Monday 12 July 

Brooke Chapman, a Senior Clinician in Austin Health’s Nutrition and Dietetics Department, was awarded the 2021 Intestinal Rehabilitation and Transplant Association (IRTA) Allied Health Professional Outstanding Achievement Award. 

Brooke was nominated for this award by Bev Kosmach-Park, a nursing transplant co-ordinator from Pittsburgh who chairs the allied health committee of IRTA, of which Brooke is the dietetics representative. 

Manager of Austin Health’s Nutrition and Dietetics department, Leonie Pearce, says the award recognises Brooke’s great contribution to this area. 

“The award Brooke received is the highest accolade given to an allied health professional within the IRTA.  

“It confirms Brooke's international reputation in nutritional clinical care and research, particularly within the field of intestinal failure and transplantation,” she says. 

Brooke says she feels very honoured to receive the award and to be acknowledged for her work as a dietician.  

"Dietetics is a terrific profession, and out of all the allied health professionals considered for the award, to be recognised in this way is quite humbling.

“Our dietetics unit is quite small, kind of like a small fish in a big sea. To be recognised for the contribution myself and the team have made is an incredible feeling,” Brooke says.  

Brooke explains that the clinical care and nutritional management provided by Austin Health staff has an enormous impact on patients’ quality of life.

“Anything we can do to help through surgical, medical and nutritional intervention is potentially life-saving or life-changing for the patient.  

“We work with patients over many years, we develop close relationships with them, and they come to rely on us as a team, we are a lifeline to them.  

“Nutrition is life for these patients when managing intestinal failure,” she says. 

Brooke will be presented with the award virtually at the upcoming Congress of the IRTA in Auckland.