Calvary Mater Newcastle

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,

As part of Calvary Mater Newcastle’s celebration of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we play Hard Quiz with Sandra McKendry, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Surgery, Melanoma Unit. What does it mean to be a Clinical Nurse Consultant? A Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC) is an advanced practice registered nurse

During a hectic weekend in late March, the Radiation Oncology department took possession of their new multi-million dollar Varian TrueBeam Edge linear accelerator. The TrueBeam Edge is a replacement for the old C-series accelerator in the Zeus bunker. Michael Barnes, Department of Radiation Oncology Senior Medical Physics Specialist, said, “The

Calvary Mater Newcastle has started a three-month trial of a new model to upskill our senior medical students and give them the ongoing training, support and experience they need to contribute to care during this pandemic period and meet their requirements for graduation. The Embedded Senior Medical Student pilot program

‘Game On Mole’ is a call to action for everyone to be aware of changes to their skin, especially moles. As part of the Melanoma Foundation campaign, the team in Calvary Mater Newcastle’s Melanoma Unit are dedicated to educating everyone on the importance of sun protection and early detection. Cheryl

Coronary Care staff and the wider Calvary Mater Newcastle family have mourned the death of trailblazing heart specialist Angela Worthington. Hundreds of family members, friends, colleagues and patients gathered at her funeral service earlier this month to celebrate an extraordinary woman whose life was cut tragically short by Motor Neurone

At a February Whole of Hospital Grand Rounds the Calvary Mater Newcastle Excellence in Clinical Teaching Awards winner was announced, with congratulations going to Dr Susan Miles, Staff Specialist Department of General Medicine, taking out the accolade. Associate Professor Tim Walker, Clinical Dean, Calvary Mater Newcastle, said, “Susan is a

Patients visiting Calvary Mater Newcastle’s Day Treatment Centre for chemotherapy are now able to receive their treatment in relative comfort thanks to the generosity of our Auxiliary. Six new chemotherapy chairs, complete with multimedia outlets, were purchased for the Day Treatment Centre from funding received by the Wests Group as

2020 is the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife. Each month Calvary Mater Newcastle will be celebrating and acknowledging the wonderful work they do day in, day out. This month we celebrate Kyra Antcliff, Registered Nurse. Here is a snapshot of why Kyra chose nursing as her profession and

Conjoint Professor Jim Denham might have ‘retired’ as a Senior Staff Specialist in Radiation Oncology at Calvary Mater Newcastle but he is a long way from retiring from his passionate interest in prostate cancer research and its potential to provide help and hope for those affected. Much of his time

The CANcierge App provides easily accessible, relevant and reliable information. Designed by patients, carers and the cancer care team with the support of the Calvary Mater Newcastle Auxiliary, CANcierge is available free from Apple and Android stores.

Calvary Mater Newcastle staff and volunteers got their boot scoots on to take up an end-of-year Git Up dance challenge – a chance, for some at least, to let their hair down after a busy year and a fun way to see in the holiday season.