Western Sydney Local Health District

BCom, CA, GAICD

Loretta Di Mento joined the Board of WSLHD in January 2020 and commenced as Chair on 1 August 2023. As Deputy Board Chair she chaired the District’s Finance and Performance Committee and was a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.

Loretta is Deputy Board Chair of Museums of History NSW and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committees for Health Infrastructure and the Australian Law Reform Commission. She is a member of the Audit and Risk Committees for TAFE NSW, the Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network and the National Australia Day Council, and holds board roles with several not-for-profit organisations.

Formerly an audit partner with Ernst & Young in Sydney, Loretta brings more than 25 years’ experience providing a range of professional services to listed, private and fast growth companies.

She has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of NSW, is a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and a graduate member of the Institute of Company Directors.

MBBS, PhD, FRACP, FCSANZ, FESC, GAICD
Professor of Medicine, Academic Director Westmead Applied Research Centre, University of Sydney

Professor Clara Chow is Academic Director of the Westmead Applied Research Centre (WARC), Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney. She is a cardiologist and the Program Director of Community Based Cardiac Services at Westmead hospital and is also a member of the Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) Governing Board, Sydney, Australia. Professor Chow has also been appointed the Director of the Australian Stroke and Heart Accelerator (ASHRA). She currently holds honorary appointments as the Charles Perkins Centre Westmead Academic Co-director and President of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. Professor Chow’s research focuses on the prevention of cardiovascular disease, innovation in the delivery of cardiovascular care and the evaluation of digital health interventions. She has expertise in the design, delivery and implementation of clinical trials. Her PhD from the University of Sydney, Australia was in cardiovascular epidemiology and international public Health and her Postdoc from McMaster University, Canada in clinical trials and cardiac imaging. She is supported by a NHMRC Investigator grant.

Melissa Monteiro is CEO of the Community Migrant Resource Centre in Parramatta. She has a degree in Social Work and over 27 years of experience in the community sector. She manages a medium-sized not-for-profit organization in Western Sydney, with a portfolio that includes child protection, settlement services, women, families, domestic violence, youth, and business services. She focuses on the intersectionality of resettlement stressors by investing in multiple service delivery strategies, ensuring that prevention and early intervention programs are responsive to the unique needs of diverse communities. Melissa is a Pro Bono Australia, IMPACT Australia 21 winner, Salvation Army Multicultural Ambassador, Executive Board Member on various Local and National Advisory Boards/Committees, Chair of the Settlement Council of Australia and a member of the NSW Police Multicultural Advisory Council and Board Director of the Anti –Discrimination Board NSW.

Karin has extensive experience working in Local Health Districts in NSW in various roles, including nursing, policy development, service development and planning, academic teaching, and leadership positions. She held leadership positions such as Director of Mental Health Services and Executive Director of Forensic Mental Health and Mental Health Branch, NSW Ministry of Health from 2015-2019. During this time, she contributed to national and state mental health committees and has influenced mental health reform in the state and national level. Karin is also on the board of Support Act, a charity for musicians and others in the music industry and has assisted in the development of a prevention program and mental health helpline for people in the music industry. In 2018, she was awarded the Public Service Medal for outstanding public service to mental health care in NSW.

Sue has lived in Western Sydney since childhood and holds a Bachelor of Social Studies (USYD), Master of Management (UTS) and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Sue has extensive senior management, governance and leadership experience gained over thirty years in local government including 12 years as an executive at City of Parramatta and earlier with the not-for-profit sector. She had also held several Board positions in the health, community services, sports and arts sectors and is currently a Director of the Parramatta Leagues Club.

Chandrika Subramaniyan is a well-known solicitor who has been focusing on community services for over two decades. She currently chairs Sydwest Multicultural Services and is a Microsoft certified professional who teaches law, leadership, IT, and community management at the tertiary level. She also serves on several Australian and overseas organizations and committees, is a fellow of many reputed institutes, and founded Tamil Valarchi Manram which focuses on serving the Tamil community with language and culture. Chandrika is also a speaker with knowledge in religion, philosophy, media, law, and leadership and is a regular speaker for overseas universities and academic institutions. She has written more than 53 books in English and Tamil on law, women, media, computers and culture and has received many prestigious awards from India and Australia.

Stewart is a highly experienced Chartered Accountant with over 30 years in the industry. He specialises in providing audit and assurance services for mid-market companies, including private, foreign multinational, ASX-listed, and not-for-profit and public sector organizations. He has a wide range of experience across industries such as transport, logistics, manufacturing, import and distribution, agribusiness, property and the public sector. Stewart also has served on many board positions in private, not-for-profit and government entities. He is known for his hands-on approach and ability to understand the big picture from the client's perspective.

