December 2024

Austin Health Chief Executive Officer appointed

20 December 2024 - A new Chief Executive Officer has today been announced for Austin Health, heralding a new era for the service. Following an extensive national and international search attracting an exceptional field of candidates, Ms Jodie Geissler has been appointed as the next Austin Health Chief Executive Officer. Jodie will start her term in March 2025.

Meet Dr Yuto Shimamura

20 December 2024 - Austin Health is proud to welcome Dr Yuto Shimamura to our Advanced Endoscopy team! A gastroenterologist and endoscopist with a passion for innovation, Dr Shimamura brings a wealth of international expertise to our organisation.

Celebrating Years of Service milestones! 

13 December 2024 - We hosted our annual Years of Service Awards to honour 720 staff members who have reached significant milestones in their careers, marking 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 years of service.

Championing Aboriginal health and cultural connection

5 December 2024 - Meet Wendy, our new Wendy, our new Senior Aboriginal Health Liaison Officer. Wendy brings a rich tapestry of cultural heritage and a profound dedication to her role. Born in Naarm/Melbourne, Wendy’s ancestry weaves through Australian, New Zealand Māori, Scottish, Irish, and English roots on her mother’s side, and deep connections to Darrajayin/Beagle Bay Mission and the Torres Strait Islands on her father’s side.

We spoke to Wendy about her role and what she hopes to achieve.

New study on Angiotensin II: A potential game-changer in shock treatment

2 December 2024 - In our relentless pursuit to improve the care of critically ill patients, we are conducting a groundbreaking study on the use of Angiotensin II as a primary treatment for shock. 

November 2024

Celebrating our Epilepsy team’s recent achievements!

26 November 2024 - We are thrilled to share the remarkable achievements of Professor Piero Perucca, Laureate Professor Ingrid Scheffer, and Brialie Forster, who have recently been recognised for their outstanding contributions to the field.

Austin Health researchers receive global recognition

22 November 2024 - Three Austin Health researchers are recognised for their significant impact on the global scientific community in the Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers List for 2024! Congratulations to Professor Christopher Rowe, Laureate Professor Ingrid Scheffer AO and Professor Rinaldo Bellomo for making this list.

Austin Health receives state-wide recognition

20 November 2024 - Austin Health has won two awards at last night’s 2024 Victorian Public Healthcare Awards. Chief Executive Officer (Interim) Cameron Goodyear said that the awards recognise and acknowledge the achievements of Austin Health and its dedicated team of staff and volunteers.

Corey's happy to be home and give back to spinal service after serious injury

13 November 2024 - A farmer who was left with quadriplegia after suffering a severe injury in Albury has returned to his family home after almost eight months in hospital. Life won't be the same for Rand's Corey Hogan, but he's not dwelling on the past. In February, the 23-year-old suffered serious spinal injuries while with friends on David Street after a 21st birthday celebration.

One in every two lives brought back from certain death thanks to new tech for cardiac arrests

12 November 2024 - Austin Health has commenced a new high-tech approach to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which has resulted in several patients being resuscitated after “certain death” in the last three months.

Honouring Remembrance Day at Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital

11 November 2024 - Today, we gathered at the Remembrance Garden at Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital to mark Remembrance Day—a solemn occasion to honour and remember the service personnel who gave their lives while serving in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping missions.

Meet David Thomas

6 November 2024 - Meet David Thomas! David is Nurse Unit Manager for 5 East, our Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery and Cardiology ward and has been working at Austin Health since 1990. David takes us through what he loves about Austin Health.

October 2024

From Tokyo to Paris... to Heidelberg at Austin Health

28 October 2024 - Meet Elena. Elena is a dedicated Urology registrar at Austin Health and in addition to her medical career, she is an elite athlete who has competed in three Olympic cycles in pistol shooting, including the recent Paris Olympics.

Celebrating Children's Week 2024

25 October 2024 - From 19-27 October, we’re celebrating Children’s Week, a national celebration that recognises the unique talents, skills, achievements, and rights of children across Australia.

Help us transform our spinal unit on 3 North

25 October 2024 - Corey’s life was turned upside down when, at just 22, an accident left him quadriplegic. His journey of recovery has been long and challenging, involving months of intensive care, rehabilitation, and time in our Spinal Ward. This Christmas, our fundraising appeal is focused on enhancing two key spaces in our Spinal Unit, ensuring patients and their families have an environment that promotes both physical and emotional healing.

‘Low risk’ antibiotic has led to an almost untreatable superbug

24 October 2024 - A new study has found that an antibiotic for liver disease patients could expose them to greater risk of a dangerous superbug.

