Join us in recognising Sancta alumni and friends
There has never been a better time to celebrate and inspire the Sancta community through sharing stories. So, whilst we await a new date for our Gala Dinner & Alumni Awards event, we are proceeding with a reimagined campaign of recognition in 2020.
#SanctaHealthHeroes
All alumni and friends of Sancta who serve or have served in healthcare and related fields deserve recognition. As the world faces the challenges of COVID-19, it is timely that we focus our recognition on the people who help us in our times of need, and the ones who inspired them to do so.
Over the coming months, we will be collecting and sharing the stories of individuals and groups connected to Sancta of whose service we are proud and deeply appreciative.
We want to hear from and about Sancta’s:
- Nurses, doctors, allied health professionals and carers
- Emergency and essential services, police and military professionals
- Staff and tutors who helped you through your studies whilst a resident and/or inspired you to pursue a related career
If you have a story to share – whether it be your own or that of someone you met through Sancta – we would love to hear from you.
Share a #SanctaHealthHeroes story
Jennifer Ball AM
Physiotherapist, Hobart, Tasmania, and Sancta Alumna
“The real heroes are the people I work with in developing countries.”
Since graduating from The University of Sydney 39 years ago, Hobart-based physiotherapist and Sancta alumna, Jennifer Ball AM, has spent much of her professional life volunteering, mentoring, and teaching health professionals in developing countries across the world.
“I want to share my experiences to provide encouragement to students at Sancta who may be feeling unsure about their futures and where their chosen career may take them. The possibilities can be amazing!”
20 years ago, Jennifer started teaching university students in the Pacific region how to care for burns victims and has since completed countless missions to countries such as Fiji and Nepal.
“I use my knowledge and skills to help other health professionals to increase capacity in their developing countries. This voluntary part of my life is a real privilege and has enabled me to carry on the role of medical mentoring, for which I was a very fortunate recipient in my early career.”
“All areas of health and medicine have a rich history of mentoring to carry new graduates from the formal learning of university to the practical knowledge and skills required for patient care. I am grateful for the generosity of my mentors and am lucky to be able to carry on this tradition in Australia and across the world.”
Jennifer was recognised as a Member of the Order of Australia in 2019 for her service to physiotherapy through volunteer teaching. Her dedication to her profession continues despite the current global pandemic.
“The current COVID-19 crisis has been a great global leveller in many respects, demonstrating that socioeconomic status is not necessarily protective.”
“Physiotherapists in Australia, and all over the world, continue to work without the luxury or safety of physical distancing and we are doing this simply because it is what we do.
“Whilst my three planned mentoring and teaching visits to Nepal and the Pacific for this year have been postponed until 2021, the friendship and mentoring from afar continues, and everyone is able to carry on their work helping others despite the difficult circumstances.”
George Glass
Nurse Researcher, Singapore and Sancta Alumnus
“Since Feb 2020, I have been part of the rapid response screening team at the National Centre of Infectious Disease in Singapore, assessing all individuals who might be carrying the virus.
Answering the call for volunteers to the team was a reflex action, joining my friends across the hospital as we ran headfirst into the fire.
As an officer, in addition to ensuring the safety of the patients under our care, I provide on-the-ground guidance and support to younger nurses and staff, recognised as a leader with a “no question is a dumb question” approach.
In particular, the lessons on community building and strengthening that I gained at Sancta were essential in building together the team of healthcare and operational professionals that make up the Screening Centre.
We don’t know how this pandemic will end but I can guarantee that my team and I are going to see this fight through to the finish, right from the front lines.”