John is a Yuin man from the NSW South Coast and is a Professor of Sociology in Indigenous health, specialising primarily in disability studies. John is the first Aboriginal person to lead Indigenous disability scholarly research. John has worked in disability and ageing research and community development with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, government and non-government stakeholders for most of his life. John is passionate about Aboriginal owned and driven research as means to influence policy. John has led many research projects in urban and rural/remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

MBBS FRACGP DCH M. Health Law

Dr Walid Jammal is a GP in Western Sydney. His interests include paediatrics, men’s health, ethics and health law. He has a strong commitment to quality and safety in health care, as well as health system policy and reform. He has been involved with testing and developing integrated care models for many years, both with NSW Health and the Commonwealth. He is Co-Chair of the GP Advisory Group for the Agency of Clinical Innovation, Co-Chair of the Commonwealth’s Primary Care Reform Steering Group, Member of the Medicare Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) and a Board Member of WentWest (Western Sydney Primary Health Network). He has a keen interest in health economics and integrated models of care including the Patient Centred Medical Home frameworks.

Walid is also Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sydney and Conjoint Senior Lecturer, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University.

Executive Director, Sydney Health Partners and 
Professor of Public Health, School of Public Health, University of Sydney

Don Nutbeam is the Executive Director of Sydney Health Partners and a Professor of Public Health at the University of Sydney. Sydney Health Partners is a NHMRC accredited Advanced Health and Research Translation Centre.

Don Nutbeam’s career has spanned senior leadership positions in universities, government, health services and international organisations including WHO and the World Bank. He was formerly Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton, UK, Provost of the University of Sydney, and Head of Public Health for the UK Government. He is a public health scientist with research interests in the social and behavioural determinants of health, and in the development and evaluation of public health interventions. His current research focusses on the development and testing of interventions to improve health literacy in different populations.

Michael (Mick) has undertaken many roles in the Australian health system during a career that spans four decades. His experience includes bureaucrat, consultant and academic giving him a breadth of experience and depth of knowledge of the Australian health care system. Mick was Director General of Health in two Australian States. For five years until 2002, he held the position of Director General of New South Wales Health. Until 2011, he spent three years as Director General of Queensland Health.

When not engaged in the public sector, Mick is Principal of his consulting company, Michael Reid & Associates, which has undertaken health and science projects throughout Australasia, for governments in Asia, the Pacific and with UN organisations. Mick is a current Member of both the Bolton Clarke Australia and Hong Kong Boards, is the National President of the Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia. He is Deputy Chair on the Central Adelaide Local Health District Governing Board and a Board Member of the Western Sydney Local Health District.

Mick holds an Adjunct Professorships in both the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sydney and the School of Science and Health at the University of Western Sydney and is an Honorary Fellow of the Australian College of Nursing. In 2011, he was awarded the AHHA Sidney Sax Medal for contributions to Australian Health Services and in 2019 was appointed as a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia for significant service to the community through government and not-for-profit health roles, and to Indigenous welfare.

Keith has had a 40 year career as a specialist Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, working in both the public and private sectors.

He is Consultant Emeritus (Obstetrics and Gynaecology) at Royal North Shore Hospital, and Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor in the Sydney School of Medicine, University of Notre Dame Australia.

He was a director of the Mater Hospital North Sydney during two major redevelopment programs, and is Chairman of the Friends of the Mater Foundation which has enjoyed considerable success in fundraising.

Keith has a strong commitment to teaching future generations of doctors and to advocating for the delivery of high-quality patient centred healthcare to all, especially the more vulnerable sections of our community.

WSLHD Chief Executive

Over the last 12 years Graeme has held a number of executive roles, including Chief Executive for NSLHD. His knowledge of both clinical and corporate services includes a strong focus on system performance through healthy relationships.

Graeme has accumulated significant experience in all aspects of leadership in both the public and private sectors. He takes great pride being able to deliver highly complex clinical services through high performing teams.

His breadth of knowledge spans facility, district and statewide environments and enables him to couple strategic direction with the broader improvement and research goals, including ensuring optimal provision of safe, high quality and timely clinical services in concert with the needs of the community and the health system.

With patients as his principal focus, Graeme strives to support NSW Health to deliver high quality care and brings a simple motto to each discussion – “What if it was your mum?”

Director Finance

B Comm (Econ), Dip. Acc, MBA, CPA

Appointed in July 2018, Barry brings strong governance and rigour to WSLHD’s financial, strategy and operational management. Barry’s tertiary education was completed at the University of Wollongong and he holds a Master in Business Administration. He is also a qualified CPA.

Barry has more than 35 years’ experience in finance oversight including 30 years with NSW Health, predominantly with Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD. He has worked with all levels of NSW Health and understanding the ‘needs of the business’ is the basis of his strategic and operational approach.

Barry is driven to ensure WSLHD is financially sustainable to deliver the best available healthcare to the people of western Sydney.