Former spinal patient becomes CrossFit world champion

1 October 2024 - Congratulations to our former spinal patient Joshua Young, who became the World Champion in the Adaptive CrossFit Games (Seated 1 Men’s Division) in Texas last month.

September 2024

Damian’s battle with sepsis

17 September 2024 - Damian woke up on Thursday morning with back pain, suspecting kidney stones. 24 hours later he was in the Emergency Department at Austin Health.

Professor Elif Ekinci launches the Australian Diabetes Clinical Trial Network

16 September 2024 - Congratulations to our very own Professor Elif Ekinci on launching the Australian Diabetes Clinical Trial Network (ADCTN)!

Austin Health doctor wins top state prize

12 September 2024 - Congratulations to Dr Jessica Spurio who has taken out the Victorian Junior Doctor of the Year award by the Postgraduate Medical Council of Victoria.

Congratulations to our Pathology team on performing their 100th solid tumour NGS test!

10 September 2024 - Congratulations to our Pathology team for performing the 100th solid tumour next-generation sequencing (NGS) last week!

Staff Spotlight: Meet Naz Erdem

9 September 2024 - Meet Naz. Naz is one of our lived-experience peer support workers and a five-time Paralympian in Wheelchair Rugby, winning 2 gold medals and 2 silver medals!

Asking an important question

4 September 2024 - Did you know it is essential to ask every patient about their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin? Asking patients when they arrive at our organisation if they are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin provides an opportunity for patients to self-report their Indigenous status and is an important requirement for all health services.

Life with Alagille Syndrome

3 September 2024 - Nikki Lee was born with a rare genetic disorder called Alagille Syndrome, a condition that affects multiple organs and systems within the body, including the liver, heart, bones, hearing and vision.

Damian’s battle with sepsis

August 2024

A journey from injury to Paralympic glory

27 August 2024 - Congratulations to our spinal patient, James, who will make his Paralympic debut this week for the wheelchair rugby team, Steelers, this August at the Paris Paralympic Games. In 2014, James was playing in the first game of the season in a local country football match in Albury-Wodonga. During the second quarter, while putting his head over the ball, he collided with an opponent's leg. It was a football move he had executed countless times before, only this time, it resulted in a shattered C5 vertebrae in his neck.

Maria's journey with our Community Advisory Committee

12 August 2024 - Maria has been a part of our Community Advisory Committee (CAC) as a Consumer Partner since 2022, but her connection with Austin Health predates her joining the committee.  

Staff Spotlight: Meet Josh Logan

8 August 2024 - Meet Josh. Josh was recently awarded the Michael Kierce Prize by The University of Melbourne for outstanding performance throughout his post-graduate course in critical care nursing (emergency) course in 2023, both academically and clinically.

July 2024

'Beating Buruli' team named 2024 Australian Museum Eureka Prize finalists

31 July 2024 - Austin Health, alongside the Doherty Institute at the University of Melbourne and the multi-disciplinary team behind the ‘Beating Buruli in Victoria’ research project has been selected as finalists for the prestigious Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.

DonateLife Week - Meet Nicole Pate

29 July 2024 - This week marks DonateLife Week, one of Australia’s major public awareness weeks to encourage more Australians to sign up and support organ and tissue donation. Nicole Pate started her career at Austin Health as a graduate nurse in 2012 and is one of our Donation Specialist Nursing Coordinators (DSNC). Find out more about her role and her impact on increasing donation rates.

National Diabetes Week: Meet Lisa Roberts 

19 July 2024 - Did you know that almost 1.9 million Australians have diabetes, with approximately 300 Australians developing diabetes every day? To mark National Diabetes Week, we asked one of our Diabetes Clinical Nurse Consultants, Lisa Roberts, to answer some frequently asked questions about diabetes.

A remarkable reunion 17 years later

17 July 2024 - After a severe case of meningococcus in 2007, Steve was placed under the care of Infectious Diseases Consultant Dr Patrick Charles. Fast forward to 2024, a chance encounter on the other side of the world brought them together again.

NAIDOC Week reflection from our Board Chair, Ross Cooke

12 July 2024 - As NAIDOC Week draws to a close, it is important to remember that our focus on celebrating the culture of our First Nations communities should continue and grow at Austin Health.

Finding hope after years of misdiagnosis: Jammie-Lee’s epilepsy journey

3 July 2024 - At just 29 years old, Jammie-Lee has endured more than most. For 11 long years, she sought answers for her seizures and hallucinations, and finally, after a 12-hour drive to Melbourne, she found them in just 20 minutes.

