Professor Dinah Reddihough AO has been awarded a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 Victorian Public Healthcare Awards held in Melbourne last night.
Celebrated as a pioneering clinician, researcher and educator, Dinah was honoured as a key force for change in the field of developmental medicine.
The award paid tribute to Dinah’s determination that children with disabilities should be able to have the same expectations of care, and measurable improvements in outcomes, as other areas of medicine.
In presenting her with this award the judges emphasised that, over a 30 year career, Dinah has challenged the healthcare system to have a significant impact on the lives of children with disabilities and her achievements cannot be overstated.
In a characteristically modest acceptance speech, Dinah thanked her team and importantly her patients for a lifetime of learning.
“They’ve taught me more than I have taught them,” Dinah said.
CEO Christine Kilpatrick said Dinah’s influence had included facilitating a cultural shift in the assessment and treatment of children with disability.
“Dinah pioneered the delivery of services with a family and patient focus and trained a new generation of clinicians,” Christine said.
“Her extensive body of research in developmental medicine has directly impacted on the outcomes and wellbeing of children with disabilities, particularly those with cerebal palsy. She is an asset to our hospital and we are honoured to have her as part of our community.”
The RCH was also silver medallist in three Healthcare Innovation Awards.
The RCH Facebook page and social media strategy was awarded second prize in the category ‘Optimising healthcare through e-learning and communication technology’; the RCH Education Institute was celebrated with a silver medal in the field of ‘Excellence in person-centred care‘ and the Peadiatric Integrated Cancer Service, in partnership with Monash Health, took second place in ‘Excellence in service provision’.
The work of the RCH was also recognised in a Barwon Health submission which won the Secretary’s Award for ‘Improving patient outcomes and patient experiences’ for the use of teleheath to support critically ill children and adults in regional Victoria