Executive Director of Quality and Safety

DM FRCP (London) FRCP (Edin)

Professor Hockey is the Executive Director of Quality and Safety for Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD). He joined WSLHD in 2019 as the Director of Education within the Research and Education Network, and as Professor of Clinical Education at the University of Sydney. During this time, he developed an educational infrastructure which supported education quality, professional support to staff and Faculty development for educators, and built a team to deliver postgraduate education through Sydney Health Executive Education within the University’s Faculty of Medicine & Health. Until 2019 Peter was a practising Consultant Respiratory Physician with 20 years’ experience of health service leadership at a senior level within the UK’s National Health Service, and the Postgraduate Dean in Health Education England, Wessex, UK. He was a 2007/8 Harkness Fellow in Policy & Practice at Harvard Medical School where he did research into determinants of quality with Professor David Bates – an internationally renowned expert in patient safety and clinical quality. Peter has always been a champion of developing clinicians to create an improvement culture which results in better care for patients. In this role Peter hopes to support the Clinical Governance team and WSLHD clinicians to implement quality initiatives in order for WSLHD to be a leader in high quality safe care for patients. Peter was born in South Africa where he did his medical training at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg before moving to the UK to specialise as a General and Respiratory Physician in the South of England.

Director People and Culture, Western Sydney Local Health District

Nicole is a successful and commercially focused HR Leader with over 15 years’ HR Leadership experience within NSW Government Departments and private enterprise. Nicole is both strategic and operational, with a proven ability to design and deploy strategies and frameworks that align people initiatives to deliver business objectives. A dynamic and highly motivated individual who influences and engages people to achieve business objectives, Nicole brings to WSLHD her passion for people and demonstrated skills in leading and developing great teams to provide high quality service delivery across the full employee lifecycle.

Director of WSLHD Supportive and Palliative Care Services

BMed (N'cle) FRACP FRCPA FAChPM

Sally is both a Clinical Haematologist, and a Supportive and Palliative Care Physician, and currently Director of WSLHD Supportive and Palliative Care Services.

Sally has worked in Western Sydney since 1991 when she came from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital to complete her training with post graduate research into Leukaemia. Since 1998 Sally has been working in WSLHD in both Clinical Haematology and Supportive and Palliative Medicine with both clinical and teaching responsibilities.

Sally has had a longstanding interest in Symptom Control and End of Life Care in the setting of complex life limiting illnesses, the Cultural and Ethical frameworks within which we live and in which Medicine is practiced, and in ensuring the equitable delivery of health care services.

Sally works across the LHD with responsibilities at Westmead, Blacktown, Mt Druitt and Auburn Hospitals and is honoured to be an ex office Member of the WSLHD Board in her capacity as current Chair of the WSLHD Medical Staff Executive Council.

Acting Executive Director of Medical Services

B Med Sci, MBBS, FRACP (Paediatric Emergency), Master of Medical Education, Grad Cert Clinical Epidemiology

Dr Rebecca (Bec) Nogajski commenced as the Acting Executive Director of Medical Services in February 2022, having previously acted in the role for an extended period in 2021. Bec joined Western Sydney in April 2020 as the Director of Paediatrics. The role of Clinical Network Director of Paediatrics was added to her scope in April 2021.

Bec brings to the role extensive experience in clinician leadership, engagement, and education. Previous roles include the Director of Paediatric Emergency, Director of Advanced Training and Deputy Director of Medical Administration at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. Bec also developed and lead HETI”s medical leadership program for Doctors in Training as the Clinical Lead.

As Executive Director of Medical Services, Bec’s key focus is on ensuring WSLHD’s medical workforce is supported to delivery excellent care to our patients now and into the future through a strong education framework and engaged leadership.

Director Nursing & Midwifery

Maria Lingam is the Director of Nursing and Midwifery for the Western Sydney Local Health District. She has been in the public health system for 26 years, specialising in Orthopaedic Trauma.

Maria has worked in various health districts, including Western Sydney, South Western Sydney and Nepean Blue Mountains, where she has held a range of senior executive leadership positions, including senior nursing and midwifery positions such as Patient Safety and Quality Manager and Divisional Manager of Women’s and Children’s Services. She has also held the positions of Director, Nursing and Midwifery at Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals, and Associate Director of Clinical Practice and Performance with the Western Sydney Local Health District.

Maria has a passion for quality improvement through clinical best practice and in fostering the professional development and practice of nurses and midwives. As the Director of Nursing and Midwifery, she continuously strives to maintain a positive work culture for nurses and midwives in not only Western Sydney, but throughout the health system as a whole. 

Executive Director Operations

Alison is the Executive Director Operations of Western Sydney Local Health District. Alison is a graduate of the University of New South Wales where she received a Bachelor of Social Work. Alison has completed post graduate studies in public administration and completed her Masters of Business Administration (Health Service Management) from the University of Tasmania.

Alison has extensive experience in leading and managing complex organisations, most recently the General Manager of Campbelltown and Camden Hospitals, where she was responsible for the $700 million capital redevelopment at the Campbelltown campus.