane is General Counsel for ID Consulting. She has served as a Director of BreastScreen Victoria, Ballarat Health Services and chairs RWAV’s Governance Committee.

RWAV special responsibilities:
• Chair of the Governance Committee
• Audit and Risk Committee Member

BMBS, MBA, FRACP, FRACMA, FAICD

Grant is a retired physician and gastroenterologist whose specialist
clinical practice was in regional and rural Victoria. In the latter part of his career, Grant moved into management and leadership roles at organisational and system level, with a focus on clinical quality and clinical engagement.
Having worked for government in several jurisdictions, through this, Grant has held leadership roles in the national safety and quality agenda, and has also held major professional level roles including a 2-year period as President of the Adult Division of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians from 2016–18.
Grant teaches clinical governance with a focus on helping healthcare boards and executive teams understand this critical aspect of their work, and consults to organisations on their clinical governance and nclinical leadership.
Grant is an experienced and qualified board director, having attained
Fellowship of the Australian Institute of Company Directors in 2018,
and currently chairs a major sporting organisation.

RWAV special responsibilities:
• Deputy Board Chair
• Chair of the Strategy, Policy and Stakeholder Engagement Committee
• Nominations and Remuneration Committee Member

BA (Hons), BEc, Grad Dip Bus, MBA, FGIA, FAICD

Roger is an experienced CEO, Chair, non-executive director, board consultant and course/workshop facilitator, with experience in the health, human services, law enforcement, regional economics, disaster relief, education, transport and environmental industries. He has sat on and chaired numerous private company, public sector and not-for-profit boards and audit and risk committees. Roger has also consulted with numerous boards, published numerous articles and conducted webinars on corporate governance, risk and strategy. He brings strong governance experience, commercial acumen, risk management and strategy skills combined with a passion for innovation and business development.
Currently, Roger chairs the Victorian Emergency Relief and Recovery Foundation, is a director and chair of the Audit and Risk Committee for Melba Support Services, and is an independent member of the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing.
Roger is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has completed their Boardroom Mastery program, and is also a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia. Roger is currently a facilitator, assessor and writer for the Australian Institute of Company Directors and teaches their Company Directors Course,
as well as numerous other short courses.

RWAV special responsibilities:
• Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee

BSci(Hons), DipLang, MD, FRACGP, FACRRM, DRANZCOG(Adv), GAICD

Louise is a rural GP obstetrician practising in a number of locations across Central Victoria where she delivers general practice, obstetric and sexual health services. After growing up in a small town, she has lived experience of the difficulties of accessing healthcare in rural and regional areas, and is dedicated to advocating for equitable health outcomes, regardless of geography. In addition to her clinical duties, she undertakes consulting, medical education and advocacy work. She is also a non-executive director and the current President Elect of the RDAV. Louise recently returned to study in 2024 and is undertaking a Masters of Public Health through The University of Melbourne.

RWAV special responsibilities:
• Strategy, Policy and Stakeholder Engagement Committee Member
• Audit and Risk Committee Member

Snezana is a Human Resources leader with more than 15 years of experience in management, playing a pivotal role in driving team transformations across diverse industries, including FMCG, automotive, government, and non-profit sectors.

With a curiosity for business and its associated complexities, Snezana fosters collaborative partnerships to cultivate a highly motivated workforce that effectively executes strategic plans.

BCom, MPP, EdD, DipEd, Claritas/CFA Investment Certificate, MAICD

Rosemary has had a varied career as an academic teaching economics, public policy and industrial relations, and as a consultant, advocate, health union official and as a director. She brings strong governance and strategic skills to the Board, as well as knowledge and depth of experience in health policy, economics and investment.
Rosemary is currently a member of the Investment Committee of Cbus, a major Australian superannuation fund.
She was the Secretary of the Victorian Psychologists Association Inc for 20 years and was Assistant Secretary and Secretary of the Medical Scientists’ Association of Victoria, which counts dietitians and audiologists among its members.
Rosemary knows first-hand the difficulties in attracting and retaining health professionals in rural and regional Victoria.
Rosemary is a member of the Medical Association for the Prevention of War, and a committee member of Quit Nukes.

