Outstanding Contribution to Leadership in Primary Healthcare

This award honours a health professional or practice that has displayed exceptional leadership, positively influencing primary healthcare in the Murrumbidgee region. This leadership will have led to long term improvement in the local primary healthcare industry or within the local community. This award can be self, or peer nominated.

Criteria:

  • During the period July 2025 – June 2026, describe how the nominee demonstrated exemplary leadership in primary healthcare. This leadership could be in any of the following areas:

    • Capacity and capability

    • Medical research

    • Teaching, education or mentoring

    • Population health

    • Practitioner wellbeing

    • Change management

  • Explain how this leadership has positively influenced primary healthcare in the Murrumbidgee region.

  • Provide evidence demonstrating how this leadership in primary healthcare has led to an outstanding, long-term contribution to the industry or community.

NB: In order to maintain the integrity of this award, the judging panel may or may not grant this award.

Click here to see the judging criteria.

Submit a nomination

Past finalists of this award

2025

Winner: Michael Broughan

As a member of Henty’s Local Health Advisory Committee, Mick Broughan has worked tirelessly to improve access, connection and wellbeing across the community. He has helped attract new services, coordinate health events, support aged care and early childhood training, and advocate for essential worker housing – all contributing to a healthier, more connected Henty. Mick’s dedication has brought people together and strengthened the heart of his community.

Finalist: Michelle Hutchison

As leader of Griffith’s Drug and Alcohol team, Michelle Hutchison is creating lasting change for people seeking drug and alcohol support. With a strong focus on access, equity and cultural safety, she introduced dry blood spot testing, championed subsidised treatment for vulnerable clients and helped build a more inclusive, supportive service model. Her leadership has improved early detection, strengthened community trust and earned districtwide recognition.

Finalist: Good Shepherd Family Medical Centre

Wagga Wagga’s Good Shepherd Family Medical Centre is setting the standard for patient-centred care. Since June 2024, the team has delivered culturally inclusive services with a strong focus on prevention, chronic disease management and early skin cancer detection. Their dedication has improved health outcomes, reduced hospital admissions and achieved an incredible 99 percent patient satisfaction rate – helping create a healthier, more informed community.

2024

Winner: Riverina Aboriginal Medical and Dental Service (RivMed)

Faced with a GP shortage, RivMed relied on locums but has since appointed a Senior Medical Officer and GP Supervisor, successfully recruiting three full-time Registrars, two of whom have become Fellows. RivMed also trains Junior Medical Officers (JMOs) through the Murrumbidgee Local Health District, offering valuable experience in general practice and Aboriginal Health. By providing meaningful placements, RivMed encourages interns and registrars to stay in rural practice.

Highly commended: Peta Cullis

Founded in 2009 by dietitian Peta Cullis, Ingrained Nutrition provides quality healthcare to regional and rural areas. Supporting 5,000 people across 20 locations, including 2,000 in outreach and aged care, Ingrained Nutrition helps with eating disorders, diabetes remission, and more. Peta also mentors new dietitians to improve their skills and knowledge of the health system.

2023

Winner: Dr Rachel Christmas

Dr Rachel Christmas has shown remarkable leadership in rural healthcare. She has played a pivotal part in strengthening of primary care provision in Temora and the surrounding region. Dr Christmas actively advocates for rural health, works on recruiting and growing the local healthcare workforce, and supports registrar training.

Highly commended: Palliative Care Outcome Collaborative

Hay Medical Centre demonstrated remarkable leadership in palliative care by implementing the Palliative Care Outcome Collaborative project through which they proactively identify palliative patients, address their needs, and collaborate with practice nurses, leading to improved patient care. Hay Medical Centre continues to seek opportunities to provide consultation about end-of-life care and collaborate with MPHN (Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network) and UOW (University of Wollongong).

Finalist: Evan Feather

Evan Feather has demonstrated outstanding leadership in healthcare and the community. An active member of many professional organisations, Evan has created a social group for young health professionals, and expanded his practice, improving healthcare access and outcomes in the Snowy Valleys region.

2022

Winner: Dr Khaled Bardawil

Lake Cargelligo GP Dr Khaled Bardawil has served his local community for the last 15 years and during the COVID-19 pandemic his work led to reducing vaccine hesitancy by de-stigmatising and demystifying information surrounding the COVID vaccines which led to the community achieving excellent vaccination rates. Dr Bardawil also dedicated himself to providing vaccine clinics to small remote locations such as Murrin Bridge and Euabalong and his hard work helped create a community for his patients to feel safe, understood and cared for.

Highly commended: Amy Salmon

Amy Salmon led the MyStep to Mental Wellbeing Western team during an otherwise challenging time in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amy strived to create a supportive, psychologically safe workplace in which staff felt supported and this ensured continuity of service for consumers across the program during a changing period of time. This has seen the MyStep to Mental Wellbeing team flourish to be the third largest community mental health team in the Murrumbidgee Local Health District.

Finalist: Centacare School Wellbeing Program

Centacare introduced two school wellbeing consultants to the Schools Wellbeing Program, a whole-school approach to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of every member of the school community. Consultants Janine Harrington and Mahalia Scholz work closely with each school to support complex cases and ensure continuity of care.

2021

Winner: Kylie Perry – Murrumbidgee Pain Hub

Kylie Perry established and led the Murrumbidgee Pain Hub to improve the management of patients with persistent pain using a collaborative, multi-disciplinary model delivering nine, collaborative professional development sessions, ensuring access to contemporary research and resources for local clinicians. Kylie demonstrated a commitment to the Murrumbidgee region by working with her colleagues across disciplines to create a nurturing learning environment for health professionals who are dedicated to supporting patients with persistent pain.

Finalist: Brodie Palmer – Rural Health, Tumut

Exercise Physiologist Brodie Palmer has advocated and promoted the importance of regular physical exercise and better health care for people living with chronic conditions. Brodie holds twice weekly ‘Active Ageing’ classes for people aged over 65, runs the Beat It Program for Diabetics organised by Diabetes NSW and is a volunteer trainer for Active Farmers. Brodie has also made an impact with younger members of the community encouraging some to study Exercise Physiology themselves.