Calvary Mater Newcastle

Patients undergoing radiation therapy for the treatment of breast cancer at Calvary Mater Newcastle are now benefitting from a new ‘tattoo-less’ technology. Known as Optical Surface Monitoring (OSM), the technology removes the need for permanent tattoos or ‘reference markers’ on the skin. Instead, it uses a three-dimensional light and camera

Calvary Mater Newcastle’s Palliative Care Service has marked a significant milestone this month, celebrating 40 years of caring for patients from the Hunter, Lower Mid North Coast and New England regions. As the largest specialist palliative care provider in the region Mark Jeffrey, General Manager at Calvary Mater Newcastle, commended

In recent years, the small island of Vava’u, Tonga, has suffered devastating destruction. From cyclones in 2014 and 2018, to a volcanic eruption, subsequent tsunami and ash fall in 2022, the people of Vava’u were in need of a helping hand. Answering the calls for assistance was Rotary Australia, including

Calvary Mater Newcastle’s Director of Haematology, Dr Sam Yuen, and Senior Hospital Scientist, Conjoint Associate Professor Lisa Lincz, recently accepted a generous donation from Tomago Aluminium totalling $14,000. On the day, Tomago Aluminium employee and Mater haematology patient Trevor, was on-site with his daughters for the official cheque handover. As

Knowing how to manage aggression is important in any profession – particularly in the health care setting. That’s where Calvary Mater Newcastle’s emergency medicine staff specialist, Dr Michael Downes, and emergency department registered nurse, David Fitzgerald, come in. The Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) recently held their winter symposium

For Lori Parish, Medirest Human Resources Manager and proud Bundjalung woman, having experienced the tragic loss of her daughter and in later years her grandson due to stillbirth, the motivation to help people in similar situations was high. “After the loss of my grandson, I started volunteering with an organisation

From Monday 3 July, Calvary Mater Newcastle staff donned their commemorative pins with pride, to mark National NAIDOC Week. Each year, celebrations take place across the country to acknowledge the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This year at the Mater was no different, with

At Calvary Mater Newcastle, NAIDOC Week celebrations kicked off on Monday morning, with Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer, Margaret Whitson, leading staff and friends of the Mater in the celebration march from Civic Park to the Foreshore. Braving the rain, proud Worimi man, Leigh Ridgeway, led staff in an Acknowledgement of

In the spirit of helping a friend, Calvary Mater Newcastle recently hosted local paramedic, Juliet Stark, for training to become an intensive care paramedic. As part of the specialist program, paramedics are required to complete a five week block of training which incorporates two weeks in operating theatres; one week

Everyday 66 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer, making it the nation’s most commonly diagnosed cancer, according to Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA).   The five-year relative survival rate for prostate cancer has improved from 58% in 1982 to 95% today, thanks to significant advances in research and treatment.

On Thursday 2 February as part of the hospital’s Centenary celebrations, Calvary Mater Newcastle’s Heritage Committee and members of the hospital’s Executive, celebrated the completion of its Heritage Corridor Display. Over a period of years the Heritage Committee has been methodically, steadily and meticulously sorting through past photos of the

Let’s hear it for Calvary Mater Newcastle’s 2022 Mary Potter Award winner, David Millington, Support Services Supervisor. When David was announced as the winner at the 2022 Celebration of Service, held on Thursday 17 November, a massive applause echoed throughout the Mater Lecture Theatre and many an eye was dabbed

The Grieve project is celebrating 10 years. What began as a writing and live reading activity for members of the Hunter Writers Centre has now become a national writing competition which attracts hundreds of entries every year. Entries are called for in August, Grief Awareness month, and in November awards

For siblings Darren and Kelly Turner, the care their father received at Calvary Mater Newcastle following a diagnosis of melanoma, had a lasting impact on them both. It was with this care and attention in mind, following the sad death of their father John in October 2021, the siblings decided

As a member of the Global Impact Committee (GIC), I am pleased to share our first report, Quality in Retreat – Reigniting the Debate on Quality. The GIC leads thought leadership programs to promote the priority of quality in health care aimed at senior leaders of health care systems, politicians

Tumour DNA technology provides effective pathway to colon cancer treatment Congratulations to the Calvary Mater Newcastle Medical Oncology team, who provided a prominent leadership role in a successful cancer clinical trial that was published in one of the world’s leading medical journals, the New England Journal of Medicine. The DYNAMIC

Anzac Day falls on 25 April each year, commemorating the lives of all Australians who have served their country in times of war, including our own Leslie Hughes, a resident at Calvary Rye Sands on the Mornington Peninsula.

