Allied Health Excellence Awards

The annual ACT Allied Health Excellence Awards acknowledges the excellent contribution of allied health professionals to the health and wellbeing of the ACT community.

The Office of the Chief Allied Health Officer co-ordinates the awards. The awards are open to allied health professionals working in any setting or sector within the ACT region.

Award categories

The award categories are:

• Allied Health Assistant Excellence
• Practice Excellence
• Early Career Excellence
• Management and Leadership Excellence
• Team Excellence
• Education Excellence
• Research Excellence
• Excellence in Provision of Services to Improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Wellbeing
• Consumer Recognition (must be nominated by a health consumer)

Eligible allied health professions

Eligible allied health professions that can be nominated for an award include:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander liaison officer
• allied health assistant (includes dental assistant and peer recovery worker)
• analytical scientist (includes forensic chemist, forensic toxicologist, environmental chemist and microbiologist)
• audiologist
• biomedical engineer
• biomedical technician
• cardiac perfusionist
• cardiac scientist
• cardiac sonographer
• Chinese medicine practitioner
• chiropractor
• clinical neurophysiology scientist
• counsellor
• creative art therapist
• dental practitioner (includes dental prosthetist, dental therapist and oral health therapist)
• dental technician
• dietitian
• environmental health scientist
• epidemiologist
• exercise physiologist
• genetic counsellor
• health information officer or manager
• medical laboratory scientist
• medical physicist
• music therapist
• nuclear medicine technologist
• occupational therapist
• optometrist
• orthoptist
• osteopath
• paramedic (ambulance and intensive care)
• pedorthist
• pharmacist
• physiotherapist
• play therapist
• podiatrist
• prosthetist and orthotist
• psychologist
• public health officer
• radiation therapist
• radiographer
• respiratory scientist
• sleep scientist
• social worker
• sonographer
• speech pathologist

2023 Allied Health Excellence Awards

The 2023 ACT Allied Health Excellence Awards were celebrated at a ceremony on 19 October 2023.

The winners of each award category were:

2023 Allied Health Professional of the Year and Practice Excellence: Ella Cameron (Canberra Health Services)

Ella was recognised for bringing exceptional levels of innovation, intelligence, investigation and problem-solving capabilities to her work, service challenges, and to individuals’ care to ensure consumers are heard, understood, supported and facilitated to achieve the best physical and psychosocial outcomes.

Ella’s exemplary professional dedication, motivation and aspiration have led to outstanding patient-centred pelvic health physiotherapy services for the ACT and surrounding communities. Ella displays the highest level of ethical awareness in care provision, communication and correspondence. She has demonstrated innovation in service provision, such as securing a research grant for an ACT schools project on pelvic health.

Allied Health Management and Leadership Excellence: Emily Diprose (Canberra Health Services)

Emily was recognised for embodying integrity and professionalism and prioritises staff wellbeing, support, and respect. She is dedicated to the profession of Pharmacy, identifying novel solutions to improve client safety, delivering evidence-based, client-centred models of care within existing resources, displaying clear leadership direction to her team, and collaborating with others to achieve successful outcomes.

Emily is also recognised for her highly collaborative approach in the implementation of the Digital Health Record and the Pharmacy Inventory Management System at North Canberra Hospital.

Allied Health Team Excellence: Sustainable Personalised Interventions for Cognition, Care, and Engagement (SPICE) Implementation Team (Canberra Health Services)

The SPICE Implementation Team were recognised for implementing an innovative, post-diagnostic, multicomponent, multidisciplinary intervention for members of the Canberra community who are living with dementia, and their carers.

The team fostered a positive and respectful culture for people with dementia and demonstrated a commitment to improving the quality of life, health and wellbeing of individuals living in the community with dementia, and their carers.

Allied Health Early Career Excellence: Imogen Cesarin (Canberra Health Services)

Imogen was recognised for embracing diversity, building effective therapeutic relationships, and working collaboratively with consumers, carers, staff, support services, and external stakeholders. She demonstrates a caring, supportive, proactive, and collaborative approach.

Imogen provides exceptional patient-centred care and invests in herself and others to build a supportive and collegial working environment.

Allied Health Excellence in Provision of Services to Improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Wellbeing: Suzanne Clarke (Canberra Health Services)

Suzanne was recognised for her mentoring, collaboration, and generosity of knowledge, time, and spirit. She plays an integral role in supporting consumers and staff within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Specialist Service.

Suzanne is adaptable, innovative, and inclusive in her approach to sharing her knowledge, and is recognised for the relevant, culturally sensitive, and engaging in-services she creates and presents.

Allied Health Research Excellence: Elizabeth Webb (Australian National University)

Elizabeth was recognised for being a role model and mentor for staff aspiring to be involved in research or quality improvement. This is evidenced through leading ground-breaking and internationally recognised research to assess the impact of compression therapy on recurrent cellulitis and chronic oedema.

Elizabeth led her research team to exceed all expectations, culminating in publishing trial results in multiple academic journals. She inspires those around her to believe that Canberra-based allied health research can change the world.

Allied Health Assistant Excellence: Deanne Benton (Canberra Health Services)

Deanne was recognised for leading with patience, kindness and exceptional communication skills to support her team, the Pharmacy department, and the broader hospital.

Deanne has demonstrated this through her ability to design innovative, equitable and creative workflows and procedures for the North Canberra Hospital Pharmacy Technician Service to improve systems and processes through simple yet effective changes.

Allied Health Education Excellence: Jessica Barnard (Canberra Health Services)

Jessica was recognised for teaching, mentoring, and coordinating new and innovative ways to deliver education. She has led, developed, and delivered the Canberra Hospital Pharmacy Residency Program, providing foundational training for newly registered Pharmacists and supporting their transition to practice.

Jessica is known for her considered, respectful and inclusive communication, and for creating safe spaces for students to engage.

Consumer Recognition – Individual: Kate Dean (Education Directorate)

Kate was recognised for her support of a consumer and their family. The member of the community who nominated Kate noted her kind, helpful, personalised, competent and non-judgemental support and advocacy.

The advice and strategies Kate has provided have resulted in improved communication and confidence, and the consumer feels supported in her interactions with the education system.

Consumer Recognition – Team: High Risk Podiatry Service (Canberra Health Services)

Kate Storer, Hannah McKinlay, and Angela Sonter were recognised for the care they have all provided to a consumer. The member of the community who nominated the team noted their professional, knowledgeable, and friendly approach to his treatment.

The care provided has alleviated distress associated with his ongoing wound management and he is grateful for their assurances and positive approach.

Nominees