June 2024

Pronouns matter: Creating a safe and respectful environment for all

28 June 2024 - At Austin Health we want our staff to bring their whole selves to work and to feel safe and empowered in doing so. As we continue working towards creating an inclusive environment for all, let’s talk about the importance of understanding and using appropriate pronouns.

Vases of Appreciation: Saying thank you to our Allied Health teams

27 June 2024 - In an inspiring gesture of gratitude to our outstanding Allied Health teams, Caitlyn Green, Associate Director of Allied Health, and Steven Wells from Garden and Grounds, have collaborated to relaunch ‘Vases of Appreciation’ (VoA).

Staff Spotlight: Meet Dr Frog

21 June 2024 - Dr Frances Graham, known to her colleagues as “Dr Frog”, started her role at Victorian Integrated Cancer Services (VICS) as the Optimal Care Summits Project Manager in August 2023.

Fresh MANis for Men's Health Week

19 June 2024 - For Men's Health Week, we celebrated our male healthcare workers with some well-deserved self-care activities.

‘It’s a team sport’: How one life was saved by the work of many

14 June 2024 - In early April, a liver transplant at Austin Health showcased the best in medical innovation and multi-disciplinary teamwork. It began with a donor liver, which became a lifeline for one of our sickest patients.

Perfusion technology gives new hope to kidney transplant candidates

6 June 2024 - Austin Health achieved a significant milestone with our first normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) supported kidney transplant.

World-first study into penicillin allergy at Austin Health

4 June 2024 - Dr Morgan Rose, a PhD student and infectious diseases physician at Austin Health, recently published a world-first study into penicillin allergy in top critical care journal, Intensive Care Medicine.  

Help us transform our Eating Disorder Unit

3 June 2024 - At any one time, about 1.1 million Australians are living with an eating disorder. We’ve recently launched our 2024 Tax Appeal to help us transform our Eating Disorder Unit. You can support and share our Tax Appeal today.

May 2024

Our Virtual Ward advances at-home care for patients with serious conditions

30 May 2024 - Austin Health’s Virtual Ward is the first in Victoria to provide at-home care using wearable devices for patients with acute leukaemia and those recovering from cardiac surgery.

A taste of culture: Using food to close the healthcare gap

29 May 2024 - Food has a unique ability to cross boundaries and create connections between people. Austin Health is using this to help our community inch closer to achieving reconciliation. This year, the Ngarra Jarra, dietetics and food service teams commenced a partnership to use food to work towards closing the healthcare gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients.

Our Research Strategy 2023-27 aims to deliver better research and improved care

23 May 2024 - We are excited to share our Research Strategy 2023-27! At Austin Health, research is embedded into how we deliver clinical care. It is an essential part of what allows us to provide outstanding patient care across a broad range of specialties and community medicine.

National Volunteer Week spotlight: Donna Ng

22 May 2024 - As National Volunteer Week commences, we turn our attention to individuals like Donna, whose commitment to service embody the spirit of volunteerism.

International Nurses Day: Meet Kev Gilnagh

13 May 2024 - Yesterday marked International Nurses Day. At Austin Health, we celebrated the day with an event recognising our 2024 International Nurses Day Award recipients and Kev Gilnagh is one of them. We chatted with Kev to hear about what motivated him to become a nurse.

April 2024

Celebrating World Earth Day 2024 at Austin Health with new solar panels!

 22 April 2024 - We are excited to share some big news on World Earth Day! Austin Health has embarked on a project to install solar panels across all three main campuses, supported by funding from the Victorian Health Building Authority.

30 years later: Ben's second chance after a liver transplant

19 April 2024 - This week liver transplant recipient Ben Lancaster is celebrating 30 years of good health. At just five years old, Ben became one of the first children at Austin Health to have a liver transplant.

Dietitians Week: Meet Lauren Le Fevre

10 April 2024 - Meet Lauren, one of our incredible Dietitians at Austin Health! This Dietitians Week is all about nourishing our mind, body and brain. 

Disability Action Plan progress

4 April 2024 - In the past six months, significant work on our Disability Action Plan has been completed and we are excited to be providing an update.

Celebrating dedication and impact at Diamond Creek Op Shop's Annual General Meeting

2 April 2024 - On Monday 25 March 2024, the Diamond Creek Opportunity Shop presented Austin Health with a cheque for $287,120 at its Annual General Meeting (AGM). We celebrated another year of remarkable achievements and contributions of the Diamond Creek Op Shop as well as the amazing volunteers that make it all happen at this annual event.

