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NT PHN’s Health Professional of the Year Awards
Territory’s top primary health professionals recognised at NT PHN’s Health Professional of the Year Awards
Northern Territory Primary Health Network (NT PHN) recently celebrated excellence, leadership and innovation in primary healthcare at its 2025 Health Professional of the Year Awards, proudly supported by Charles Darwin University.
Now in its 8th year, the annual event was NT PHN’s biggest celebration yet, with nearly 300 guests from across the Territory coming together to recognise the outstanding contributions of health professionals and teams serving communities in some of Australia’s most unique and geographically dispersed regions.
The evening was full of inspiring stories and heartfelt moments that showcased the dedication and resilience of the NT’s primary healthcare workforce.
NT PHN Chief Executive Officer Paul Connolly said the awards highlight the passion and strength of the Territory’s primary healthcare workforce.
“Our awards celebrate the people on the ground who make the real and lasting impact in the NT. They’re delivering care in remote communities, adapting their practice in busy clinics and finding creative ways to make healthcare work in some of the most challenging yet rewarding places in Australia.
Providing care across such a vast region isn’t easy, but it’s incredibly meaningful. The stories shared through this year’s Health Professional of the Year Awards show how our incredible primary health workforce turn those challenges into opportunities and help Territorians live healthier, more connected lives.”
This year’s Administrator’s Medal for Health Professional of the Year, presented by His Honour, the Honourable Professor Hugh Heggie, the Administrator of the Northern Territory was awarded to Helen Lamech, a Credentialed Diabetes Nurse Educator with Healthy Living NT in Alice Springs. Ms Lamech was recognised for her innovative and culturally grounded approach to diabetes education, co-designing programs with Aboriginal Health Workers and Elders to ensure care is meaningful and effective for individuals and families across Central Australia.
The 2025 Health Professional of the Year Awards were supported by Charles Darwin University, ACRRM, Carpentaria, NT Health, Fox Education, AMSANT, Area9, Nous, HardyGroup, Employee Assistance Services Australia (EASA) and Northpharm.
2025 NT PHN Health Professional of the Year Award Winners
Dr Helen Watson, General Practitioner, Marthakal Homelands Health Service
Annabelle Woods, Speech Language Pathologist, Oodles Therapy
Helen Lamech, Credentialed Diabetes Nurse Educator, Healthy Living NT (and recipient of the Administrator’s Medal for Health Professional of the Year)
Nathaniel Paterson, Indigenous Outreach Worker, Red Lily Health Service
Kamika Pollard, Trainee Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner, Danila Dilba Health Service
Morgan Lane, Aboriginal Sexual Assault Worker, Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Alice Springs
Danila Dilba Health Service Midwives
Ramingining Health Centre
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