RWAV special responsibilities:
• Chair of the People and Culture Committee
• Governance Committee Member

With a rich background of consulting and in-house people and culture roles with the corporate, government and community sectors, Andrea is responsible for leading the implementation of RWAV’s People and Culture strategy, policies, processes, functions and team.

Andrea has significant experience in leading teams across culture, capability, diversity, equity, leadership, organisational development and learning programs as well as core human resources partnering.

With a strong focus on building and maintaining psychologically safe organisations, Andrea’s team is dedicated to ensuring that RWAV is a place where people can work well and be well at work.

Martin is a governance professional and lawyer with experience in private practice and in-house legal roles. He has been a company secretary for public and private sector organisations across a range of industries including VicTrack, Regis Healthcare Limited and Dairy Australia Limited. He holds Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce degrees from the University of Melbourne, a Graduate Diploma in Applied Corporate Governance from the Governance Institute of Australia (GIA) and is a fellow of the GIA.

Social Work (BA Hons), DipSW

With a background in social work and a proven record in recruitment, project management, and business development, Jo brings strategic leadership and a wealth of experience in driving positive outcomes within the health, human services, and State Government sectors.

Jo specialises in managing health professional recruitment and outreach programs, including the More Doctors for Rural Australia and 3GA programs. Her focus is on implementing innovative workforce strategies and clinical governance to bolster RWAV’s mission of enhancing healthcare accessibility in rural and regional Victoria.

Having previously excelled at RWAV, Jo spearheaded successful internal change initiatives while fostering strong relationships with external stakeholders. Her efforts consistently align with RWAV’s strategic direction, ensuring a cohesive approach to driving impactful change.

Beyond her professional expertise, Jo’s passion lies in uniting communities and championing positive transformations in rural healthcare in Victoria.

RN, GradDip(Health Promotion), PRINCE2, Mini MBA

Kate is a Registered Nurse highly experienced in health promotion and project management. Her people and program management skills enable her to be agile and adaptable while maintaining an outcomes focus on improving quality access to primary healthcare.

Kate’s extensive experience working with all levels of government, the community and stakeholders across the sector have provided her with insights into the challenges rural communities and health professionals face. Kate has led the design and delivery of many innovative and strategic health promotion and grants programs, supporting better access to health services, health information and activities across communities. Whilst at RWAV, Kate has led the transformation of the RWAV grants program, enhanced the administration of a number of programs and developed the RWAV allied health portfolio. She has also led the development of the RWAV research program of activities.

Having worked at RWAV since 2020, Kate will continue positively influencing the rural healthcare workforce and access to services.

Msc (Fin), FCCA, FGIA, CA

Shay brings over 20 years of financial
management experience in commercial and not-for-profit organizations. He has a
rich and varied experience in multiple finance and leadership roles in the
United Kingdom and Australia, including CFO, GM Finance & IT, Commercial
Manager Operations, Finance Manager and Accountant.

His extensive leadership experience is
augmented by an FGIA, FCCA, CA, a Masters in Finance and an undergraduate degree in
accounting and finance.

Lauren Cordwell

Chief Executive Officer

BHlthSci(Hons) MPH PostGradDipMgt GAICD AFCHSM

Lauren Cordwell is the Chief Executive Officer at RWAV. Lauren has been an integral part of the RWAV team since 2018, demonstrating a remarkable strategic vision to improve access to health care in rural Victoria. As an experienced senior executive and health policy analyst, she is committed to finding practical solutions to address the challenges preventing communities in rural Australia from accessing affordable and safe healthcare. For over 20 years, Lauren has designed and implemented innovative programs with communities, health professionals and government agencies that continue to have a lasting benefit. Many of these programs relate to primary healthcare, general practice, workforce, First People’s health and community engagement. 

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