Our 2022 Inspirational Women award recipients

Tuesday 8 March 2022

Congratulations to our six Inspirational Women award recipients for 2022. These women inspire our people and our community daily and it is a privilege to have them among us at Austin Health.

Sharon Bard ​​​​​​​Assistant Manager and Leisure Therapist, Community Integration & Leisure Services

Since Sharon joined Austin Health and the Community Integration & Leisure Services in 2015 she has led the department in terms of focusing and streamlining our service in quality management with the patients and families at the heart of it all. She has inspired the whole team, we all adore her and she has displayed natural, cooperative, respectful, fair and transparent leadership throughout. It has been an absolute joy to work with her and be led by her example.

A/Prof Janine Trevillyan, Head of COVID-19 Vaccination Program and Head of Clinical Virology and HIV Services

In these trying times of COVID with so much talk, anxiety and misinformation, it is hard to be at peace with your surroundings. When I hear Dr Trevillyan speak, she is confident, assuring and always provides a positive prognosis. Her passion for her job inspires me to want to listen. She is engaging and comes across as someone with no bias. She has a HUGE responsibility running the Vaccination Program at the Austin and she does this with passion, grace and the confidence of a leader who inspires.

Janine's leadership during the pandemic has been on display for all to see and has been flawless, calm and highly competent. Her messages have been thorough, consistent and easy to understand. Janine's leadership has made a difference to the lives of thousands of people.

Dr Jocelyn Howell, Deputy Director Emergency Department

Jocelyn is the first female appointed to ED executive at the Austin. She has spent the majority of her training at the Austin - negotiating her four children along the way! She spent some time honing her skills at other places and returned to take on an ED leadership role - bringing a passion for equitable and flexible employment for all with her. She is supportive of all juniors - but in particular working parents, and actively mentors junior women in leadership and life. This is particularly impressive given the recent resource restriction Covid has placed on the hospital - and ED in particular.

Dr Howell is an incredible role model for all ED trainees and junior doctors. She is quietly assertive and sets appropriate boundaries, but is approachable, nurturing, kind and generous. Her clinical care and management of the ED floor is compassionate, yet also pragmatic and effective. It is a privilege to work with her and learn from her.

Zoe Nicholas, Associate Nurse Unit Manager, ICU

Zoe is the most caring and wholeheartedly good natured person I've ever had the pleasure to work alongside. She manages to care about every single member of the team in our unit and goes out of her way to create an environment that is inclusive, friendly, fun and efficient.

Zoe has gone to great effort in the past few years, using her own time outside of work, to secure several donations to our unit. She used these donations to create 'care packages' for all members of staff in ICU (hundreds of care packages) to uplift staff during the longest lockdown and the busiest periods in the unit. She has created a 'shoutout' board which is used to give compliments to all members of the ICU team and a few winners each month get a free coffee voucher. She also created our 'pet wall' in the corridor. All her action are indented to improve the well being of those around her!

Ranji Ganeshalingham, Registered Enrolled Psychiatric Nurse, Secure Extended Care Unit

Ranji could be described as a 'quiet achiever' in an environment that is filled with consumers that are often demanding and loud, and amongst a multidisciplinary team of strong personalities. Ranji contributes to patient care confidently and meticulously, and is often under-recognised for the valuable contribution she makes to patients and the team. Ranji's calm approach is an inspiration to me to always maintain composure in even the most heightened of situations.

Ranji's approach is consistently patient-focused and seeks out specialist advice from other disciplines, external sources, and where necessary to implement the right intervention or address a specific need.

Barbara Knell, Ward Clerk, Ward 11

Barbara works four days a week. When a new patients gets admitted to the ward, and there's no ward clerk on Friday, she'll come in on Sunday to tidy up any admission. Barbara does all the little things for the patient (e.g. buy newspaper) and for the staff (when a staff member leaves, she'll hand knit a beanie or a donut cushion).

She displays all four of the Austin Values and I truly believe that Barbara brings the best out herself and others. Barbra has worked at Austin Health approximately 27 years and is the oracle of Ward 11 - the ward is lost without her. Her knowledge and compassion is liquid gold.

Image clockwise from top left: Ranji, Barbara, Jocelyn, Zoe, Janine, Sharon

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