Meet our 2021 Prize Winners!

Each year, outstanding students and alumni are awarded prizes by the Faculty of Health in recognition of their academic and professional achievements. 

Professor Debra Anderson, acting Dean of the Faculty of Health, commended the achievements of the students and alumni. 

“Our students are dedicated to achieving academic and professional excellence, and the Faculty is proud to be able to support these students in their efforts to become future leaders in health care,” Professor Anderson says.

Meet some of this year’s Prize Winners, and find out what inspired them to pursue a career in Health.

Emma Henry

Health Dean’s Prize: Nursing

In recent years, I have had family members in long-term hospital stays and aged-care facilities so I was able to see first-hand the amazing difference that a nurse can make to the life of a patient and their family. I also have a lot of friends and family who are nurses and doctors and I have always been fascinated by their stories and admired their passion for helping others.

While I don’t know exactly which field of nursing I would like to pursue, I know that in whatever avenue I choose, I will strive to be a compassionate, caring and skilled medical professional. I hope to be able to bring a little bit of laughter and light into the lives of my patients and make sure that anyone under my care feels safe and comfortable. 

Jacqualin Bell

Health Dean’s Prize: Midwifery

My journey to midwifery was a little unconventional, to say the least. I have always been quite scientifically minded, and in spending the better part of my teens and early-twenties as a dispensary technician at a local pharmacy, I had a knack for all things medical and pharmaceutical. But I actually began my university career by completing a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Contemporary Music and Arts Management, with big dreams of entering the music industry. 

When these big dreams didn’t go quite to plan, I knew I needed a change. I was inspired by my brother and sister-in-law, both doctors at John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, and thought that a career in healthcare might be the way to go. One day, after months of agonising over what I might do with my life, I stumbled upon the world of midwifery. Countless books, videos, and articles later, I fell in love with the profession, and knew that it would be the perfect was to encompass my knowledge of science with my love of caring for people. I applied to the UTS Bachelor of Midwifery as a mature-aged student at the age of 22, and it was the best decision I have ever made.  

I would love to begin my career as a Registered Midwife at Campbelltown Hospital. It is where I was born, and I feel as though working there and serving my local community would be a lovely ‘full-circle’ moment for me. Specifically, I would love to work as a midwife in perinatal mental health. As a midwife, you are caring for women during the most vulnerable time of their lives. 

The events that occur through a woman’s pregnancy, birth, and postnatal care stay with them forever, and the trauma that can arise from this vulnerable time can significantly impact their mental health and wellbeing. When I work with a woman, I want her to feel safe, to feel heard, and to feel confident in her abilities as a woman. Women deserve that at the very least, and I hope to continue my learning and development throughout my career to ensure that the holistic health wellbeing of women is at the forefront of my midwifery care. 

Lara Ralph

Health Dean’s Prize: Sport and Exercise

I have always had a liking for science – asking why things work the way they do and applying rational thought to find an answer. Sport and fitness have also been constant elements and sources of enjoyment throughout my life. I am forever fascinated by movement and the benefits it can hold for good health – partly sparked by my mother’s occupation as a physiotherapist. I grew up admiring her passion for movement and trust in the logical nature of the human body - I actually used to tell people that I too wanted to become a physiotherapist before I could even pronounce the word correctly.

Combining these interests of science, sport and movement naturally led me to a degree and future career in Sport and Exercise Science. With this, my UTS degree has shown me just how far the ever-growing field of sport and exercise science extends (and I know that there is even more for me to discover). Most of all, I am excited to one day become a part of and contribute to that ‘ever-growing’ process. 

Upon completing my current degree, I am looking to undertake an Honours year to further delve into the research side of sport and exercise. Following that, I may either apply for the UTS Master of Physiotherapy or continue down the research path, pursuing an academic career. Now more than ever our population’s health is at the forefront of our minds. None of us know exactly what our world (including the healthcare and sporting industries) may look like in years to come and fresh problems demand fresh solutions. Regardless of the career path I choose, I hope to be able to work collaboratively and passionately when tackling modern health/performance challenges – whether that be combating physical inactivity, investigating common musculoskeletal injuries or devising new methods for improving athletic ability. 

Alice Boutros

Health Dean’s Prize: Health Science

I can’t exactly pinpoint what inspired me to pursue a career in health science. It was more a process of elimination, trying new things, and understanding how I wanted to give back. Since I was young, I have always had an interest in science, health, and disease. Through having experienced multiple health conditions within my family, I became innately aware of the importance of health, an aspect of life that is often overlooked. After navigating through some previous studies, I finally figured out that I wanted to venture down the path of health science.  

In the future, I hope to be a medical professional. I haven’t figured out the exact path I will venture down, but what I do know is through this health science degree I have been equipped with the key communication skills, enhanced knowledge of diverse communities, and a greater understanding of the healthcare system, which will all be key assets in whatever career I choose.  

Stephen Woodward

Diabetes NSW & ACT High Achiever Award

I was inspired to pursue a career in health after spending time in hospitals with various family members and observing various healthcare professionals.I was particularly struck by what a difference a nurse can make to not only their patients but their family as well during uncertain and stressful times. 

I was so grateful for the nurses' knowledge and technical skills but also for when certain nurses took the time to foster a therapeutic relationship with the whole family, explain various procedures to their patient and family members, and make them feel welcome and supported. I now know this to be called patient/family centred care and I understand how important this approach is.

I decided after working in various fields such as computer mapping and photography, I decided I wanted a change of career. I decided I wanted work in a caring profession as a member of a healthcare team and so, decided to study as a mature aged student to become a Registered Nurse.