On Friday 25 March, Calvary Mater Newcastle kick-started a year of celebrations to mark its 100-year history. Opening its doors in 1922, the Newcastle Mater Misericordiae Hospital was founded and administered by the Sisters of Mercy from their Mother House in Singleton. These Sisters were originally from Ennis, Ireland. From

Through the dedication of Associate Professor Aaron Sverdlov, Clinical Lead and Research Co-Director, Hunter New England Local Health District; and Associate Professor Doan Ngo, Co-Director and Research Lead; the Newcastle Cardio-Oncology Program (a collaboration between Calvary Mater Newcastle, HMRI, HNELHD and the University of Newcastle) has been designated a Center

Congratulations to Dr Pam Harrison who was awarded an OAM in the 2022 Australia Day Honours for her contribution to palliative care and community history. A simple phrase that belies the extensive contribution of Pam to the Mater and the Hunter community! Pam has dedicated her life to improving health

Staff at Calvary Mater Newcastle were invited to think about kindness. What it means to them and its power to change a situation, emotions, thoughts and ways of looking at the world. Kindness really does matter and when motivated by compassion can make all the difference. Staff throughout the hospital

Usually by this time of the year we would have celebrated the wonderful achievements of our Calvary Mater Newcastle Auxiliary. Despite the pandemic and its challenges, our enthusiastic and highly dedicated Auxiliary members managed to raise a grand total of $170,084.13 for the 2020-21 financial year – a staggering achievement.

Information for patients, aged care residents and visitors.

Staff at Calvary Mater Newcastle are leading the way in helping oncology patients quit smoking through participation in the Care to Quit trial, led by Professor Christine Paul from the University of Newcastle. The enthusiastic Calvary Mater Newcastle Care to Quit leadership team consists of Dr Fiona Day, Dr Tin

Would you like to help improve access to bereavement support during COVID-19? As businesses and cities open up again, we are being told that life is getting back to ‘normal’, but for people who have experienced a death during COVID-19, there is no back to normal. Calvary and researchers at

Congratulations to Dr Craig Gedye, Medical Oncology Senior Staff Specialist, who is Chief Investigator of a cancer research capacity building grant that has recently been awarded a $7 million investment to the NSW Regional Health Partners. People living with cancer and the health care professionals caring for them are set

A collaboration between the Department of Radiation Oncology at Calvary Mater Newcastle and the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Hunter New England Local Health District has resulted in clinical trial success. Prof Jarad Martin, Radiation Oncology Senior Staff Specialist, and Dr Natalie Rutherford, Clinical Director of Nuclear Medicine, were part

After an extraordinary 22 years of fundraising for oncology researchers at the Mater, the Coalfields Cancer Support Group has decided the time is right to call time on their fundraising. To recognise this remarkable group of fundraisers the hospital held a thank you morning tea at East Cessnock Bowling Club

Calvary has entered confirmatory due diligence with Japara Healthcare Ltd following a decision by Japara’s Board to allow access for Calvary to develop a binding proposal the board can recommend to its shareholders. The Revised Indicative Proposal proposes the acquisition of 100% of the shares by Calvary in Japara by

The collaboration offers local men access to a new type of cancer treatment A recent collaboration between Medical Oncology Research at Calvary Mater Newcastle and the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Hunter New England Local Health District enables local men to get access to this unique trial of a new

For horsewoman Rita Meredith (nee Browning) ‘dreams really do come true’ as Rita’s last wish “to smell and see a horse one last time” was granted on a very special day at Calvary Mater Newcastle’s Hospice on Tuesday 9 March 2021. Rita’s family, friends, Hospice staff, and NSW Mounted Police,

On 2 March 2021, the Australian National University (ANU) and Calvary Health Care formalised their partnership in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that extends their joint activities, beyond the ACT to Calvary Health Care nationally.

