Health professionals honoured for significant service to rural communities

RDN extends its warm congratulations to all award recipients recognised for their service in the 2024 Australia Day Honours list.

This year, the Honours recognised and celebrated 1,042 Australians, including awards in the Order of Australia (General and Military Divisions), meritorious awards and recognition for distinguished and conspicuous service.  

We offer our special congratulations to all award recipients, especially to remote, rural, regional and Aboriginal health care professionals, including the following RDN Outreach service providers:  

• Professor Kelvin Matthew Kong, NSW  - Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the General Division - For significant service to medicine as an Otolaryngologist, and to Indigenous health.  
• Clinical Associate Professor Kathleen Elizabeth Tymms, ACT - Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the General Division - For significant service to rheumatology, and to professional associations. 
• Professor Steven Faux, NSW  - Member of the Order of (AM) in the General Division - For significant service to rehabilitation medicine, and to medical research.  

We also recognise and offer our congratulations to Georgina Long AO and Richard Scolyer AO from the University of Sydney and Melanoma Institute Australia, who were jointly named 2024 Australian of the Year for their life-saving melanoma work. 

The 2024 Honours List also includes 49 Australians recognised for their contributions in support of Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic COVID-19 Honour Roll 

NSW & ACT Recipients

We were very pleased to see a number of contributors to rural and Aboriginal health in NSW and the ACT recognised for their service to medicine, health or medical research including: 

Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the General Division

• Dr Graham Cameron Grant, NSW  - for distinguished service to biomedical engineering as a pioneer of innovative equipment development, and to medicine. 
• Professor Julie-Anne Elizabeth Leask, NSW  - for distinguished service to health and medical research, to policy advice, and to enhancing community understanding of immunisation. 
• Professor Sally Lewers Dunwoodie, NSW - for distinguished service to medical research as an embryologist and geneticist, particularly in the field of foetal, and neonatal heart disease.
• Conjoint Associate Professor Sally McCarthy, NSW - for distinguished service to emergency medicine, and to professional associations through leadership roles. 

Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the General Division  

• Dr Nicholas James Stephenson, NSW  - for significant service to medicine, and to medical imaging training. 
• Dr Richard John Bailey, NSW  - for significant service to medicine in the field of anesthetics, and to professional societies. 
• Clinical Associate Professor Matthew Chu, NSW - for significant service to emergency medicine, and to professional associations. 
• Conjoint Professor Jacqueline Close, NSW - for significant service to medical research, and to medicine as an orthogeriatrician. 
• Dr Robin Beryl Fitzsimons, NSW - for significant service to tertiary education, to neurology, and to medical research. 
• Professor Julian Colin Gold, NSW - for significant service to medicine as a clinical epidemiologist and researcher, and to community health. 
• Associate Professor Graham John Gumley  - for significant service to medicine in the field of orthopaedics. 
• Professor Charlotte Mary Hespe, NSW  - for significant service to general medicine as a practitioner, academic and mentor. 
• Ms Margaret Anne Martin, NSW - for significant service to nursing and midwifery, particularly through education. 
• Professor Brett Gerard Mitchell, NSW  - for significant service to nursing, particularly infection prevention and control. 
• Dr Matthew Vincent O'Sullivan, NSW - for significant service to medicine, particularly in the field of infectious diseases.
• The late Dr Annette Cleo Pantle, NSW - for significant service to medical administration, and to professional organisations. 
• The Honourable Dr Brian Patrick Pezzutti CSC RFD, NSW  - for significant service to the Parliament of New South Wales, and to community health. 
• (Honorary) Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the General Division  
• Professor Deborah Parker, NSW - for significant service to community health, particularly through palliative and aged care research. 
• Professor Paul Roach, NSW - for significant service to nuclear medicine, and to medical research. 
• Clinical Associate Professor Judith Skinner (Kirk), NSW - for significant service to medicine, and to medical research, particularly in the field of cancer genetics. 

Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division  

• Mrs Stephanie Joy Armstrong, ACT - For service to Indigenous health and education. 
• Ms Elizabeth Rosanne Ivimey, NSW - For service to medicine, particularly nursing. 
• Dr Anne Therese Knight, NSW - For service to medicine through a range of roles. 
• Dr Robert Alan North, NSW - For service to medicine, and to the community. 
• Dr Adrian Cross Sheen, NSW - For service to medicine through a range of roles. 
• Sarah Jane Nilsson, NSW - For service to nursing. 
• Associate Professor Allen-John Edward Collins, NSW- For service to medicine through a range of roles. 
• Mrs Leila Doris Forde, NSW - For service to community health 
• Dr Peter Charles Frederiksen, NSW - For service to dermatology. 
• Dr Starlette Anne Beaumont (Isaacs), NSW - For service to medicine, and to community health.