Professional Staff Excellence Award
Lianne Gordon.
Throughout 2025 Lianne has shown exceptional dedication to the School of Primary and Allied Health Care in her role as Manager, School Administrative Services, consistently exceeding expectations through her initiative, leadership, and problem-solving skills. Lianne has been pivotal in guiding the School through major HR system transformations including the HR implementation of a new Offer of Work process and the forthcoming Nimbus rollout, ensuring smooth implementation and clear communication across teams. Acting as a vital liaison between HR and the School, Lianne has driven efficiency, compliance and collaboration. Her innovative process improvements have saved significant administrative time for professional and academic staff and enhanced data accuracy. Her leadership, innovation, and commitment to continuous improvement make her a deserving nominee for the 2025 Professional Staff Excellence Award. Congratulations Lianne.
Excellence in Education – Community Education Programs
‘Little Learners, Big Lessons’, led by Lorna Martin and Alice Svikers from the Department of Paramedicine.
Lorna Martin is a lecturer and PhD candidate in the Department of Paramedicine and Alice Svikers is the Course Director of the Bachelor of Paramedicine. Together, they established and scaled Little Learners, Big Lessons, a reciprocal program co-designed with kindergartens and childcare centres that strengthens early-years learning while enabling paramedic students to apply child development theory and build non-technical skills. The program grew from an in-house paediatric activity in 2023, which demonstrated the need for scalable, community-based learning. They aligned sessions to university and departmental priorities, AHPRA professional capabilities and the Early Years Learning Framework, integrating delivery into existing teaching. Since 2024, it has run across nine centres, involving 171 paramedic students and engaging >360 children, with community partners requesting repeat visits. Pre-post surveys and stakeholder feedback show increased student self-efficacy and benefits for children, educators and families. This team has successfully translated curriculum into measurable, scalable community impact. Congratulations Lorna and Alice.
Excellence in Education – Programs that Enhance Learning
‘Medical Imaging Communication Educators (MICE)’, led by Nirusha Surendran and supported by John McInerney, both from the Department of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, and Catherine Cook from the Communications in Health Professions Education Unit.
Communication is central to patients' trust in healthcare. The MICE team has pioneered a collaboration between medical imaging academics and linguists at Monash, transforming the Bachelor of Radiography and Medical Imaging (Honours) curriculum through a pre‑clinical integrated communication program in Years 1 and 2. This innovation embeds communication as a core competency, addressing a longstanding gap in radiography education where technical skills have traditionally overshadowed person‑centred care. By combining disciplinary expertise with linguistics, the program equips students to engage effectively with patients from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, improving confidence, safety, and equity in clinical practice.
Grounded in evidence‑based pedagogy, the program employs a distinctive, programmatic, scaffolded approach to communication education, ensuring skills are taught, practised, and assessed in context. Its programmatic design integrates iterative feedback and authentic simulation, marking a significant innovation in health professions education. Recognised through peer‑reviewed publication (Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, 2024) and dissemination at university and state‑level conferences, the program is shifting discipline‑wide perspectives and attracting strong interest from practitioners and educators. Congratulations Nirusha, John and Catherine.
Excellence in Education – Teaching Excellence
‘Podiatry Simulation Training Package’ led by Malia Ho and supported by Cylie Williams, Daryl Susigan, Jim Hsu and Keenan Granland.
The Podiatry Training Simulation Package is an innovative resource that redefines how students acquire sharp-instrument skills in health education via repeatable simulation-based learning. This creative approach to medical education aligns strongly with contemporary literature on simulation-based learning, experiential learning theory, and learner-centred design. Developed collaboratively with the Monash Innovation Lab (MIL), the 3D-printed foot model provides a realistic, psychologically safe, and accessible resource for deliberate practice. Our 2025 iteration delivers tactile fidelity and functional realism at an 85% cost savings compared to commercial models. Complementary online instructional videos within a virtual clinic extend learning into authentic, contextualized environments, accessed over 2,000 times by students. Student and clinical educator feedback highlights enhanced learner confidence, competence, and clinical preparedness. The package’s impact has prompted adoption beyond podiatry and Monash University. Portable and accessible, it supports both on-campus and off-campus teaching and learning and has been recognised through university and national award nominations, including selection as a finalist in the Victorian Premier’s Design Award. Congratulations team.
