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Celebrating
Outstanding
Rural Health
Professionals
Since 2005 RWAV has proudly hosted the annual Victorian Rural Health Awards to recognise the outstanding contributions made by health professionals working in rural communities.
The awards honour the exceptional medical professionals, nurses, allied health professionals, Aboriginal health workers and practice managers working across rural Victoria.
The Victorian Rural Health Awards are supported by the Victorian Government.

2022 Virtual Gala Awards Event

The Victorian Rural Health Awards has been held on Thursday,16 June at 7 pm (AEST). The awards honour exceptional medical professionals, nurses, allied health professionals, Aboriginal health workers and practice managers working across rural Victoria.

Click the button below and watch the recorded VRHA event.

Watch THE Recorded Event

Check out what we celebrated in 2022

The 2022 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 health care. 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.

Congratulations
to 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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Click the button below and watch the recorded VRHA event.

Watch THE Recorded Event
Our 2021 VRHA Winners!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
F E E D B A C K
The Victorian Rural Health Awards Nomination Are Now OpenNominate Now

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

B Comm MPP EdD DipEd 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 was a Director of Aware Super for nine years, and Chair of the Investment Committee for three years. She was also a member of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee, the Governance Committee and the REM and HR Committee. Rosemary is currently a member of the Investment Committee of Cbus.

She was the Secretary of the Victorian Psychologists Association Inc for 20 years and knows first-hand the difficulties in attracting and retaining health professionals in rural and regional Victoria.

Dr Louise Manning is a rural GP Obstetrics trainee practising in Central Victoria where she delivers general practice, obstetric and sexual health services. Growing up in a small town she has lived experience of the difficulties accessing healthcare in rural and regional areas, and is dedicated to advocating for equitable health outcomes regardless of geography.

Louise is also a Board Director of the Rural Doctors’ Association of Victoria.

BAppSci GradDipBus MBus GAICD FIML

John Biviano is an experienced senior executive who has held many senior roles in government (Health Dept) and also in professional associations related to healthcare. Until recently, John was the CEO of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, where he oversaw the digitisation of a range of Member offerings, including aspects of training. 

BA (Politics/Philosophy) BEc GDipBus MBA GAICD FGIA

Roger is an accomplished CEO, Non-Executive Director and Chair with experience in the health, human services, law enforcement, education, transport, and environmental industries – across private, public sector and not-for-profit organisations

.He brings strong governance experience, commercial acumen, risk management and strategy skills combined with a passion for innovation and business development having also been Chair of numerous Finance, Audit, Risk, Investment and Community Advisory Committees.

BMBS MBA FRACP FRACMA FAICD FIML

Assoc Prof Phelps has practiced as a Gastroenterologist and Acute Physician in regional Victoria for more than 20 years.

He trained in safety and quality at Dr Brent James’ Institute at Intermountain Healthcare in the US and has held management and leadership roles in Victoria and Tasmania. More recently he completed a two-year project as Director of Clinical Governance for Central Adelaide Local Health Network.

Grant currently works as an independent consultant providing advice to hospitals and organisations on clinical leadership and safety and quality

LLB BSc MMgt (Strategic Foresight) GAICD

As a lawyer and business consultant Jane has worked with company boards and senior management across a range of areas including IP commercialisation, internet-based businesses, healthcare products/services, privacy and data/IT security. Jane is currently general counsel for .id Consulting – population demographers, economists and forecasters.

Jane served as a director of BreastScreen Victoria for 10 years, is a current director of Ballarat Health Services and chairs RWAV’s Governance Committee.

BMed MMedSci FRACGP FARGP FACRRM DipPractDerm DipMedHyp DipFP DipBusAdmin GAICD

Assoc Prof Rawlin is an experienced General Practitioner and medical educator. He is currently in clinical general practice in suburban Melbourne and previously practiced in rural Victoria for 10 years.

Assoc Prof Rawlin 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.

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.

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.

BHlthSci(Hons) MPH PostGradDipMgt GAICD AFCHSM

Lauren Cordwell commenced in the role of Chief Executive Officer in August 2023. She took on the role of Acting CEO in April 2023 and previously served as the General Manager since February 2020.
Lauren has leadership responsibilities for strategy, communications, data, stakeholder engagement and program delivery.

Lauren’s team is committed to supporting communities in rural and regional Victoria to have timely access to affordable and safe health care.

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