While studying nursing, I became aware of how living with diabetes impacted on people's quality of life. I opted to complete a community nursing placement in a diabetes centre in Newcastle and really enjoyed the teamwork I observed with the highly professional and diverse multi-disciplanary team that encouraged, empowered and assisted their clients to manage their diabetes as well as possible.

After completing my new graduate year with Justice Health in both primary health and mental health and working in Long Bay Correctional Centre in the mental health hospital, I was still interested in diabetes and so, decided to learn more and with a view to help people manage their diabetes and seek work with a multi-disciplinary diabetes care team. I commenced the Graduate Certificate in Diabetes Education and Management at UTS at the beginning of the pandemic, which was challenging, however, I really enjoyed the course due to the diverse content and the high level of support, understanding and encouragement provided by the course coordinator Shannon Lin and various guest presenters.

Whilst completing the course, my career took a different turn as I felt the need to contribute to the pandemic response and so, I commenced work with SLHD pandemic response team. Within this role I have worked in many diverse locations such as the International and Domestic Airports, Quarantine hotels,  Mass Vaccination Centres, Aged Care homes, a dialysis centre, social housing buildings, disability support centres, Port Botany and a church.
 

Yvette Mechin

NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association Prize in Nursing

I worked at Sydney Children’s Hospital as a Respiratory Scientist for 2 years before starting my nursing career. It was working alongside the brilliant nurses and seeing how their care positively impacted the lives of patients that inspired me to become a nurse. 

The highlight of studying nursing was working with so many like-minded people. Whether it’s in the classroom or on placement, everybody has the same aim of providing safe, effective and high-quality care to our patients. Caring for those that are sick or injured is a team effort and was really rewarding to work with others to improve the lives of our patients.  

Lauren Baird

NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association Prize in Midwifery

I decided to pursue Midwifery after completing a project on the link between womanhood and motherhood in high school. It ignited a broad interest in women's health, and I saw Midwifery as a good starting point as it encompasses almost all aspects of that topic. I anticipated whilst studying the degree that I would find a more specialised interest, but as I often reply when people ask me why I decided to be a midwife, I fell in love with the whole entire thing. I continue to be inspired to pursue Midwifery by the women I care for and the midwives I work beside.

Through my Honours study I hope to contribute to the wave of research that seeks to challenge the way clinical policy and guidelines are introduced into midwifery care. My study is looking into the restriction of water immersion and water birth amongst pregnant women with increased body mass index. Whilst it remains a work in progress at this time, I would love to be able to contribute to policy and procedure that ultimately enables women freedom of choice during labour and birth, both in relevance to this topic and others. 

Tijana Sharp

Gordon Young Memorial Scholarship

I have always had a strong desire to learn. Whether it be for academic, creative or personal purposes, I have loved learning for as long as I can remember. A favourite topic of mine soon became the human body in the context of movement and exercise. This passion led me to enrol in the Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science, where I spent three years learning about myself and how I functioned – how cool. 

My undergraduate degree enhanced my appreciation for the gift of movement and good health and I knew that I wanted to help as many people pursue their optimum health through movement and physical activity! During this time I also become involved in various forms of high-intensity training that included both aerobic and resistance based exercise. Naturally, I wanted to learn more about the effects of this style of training and a career in the field of sport and exercise would feed my desire to learn while providing numerous opportunities to advocate for exercise as a tool to positive health and wellbeing. 

My current research focuses on High-Intensity Multimodal Training (such as Functional training, HIIT, boot camp and group circuits) in apparently healthy populations. I hope that by seeking to learn more about current, popular styles of exercise I can help promote the uptake and continuation of similar exercise programs that are shown to positively influence health and wellbeing. I hope to do so by understanding more about the chronic effects of High-Intensity Multimodal Training participation on primary health and fitness outcomes, for example cardiovascular and muscular fitness. This information may help to develop practical guidelines that can better assist participants meeting their health and fitness goals. Additionally, I endeavour to understand more about individual’s subjective responses to the training mode for example, feelings of enjoyment. This knowledge may help guide the health promotion and fitness industries in delivering a more tailored service to the community, which ultimately may keep more individuals engaged and moving for longer, positively influencing their health!

Megan Moshovelis

Health Dean's Scholarship

I’ve been pretty active my entire life, so pursuing a career in health, and specifically sport and exercise, always felt natural. I have been in and out of physiotherapy for much of my life, and having been through the process has really inspired me to help others going through similar injuries and work on improving health outcomes. Additionally, I took a gap year last year and spent a lot of time engaging in different types of fitness and trying new forms of training, which further inspired me to pursue a career in health as I know that it’s something I really enjoy doing and am passionate about. Both participating in and watching sport has had a big impact on me and inspired me to learn how sport can be used to help others from both physical and mental health standpoints. 

I have loved the variety of the degree. We cover a wide range of topics across my course, from anatomy (which is pretty much a lot of what I expected I would get out of the degree) to more global issues, such as how we can use sport to improve social health outcomes. It has given me so much more of an understanding about various career pathways my degree can lead me into, some of which I had never even considered before commencing the course. The teaching staff are brilliant as well. 

The Faculty of Health also extends its congratulations to the following students and alumni:

Amy Federer
Health Dean’s Prize: Nursing

Amelia Marie El-Roubaei
Tresillian Family Care Centres Child & Family Health Nursing Prize for Academic Excellence

Trina Scott
The Infomedix & ADEA Research Indigenous Scholarship for Diabetes Education and Management

Congratulations to all recipients on your outstanding academic and professional achievements!

Find out more about studying Health at UTS