March 2024

A reunion 49 years in the making

28 March 2024 - Still in good health in his mid-70s and hand in hand with his sister Lianny, Lionel Lee this week stepped foot back inside Austin Hospital for the first time since 1975. It’s been almost 49 years since Lionel received a kidney transplant from his sister. Our sixth ever transplant performed at Austin Health and our first living donor transplant.

Removal of patient TVs

25 March 2024 - In recent years, the uptake and use of patient TVs has dramatically declined, reflecting a major shift in how people access media. In response to very low usage levels, aged infrastructure and the patient-pay service model no longer being available from the third-party supplier, it is necessary to decommission patient TVs at the Austin campus.

How to optimise your recovery after elective surgery

25 March 2024 - Did you know that you might be able to improve the safety and results of your own surgery? While waiting for planned surgery, there are several things people can do to prevent problems and improve surgical outcomes.

Healing through health

21 March 2024 - Today marks National Close the Gap Day, a day that advocates for health equity of Australia's Indigenous Australians. We sat down with Aboriginal Health Liaison Officer, Kyralee, to find about more about her role and how she advocates for Indigenous patients.

Staff Spotlight: Meet Dr Maggie Turczynski

19 March 2024 - Meet Dr Maggie Turczynski, one of our Social Work Site Managers at Austin Health. 

Epilepsy: More than just seizures

18 March 2024 - Over 150,000 Australians face the challenges of epilepsy, making it one of the most common neurological disorders. Seizures are just the tip of the iceberg for those living with epilepsy.

A dementia-friendly redesign in Ward 9 at Repat

13 March 2024 - Exciting news from Ward 9 at Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital! Our 24-bed sub-acute Aged Care unit has undergone a fantastic transformation.

Partnering with our Muslim patients to celebrate Ramadan

12 March 2024 - Austin Health is proud to this year be supporting our Muslim patients to observe Ramadan fasting during their inpatient stay, should they wish to fast, and if this is medically feasible.

February 2024

Shaping the future of patient care in unison with our primary care partners

27 February 2024 - Developed in consultation with our key primary care partners, this Primary Care Strategy outlines what Austin Health will do over the next five years to improve the integration with primary care services in order to deliver better outcomes for our patients, community, staff and our health service.

Calling GPs to participate in the new Austin Health GP Reference Group

27 February 2024 - Are you a GP working in the Austin Health community? Do you want to have a say on how Austin Health can better deliver its services and engage with general practice? If yes, then the new Austin Health GP reference group may be for you.

A mother-son nursing legacy: Meet Saskia and Jordy

26 February 2024 - While Saskia has just celebrated 40 years since she commenced as a student nurse in the second last training group at the Austin School of Nursing, Jordy is celebrating his very first week as a Graduate Nurse at Austin Health! 

Our commitment to child safety

21 February 2024 - At Austin Health, we believe all children and young people have the right to feel safe and be always kept safe. To strengthen our commitment, we are proud to launch a video demonstrating this while also empowering children to speak to us about concerns.

Staff spotlight: Meet Rachael Lynch OAM

20 February 2024 - Today we celebrate Rachael Lynch, recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), a registered nurse, mental health advocate, international hockey player, Commonwealth Games gold medallist and dual Olympian.

Welcome to our new graduate nurses

13 February 2024 - We are so excited to have welcomed 210 new graduate registered nurses to Austin Health, in the last two weeks.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science: A New Era for Sustainability

12 February 2024 - As we celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we shine the spotlight on Jess, who seamlessly blends her roles at Austin Health with her passion for making a positive impact on the environment.

Tyler's cancer diagnosis at 22

5 February 2024 - Tyler was only 22 years old when he was diagnosed with Testicular Cancer. 

January 2024

Our herb production journey has begun!

25 January 2024 - Our herb production journey began last year when a Food Production Unit team member noticed staff cultivating strawberries in Ward 17 at the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital.

Meet Brayden Geary

18 January 2024 - Meet Brayden, our Charge Radiation Therapist (RT) and one of our in-house experts on the MR-Linac treatment machine.

Welcoming 65 new medical interns!

15 January 2024 - We're thrilled to welcome 65 bright minds embarking on their medical journey as first-year doctors at Austin Health!

Dougie at Repat

12 January 2024 - After months of planning and work, the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital is now home to “Dougie” - the ‘Stand To’ silhouette. The silhouette has been installed with the image projected onto the west end of the North Wing near Remembrance Garden.