Professor Josephine Chow MACN

Professor Josephine Chow is the Foundation Professor of the South Western Sydney (SWS) Nursing and Midwifery Research Alliance and the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research. She is the Deputy Director of Research, SWS Local Health District (SWSLHD) and Honorary Professor at the University of New South Wales, Western Sydney University and the University of Sydney. She holds senior executive positions and a portfolio in NSW Health which has influenced government policy and clinical practice through roles on State Clinical Networks and international peak bodies.

Professor Chow has developed and successfully implemented the SWSLHD Clinical Nurse Consultant Research Quarantine Time Program and fosters the capacity and capability development of nurses and midwives. Furthermore, her translational research and implementation work have had major impacts on policy and clinical practice in many areas, from palliative care to COVID-19. She is currently on the editorial boards of several peer-reviewed journals and is a reviewer for ten other journals, authored over 187 peer-reviewed publications, 98 as the first author. She has presented over 80 abstracts in scientific forums and delivered 45 papers as an invited international speaker in the past five years. She has supervised over 20 higher degree students in nursing, psychology and management.

Professor Chow was nominated for her leadership in developing an innovative model of digital healthcare using artificial intelligence for vulnerable populations at SWSLHD.

Lisa Hellwege MACN

Lisa identified a gap in the market for providing safe and gentle micro-suction procedures for earwax removal after working for many years in the ENT field. She believed there had to be a better way to access this procedure without extensive waiting times. This led to a process of discovery and entrepreneurship that resulted in the founding of Earworx in 2016; a nurse-led dedicated professional earwax removal service.

Lisa’s idea to take a procedure previously only available via an ENT specialist to the Tasmanian community was embraced by both the medical and audiology professions, and by the public. Earworx has now expanded nationally with 26 (and growing) clinics across five states.

Lisa leads a vast national clinical team and has designed and now delivers extensive online education, practical-based training and ongoing support to 26 Registered Nurses working with Earworx.

Motivated and inspired by a desire to maintain excellence in standards of care, Lisa works each day to ensure Earworx Registered Nurses work to the highest-clinical levels and are professionally supported within their scope of practice. Lisa is passionate about Earworx clients receiving the same high-quality care, no matter where they live.

An advocate for the advancement of nursing, Lisa is inspired to empower nurses through their professional development as she believes their education, skills and expertise directly impacts on the efficiency of Australia’s health care system.

Lisa has over 27 years’ experience in nursing, holds a Bachelor of Nursing, qualifications in Micro-suction, Aural Hygiene and Aural Care. Lisa has now also cleaned 40,000 ears!

Lisa was State Coordinator of the Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Nurses Group Tasmania for six years, coordinating nurse and audiology education alongside ENT specialists to bring education experiences to Registered Nurses and allied health professionals in her field.

Nikki Johnston OAM MACN

Nikki became a registered nurse in 1989 and a Nurse Practitioner in 2008. She was recognised in the 2019 Australia Day Honors as a recipient of a Medal of the Order of Australia for her contribution to nursing.

Currently working for Calvary Health Care, Canberra Nikki believes all Australians deserve access to quality care in their last months of life regardless of their age, diagnosis or where they live. Currently end of life care experiences differ broadly for those living in residential aged care and access to specialist palliative care isn’t usual practice.

Nikki has initiated research through the INSPIRED trial which integrates specialist palliative care into residential aged care through the use of Palliative Care Needs Rounds. The trial found that regular rounds identified residents most at risk of dying without an adequate plan in place.

The INSPIRED trial has significantly reduced length of hospital stay and in-hospital deaths with significant costs savings to the community. Importantly, participants were more likely to experience a better-quality death (including better symptom control, advance planning, closeness with relatives and spiritual care).

Nikki’s approach improves Residential Aged Care Facility (RACF) staff confidence in discussing death and dying with families and planning for symptoms and goals of care at end of life. It supports palliative care in RACF and normalises death and dying, while providing essential anticipatory prescribing and better decision-making leading to planned care for residents.

Nikki’s work was influential in the Commonwealth’s decision to provide $32.8 of funding in the 2018-2019 Budget to support older Australian living in RACFs. The INSPIRED model of care is being rolled out in three States/Territories in Australia and being tested in rural and remote areas. Nikki has been recognised for her work nationally and internationally for integrating specialist palliative care into RACFs.

Professor Jeanine Young FACN

Professor Jeanine Young, University of the Sunshine Coast, has worked in Australia and the United Kingdom in neonatal intensive care, paediatrics and community child health. Jeanine has a special interest in infant care practices; in particular breastfeeding and parent-infant bed-sharing. She works closely with Red Nose to ensure national infant sleep recommendations are evidence-based, and is passionate about growing community capacity through partnership models to address health inequalities associated with infant mortality. Jeanine has established a research program to investigate Queensland’s high infant mortality rate, with a focus on evidence-based strategies to assist health professionals in delivering Safe Sleeping messages to families with young infants. Through international collaborations and local community partnerships, Jeanine first introduced the Pēpi-Pod Program, a portable sleep space combined with safe sleep education as a strategy to promote safe infant sleeping and breastfeeding in the context of shared sleeping. This culturally appropriate and feasible strategy to reduce infant mortality has been integrated into service delivery rural, remote and metropolitan Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, Queensland, and more recently in other Australian states and territories. Jeanine has also initiated the first Australian trial of a sleep enabler suitable for postnatal units to support breastfeeding and promote safer infant sleep environments in hospital. Jeanine works in partnership with government, industry, safety and regulatory bodies, and communities in translating evidence into practical advice for parents. Her efforts in reducing infant mortality through supporting the role of health professionals and health promotion within communities have received state, national and international recognition. In collaboration with Change for our Children New Zealand, Jeanine is the Australian lead for the Pēpi-Pod Program, which comprises a practical infant sleep space suitable for shared sleeping embedded in safe sleep education, now available in metropolitan, rural and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Jeanine has also initiated the first Australian trial of a portable sleep space suitable for postnatal units to support breastfeeding and promote safer infant sleep environments in hospital.