MSHS Excellence Awards 2025
On 9 December, staff from the Melbourne School of Health Sciences gathered for an end of year celebration and the MSHS Staff Excellence award presentation.
Each year, we celebrate the dedication, hard work, and resilience of our staff through these awards. Congratulations to the MSHS Excellence Award Winners!
Education Awards
Sustained Excellence in Learning and Teaching - Elaina Kefalianos
Collaborative Practice - Mooroopna Primary Schools Network Collaborative Practice Initiative - Team: Dr Meg Keage – Collaborative Practice Clinical Projects Lead, Melbourne School of Health Sciences, Belinda Wood – Speech Pathologist, Mooroopna Park Primary School, Leah Hawker – Speech Pathologist, Mooroopna Primary School, Kim Ackland - Associate Lecturer in Interprofessional Rural Education, Going Rural Health, Department of Rural Health, University of Melbourne, Emily Wood – Academic Coordinator of Rural Health Partnerships, Melbourne School of Health Sciences , Eliza Martin- Practice Education Coordinator for Speech Pathology, Alexandra Walchhuetter – Clinical Education Coordinator for Audiology, Alisha Gudkar – Audiology Clinical Educator, Charlotte Anderson – Audiology Clinical Educator, Dilshan Delgama – Audiology Clinical Educator, Hayden Beaton – Principal, Mooroopna Park Primary School, Rebecca Brown – Principal, Mooroopna North Primary School, Karen Goodwin – Principal, Mooroopna Primary School, Amanda McCullogh – Greater Shepperton Foundation
Program Innovation – AI Driven Communication Skills in Physiotherapy Training: A/Prof Mark Merolli (Physiotherapy; MDHS Innovation & Enterprise), Dr Kim Allison (Physiotherapy; Centre for Collaborative Practice), Dr Chris Honig (Computing & Information Systems FEIT; GEM Scott Fellow)
Learning and Teaching Achievement - Aiden Smart
Mentor Excellence - Lauren Ayton
Discovery (Research) Awards
Graduate Research Supervision - Christine Nguyen
Excellence in Early Career Research - CeeCee Britten-Jones
Received by A/Prof Andrew Metha
Excellence in Mid-Career Research - Rebecca Jarden
Excellence in Senior Career Research - Laura Downie
Interdisciplinary Research Innovation - Paeds Co-LAB (Paediatric Collaborative for Learning, Allied health research and Beyond) team: Executive: Prof Alicia Spittle (PT), Dr Tara FitzGerald (PT), Dr Rachel Toovey (PT); Post-docs: Dr Abbey Eeles (OT), Dr Alesha Southby (PT), Dr Amanda Kwong (PT), Dr Free Coulston (PT), Dr Gaela Kilgour (PT), Dr Kate Cameron (PT); PhD Students: Claire Laurie (PT), Ella Thorburn (PT), Fran Finlayson (PT), Gemma Duff (PT), John Carey (PT), Kate Rawnsley (PT), Susan Fehring (PT), Prakriti Koirala (Implementation Science) and Jessica Pascoe (PT), Victoria Heinlen (SP); Staff with Lived Experience: Finn O’Keefe, Loni Binstock, Maggie Lloyd, Miriam Yates; Research Assistants: Beth Kozaris (OT), Gemma Duff (PT), Gill Henty (PT), Sandra Kirolos (PT), Susan Fehring (PT), Sara Franzoni (Disability); External/ Honourary: Prof Cibelle Forminga (PT/Brazil), Dr Katy de Valle (PT/RCH/MCRI), Dr Joy Olsen (OT/ RWH/MCRI), Dr Rachel Kennedy (PT/RCH/MCRI); External Students: Anderson Mughogho (PT/ Malawi), Thillini Madushika (PT/Sri Lanka), Mia Kirchner (Medical)
Strategic and Engagement Excellence Awards
Indigenous Excellence - Graduate Diploma of Hearing Health Care (GDHHC) team:
Prof Dani Tomlin (HoD Audiology & Speech Pathology), A/Prof Kelley Graydon (Course Director Master of Clinical Audiology), Brigitte Nyugen, (former Manager Academic Programs MSHS), Dr Sally Newman, (Strategic Projects Manager, MSHS), Dr Donella Chisari (Senior Lecturer, Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology), Sarah Swann, (Clinical Audiologist, Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology)
Place Based Excellence - Pathways for Change team: Kristin Diemer, Jess Letch, Nico Mosso Tupper, Heshani De Silva, David Gallant, David Rose
Diversity and Inclusion – Bao Nguyen
Belonging – Welcome to Health Sciences team - Selina Parry, Erin Hunter, Peter Carew, Nell Bent, Melissa Gibbs, Ria Ronghe, Natalie Fini, Georgina Johnson, Christine Nguyen, Bronwyn Tarrant, Rachael Connor
External to our School: Thomas Connell, Neville Turner, Andrew Vassett, Jess Abbonizzio, Felicity Thianesysavanah
Values Award - Kath Gigliuto
Professional Excellence - Beck Hockin
Head of School Awards
Patricia Murray
Ryan Micallef
