Published on 13 June 2023
Three Western Health leaders have been recognised for their contributions in the King’s Birthday Honours, announced yesterday.
Our Chair Robyn Batten has been awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the King’s Birthday Honours List.
Her citation is for significant service to the not-for-profit, health and aged care sectors.
Ms Batten has been chair at Western Health since 2020 as well as a board member of the Western Health Foundation.
For more than 30 years, Ms Batten has been heavily involved with a wide range of health organisations.
Ms Batten said working in aged care and the health sector is all about the quality of people’s lives.
“We care for them when they are most vulnerable, how we manage these services is really important to the quality of care we provide.”
“I am looking forward to the developments in the west coming to fruition. There is plenty of excitement ahead of us,” said Ms Batten, referring to the construction of the new Footscray Hospital, due for completion in 2025.
Professor Anna Peeters is also a Western Health Board member and has been recognised with a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to community health, particularly obesity research.
As well as her Western Health board duties, Prof Peeters has been the Director of Obesity Australia since 2016 and at the forefront of obesity research at a number of leading Australian and international universities.
Anna is Professor of Epidemiology and Equity in Public Health & Director of the Institute for Health Transformation at Deakin University.
Prof Peeters engages in public health research to better inform health policy makers, practitioners and the public about the provision of information to provide objective and equitable choices in public health.
Western Health anaesthetist and intensive care physician Dr Forbes McGain has been awarded a Medal (OAM) in the General Division for service to medicine.
At Western Health that service has included being the co-inventor of the McMonty Medihood which helps protect healthcare workers from aerolised COVID-19 virus exposure. The invention has won several significant national and international awards.
Dr McGain has also displayed ongoing excellence for his role in driving sustainability at Western Health, including initiatives such as switching to anaesthetic gases that release less carbon dioxide, cost less and are just as effective as their counterparts.
He has also pioneered a recycling program that turns high grade clear plastic hospital items, such as facemasks, oxygen tubing and irrigation bags into furniture and garden hoses.
Western Health acknowledges the contributions our leaders make I’d ask all staff to please join me in congratulating Robyn, Anna and Forbes on their achievements’.
