The Health Information Management Association of Australia (HIMAA) has recognised the achievements of health information management professionals and teams at its 2026 annual awards.

The awards were presented at the HIMAA National Health Information Management Conference gala dinner at the Hilton in Sydney, celebrating contributions to education, professional practice, research, volunteering and the advancement of the profession.

HIMAA President Catherine Garvey said the awards recognised the commitment and expertise of people working across the health information management community.

“Our award recipients and nominees demonstrate the breadth and strength of our profession. Through their work in education, research, clinical coding, health information management and digital health, they support colleagues, develop future professionals and help advance healthcare.

“Congratulations to everyone recognised this evening. Your dedication, generosity and leadership make a difference to our profession and the communities we serve.”

Winners

Educator of the Year

This year, the HIMAA Board presented two Educator of the Year awards: one recognising an educator employed by an education provider and the other recognising an individual conducting education within the profession.

Natasha Prasad received the Educator of the Year – Education Provider award. A Senior Lecturer and Course Coordinator in Health Information Management at La Trobe University, Ms Prasad was recognised for 12 years of teaching, research and mentorship, alongside her service to HIMAA’s Victorian Branch, Tertiary Educators Forum and Privacy and Security Community of Practice.

Natasha Millerd-Stevens received the Educator of the Year – Industry award. She was recognised for her leadership and dedication as a Health Information Manager across four Hunter New England Local Health District facilities and as a credentialled trainer in the Single Digital Patient Record.

The highly commended nominees were Julieanne Lee and Tammy Ware.

Ms Leewas the inaugural educator for The Coding Company’s clinical coding webinar series, developing high-quality webinars for the profession. Ms Ware was recognised for establishing a national coding education program and building a national team to support the Ramsay Health Care clinical coding workforce.

Impactful Professional Practice of the Year

Jodie Beecham received the Impactful Professional Practice of the Year award for her leadership, resilience and innovation in supporting the John Hunter Hospital coding team through the implementation of the Single Digital Patient Record.

Highly commended nominee Clare Collinge, an educator with The Coding Company, developed practical education sessions for Eurofield Information Systems to help clinical coders and health information managers understand and apply quarterly coding-rule updates from the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority.

Innovative Professional Practice of the Year

Kate Deighton received the Innovative Professional Practice of the Year award in recognition of her commitment, passion and innovation in leading a team of clinical documentation specialists on the NSW Central Coast.

Professional Advancement of the Year

Linda Westbrook received the Professional Advancement of the Year award for establishing and delivering a national annual, full-day, face-to-face education event dedicated to clinical coders. The event is now in its third successive year.

Researcher of the Year

Abbey Nexhip received the Researcher of the Year award for her body of published research on health information management education, competency and workforce pathways.

Volunteer of the Year

Rachel Trethewey received the Volunteer of the Year award for her commitment as convenor of the HIMAA South Australia Branch. Ms Trethewey was recognised for coordinating educational and social events and sharing her knowledge and expertise with members.

The other highly commended nominees were Jenny Gilder and Sharon Campbell.

Ms Gilder was recognised for applying her health information management skills across her volunteer roles, including in privacy, policy development, community engagement and reporting. Ms Campbell was recognised for her leadership as convenor of HIMAA’s Privacy and Security Community of Practice and her sustained volunteer service to the profession.

Commitment to the Profession

Elizabeth Moss received the Commitment to the Profession – Individual award in recognition of more than 40 years of contributions across professional practice, health informatics, education, standards and capacity building in Australia and internationally.

Following her retirement from the workforce, Ms Moss has continued to contribute to HIMAA as a member of the Accreditation Council and Academic Co-Chair of the National Conference. She has previously served as a HIMAA Board Director and as convenor of the ACT Branch and Capital Region Network.

The Northern Health health information management team received the Commitment to the Profession – Organisation award for its leadership, innovation and knowledge-sharing at HIMAA National Conferences from 2024 to 2026 and the 2026 Victorian HIMAA Education Day.

The team has shared its work on digital transformation, automation and advanced data quality practices with colleagues across the profession.

Life Membership for Kay Bonello

HIMAA awarded Life Membership to Kay Bonello, recognising a 40-year career and a lifetime of service to the health information management profession.

Ms Bonello’s contributions include leadership in education at La Trobe University and a foundational role in establishing HIM-Interchange. She has been an advocate and mentor to generations of health information management professionals.

Three members awarded HIMAA Fellowship

HIMAA also celebrated the awarding of Fellow Membership to Sheree Lloyd, Trixie Kemp and Vicki Bennett in recognition of their significant contributions to the profession.

Sheree Lloyd was recognised for more than 40 years of continuous HIMAA membership and her leadership across digital health and academia. Her service to HIMAA has included branch, editorial and accreditation roles.

Trixie Kemp was recognised for her leadership in information governance, privacy and digital health, alongside her contributions to HIMAA conference activities, national taskforces and research.

Vicki Bennett was recognised for decades of leadership in national and international health data and classification, and for her service to HIMAA across Board, education and accreditation roles.

HIMAA thanked award sponsor Solventum. Brian Mitchell, Director, APAC, Health Information Systems, and Jared Sorensen, VP of International Business and Marketing, as Solventum representatives, were on hand to congratulate the recipients.