The Adele Callaghan Award for Healthcare Simulation
Dr Adele Callaghan was a pioneer in healthcare simulation. Dr Callaghan made substantial contributions to the National Faculty development program – NHET-Sim and was instrumental in the uptake of simulation-based clinical education in the Loddon-Mallee and Hume regions of northern Victoria, achieved through deployment of local and mobile simulation programs.
In 2020, Dr Callaghan was posthumously awarded her PhD at Monash University after her untimely death from cancer. This academic achievement was a product of a hard-working, collaborative, curious inter-professional mindset that Adele infectiously carried with her through her clinical and university days.
The skills required for junior doctors to competently recognise, respond and manage the deteriorating patient in an acute ward in a regional hospital
The Adele Callaghan Award for Healthcare Simulation has been created to honour Dr Callaghan’s contributions. This award will be offered annually for five years.
The award will comprise a complimentary place on a Monash short course on SBE which will contribute towards the Graduate Certificate in Clinical Simulation (GradCertClinSim), Monash University or the Master of Clinical Simulation (MClinSim), Monash University. The awardee should be a candidate for either of these award degrees.
Application
The awardee is to be nominated by the Loddon Mallee Hume Simulation Alliance (LMHSA).
Past award recipients
 | 2025 - Amber Johnsson Amber is an educator at Bendigo Health and Monash Rural Health. She has a background in intensive care and this shaped how she approach teaching, focusing on building confidence, clinical reasoning and effective teamwork in high-pressure situations. She is particularly passionate about creating authentic simulation experiences that reflect the realities of regional healthcare practice. Amber is working towards a Master in Clinical Simulation and will be undertaking one of the microcredentials course in clinical simulation as part of the award. |
| 2024 - Kristy Allen Kristy is a Simulation Laboratory Coordinator and Lecturer at Rural Health Mildura/Medicine, Monash University. She has taught clinical skills to medical students in Mildura for over ten years. During this time, she established a dedicated space for students to practice their clinical skills, and appointment slots for one-on-one feedback, resulting in significant improvements in student competency. Kristy has completed her Graduate Certificate in Clinical Simulation in 2017 and will continue to work towards her Masters in Clinical Simulation. This award will contribute towards her Masters. She will commence the Learning Conversations: Feedback & Debriefing short course mid-2025. |
| 2023 - Natel Neilly Natel has worked as a Simulation Facilitator and Clinical Education Facilitator at Goulburn Valley Health for the University of Melbourne for the past ten years. She has a special interest in translational simulation, particularly in relation to communication skills and empathic practice. As part of this award, Natel commenced the Scenario Design for Simulation-based Education short course with Monash University in February 2024. |
2021 and 2022 - Not awarded (Pandemic-affected) | |
| 2020 - Estelle Houlihan Estelle is the Simulation Coordinator at Goulburn Valley Health. She has been involved in the development and implementation of simulation scenarios. She has also worked with the Hume Simulation Alliance and is a committee member of the Victorian Simulation Alliance. Upon receiving the award, she commenced her enrolment in the Scenario Design for Simulation-based Education course at Monash University, working towards her Graduate Certificate in Clinical Simulation. |
