Make your vote count in support of Flinders’ Young Achiever Award nominee Louise Kyriaki. We also note important social work grant success, a key water conference address and we applaud our nominees for SA and NT nursing and midwifery excellence.
Flinders finalist in Young Achiever Awards
Flinders Caring Futures Institute postdoctoral researcher Louise Kyriaki is in the running to win a 7News Young Achiever Award. The Young Achiever Awards acknowledge, encourage and promote the positive achievements of all young people in SA up to 30 years of age.
Louise is a research fellow with a particular interest in language processing at sentence level and beyond. She is currently working on a number of projects in research areas including childhood cognitive development, disability and language processing.
You can vote for Louise to win the Young Achiever People’s Choice Award here. The poll closes at midnight on 17 May and the winner will be announced on 21 May.
Grant support for social work researcher
Tania Hall, a PhD Candidate in the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, has been awarded one of the two Australian Association of Social Workers 2020/21 Practitioner Research Grants. Tania holds a Senior Social Work position at SA Health’s Watto Purrunna Aboriginal Primary Health Service, and will be the principle researcher on a project exploring the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people seeking care at a metropolitan South Australian emergency department and leaving without treatment. The research will be undertaken in partnership with Aboriginal researchers from the Wardliparingga Aboriginal Health Equity theme at SAHMRI, who have contributed to the design of the research protocol. Tania recently submitted her thesis in completion of her Doctor of Philosophy exploring disability group home violence, abuse and neglect using social media.
Speech on safeguarding water systems for the community
Dr Harriet Whiley, senior lecturer in Environmental Health and leader of the Water Quality and Health research consortium at Flinders University, is one of the Accent Speakers delivering an address on 4 May at the Australian Water Associations OzWater21 conference, being held at the Adelaide Convention Centre. Her talk on “Safeguarding community and environmental health” will look at Legionnaires disease in the time of COVID-19, investigating the role of stagnation in Legionella pneumophila contamination of potable water systems. It will cover her 10 years’ experience researching opportunistic waterborne pathogens that has helped improve risk management strategies to control manufactured water systems and prevent Legionnaires disease.
Acknowledging nursing and midwifery excellence
A host of Flinders Alumni alumni and staff are among finalists announced for the SA and NT Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards that were postponed in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. The SA Awards, which will be announced on 7 May, feature the following nominees:
Excellence in Education (Registered Nurse/Registered Midwife): Diana Sonnack (DipAppSc(ComHlthNg) 1984), NALHN.
Excellence in Leadership (Registered Nurse/Registered Midwife): Petra Bierer (BNg(PostReg) 1993), SALHN.
Excellence in Practice (Registered Nurse): Kevin Hardy (BNg(PreReg) ‘99, MNg(NPrac) ’15), Calvary/Mary Potter Hospice, and Mikaela Canfield (BNg(PreReg) ’11), Burns Unit CALHN.
Excellence in Practice (Registered Midwife): Susan Macfarlan (DipAppSc(Nurs) ’81, GradCertMid) ’13), NALHN, and Milly Grigg (BNg(GradEntry) ’01), Barossa Hills Fleurieu LHN.
Excellence in Research and Knowledge Translation (Registered Nurse/Registered Midwife): Karen Royals (GradCertHlth 2012), TQEH, and Deryn Thompson (BNg(PostReg) ’05), WCHN.
Consumer Appreciation Award: Emma Montague (BMid(Prereg) ’16), SALHN, and Yumi Lee (BNg(PreReg) ’14), SALHN.
Humanitarian Award: Kate Taylor (GradCertClinEd ‘19), NALHN/Midwifery Lecturer at Flinders University.
Early Career Nurse/Midwife of the Year: Katherine Seiboth (BMid(Postreg)(RegNurse) ‘18, BNg(PreReg) ’12), RMCLHN Loxton.
NT winners will be announced on 15 May, and nominees associated with Flinders include:
New to Practice Award: Tamara Grantham (BNg(PreReg) ’20), Registered Nurse, Alan Walker Cancer Centre, Royal Darwin Hospital.
Flinders University Award for Excellence in Nursing/Midwifery Education: Anija Mathew (GradDipClinRehab ’18), Acting Clinical Nurse Educator, Rehabilitation Ward, Palmerston Regional Hospital.
Excellence in Nursing/Midwifery Aboriginal Health: Nicola Emmett (GradCertPHC(ChildFamilyHlthNg) ’21, GradCertRemoteHlthPrac ’19), Child Health – Healthy Under 5 Kids Program, Julanimawu Health Clinic, Top End Health Service, and Laura Hinds (GradCertRemoteHlthPrac ’20), Remote Area Nurse/Midwife, Miwatj- Ramingining Health Clinic, Miwatj Aboriginal Health Corporation.
Nurse/Midwife of the Year: Caitlin Clayer (GDipRemoteHlthPrac ’19), Remote Area Nurse, Titjikala Health Clinic, Central Australia Health Service.