To round up Calvary Mater Newcastle’s celebration of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we meet Deb Smith, who is a Registered Nurse on Ward 4B and Stomal Therapist/Wound Clinical Nurse Specialist. Explain what your role entails… My role as the Stomal Therapist/Wound Clinical Nurse Specialist involves educating

This month, as part of Calvary Mater Newcastle’s celebration of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we meet Laura Healey, who is a newly qualified Nurse Practitioner, Medical Oncology. What is a Nurse Practitioner? Nurse Practitioners are registered nurses that have studied further and completed a Master’s Degree

Researchers Jennette Sakoff and Jayne Gilbert from our Medical Oncology Research (MOR) Laboratory welcomed some special Calendar Girls who recently starred on A Current Affair. Beryl Yates and Lyndal Little, otherwise known as Miss January and Miss December, are part of a group of mature aged women from Signature Gardens

Congratulations to the Hunter New England Cancer Clinical Research Network (CCRN) who was named the winner of the 2020 NSW Premier’s Award for Outstanding Clinical Trials Unit in late November. The CCRN was recognised for its tenacious efforts to connect people to important, life-changing cancer trials and rewarded for its

Celebrating and recognising achievements of our staff was carried out a little differently this year due to COVID-19. However, we were able to congratulate three exceptional staff members who were nominated by their peers for the Mary Potter Award. The purpose of the Mary Potter Award is to recognise staff

This month, as part of our celebration of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we meet Kate Donovan Clinical Nurse Specialist, Ward 4C Medical/Toxicology. What is a clinical nurse specialist? A clinical nurse specialist is a nurse who demonstrates an advanced level of knowledge and skills in a

Every year Calvary Mater Newcastle celebrates the fundraising achievements of our Auxiliary members for the past financial year through the Auxiliary AGM. Sadly due to the ever-changing COVID-19 environment, we have been unable to thank our Auxiliary members and their supporters in person this year. However, we wanted our Auxiliary

The gift of blood can mean so much to so many. For Jennifer Boulton, it is a person’s decision to go one step further and become a bone marrow donor that can be a truly life changing choice and one she encourages people to make. In March 2018, 56 year-old

This month, as part of our celebration of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we meet Sarah Moberley, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Palliative Care. What led you to this area of nursing? I packed myself, my text books and naive enthusiasm off to Uganda within a year

Thank you for being part of Dry July 2020 Now that Dry July 2020 is complete, we wanted to say a massive THANK YOU to those who took part and supported us! With all of the unpredictability and change that 2020 has delivered, we’re so grateful that so many people chose

This month, as part of Calvary Mater Newcastle’s celebration of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we meet Catherine Johnson, Cancer Care Coordinator. What is your position and what ward/area do you work in? Four days per week I am the Gastrointestinal Cancer Care Coordinator and one day

This month, as part of our celebration of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we meet Ellie Gabrysiak Registered Nurse, Alcohol and Drug Clinical Services. What led you toward nursing as a career? I have always had some fascination with the medical industry. I went straight from high

Calvary Mater Newcastle has opened a new research office to further support our growing team of existing and emerging researchers. Melissa Gavenlock (pictured left) has joined the team as the new Research Governance Officer, and Kirsty Sanderson is continuing in her research support role. The new office is one of

This month, as part of our celebration of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we meet Milly Sneesby, Nurse Practitioner, Palliative Care. What is a nurse practitioner? A nurse practitioner is an experienced registered nurse who provides an advanced level of healthcare in a clinical role. The role

“It won’t help me but it might help someone else.” That’s the view of brain cancer patient Casey Miller who has made the courageous decision to donate her brain to the Hunter Brain Cancer Biobank for medical research. The Brain Cancer Biobank, which is supported by the Mark Hughes Foundation,

Painting has proved more than Les Ahoy’s gift. It has been one of the best medicines in his battle against prostate cancer, a healing and an escape from the rigours of recent chemotherapy. It has also helped bring reconciliation, for himself and for a broader community. The end result is

This month, as part of Calvary Mater Newcastle’s celebration of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we meet Louise Walpole, Clinical Nurse Specialist. What is your position and what area do you work in? I am a clinical nurse specialist in the Emergency Department (ED). I have worked

As part of Calvary Mater Newcastle’s celebration of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we meet Carolyn Barwik, New Grad, Perioperative Services. What does it mean to be a new grad? Being a new grad is somewhat equal parts exciting and nerve wracking. After three long years studying,