Our net zero leads act as change agents for the system and lead a network of like-minded peers working in partnership to develop and implement scalable low-carbon models of care for their respective clinical areas.
Tina is a speech pathologist at Hunter New England (HNE) Local Health District, having worked at John Hunter Hospital for almost 25 years with a predominantly clinical focus. Since 2020, she has been an allied health sustainability champion with HNE. Her interest in environmental sustainability has been life-long on the home front, encompassing energy efficient housing, active transport, minimising food miles and packaging, and reduce-reuse-recycling. In the workplace, she is interested in learning about and implementing evidence-based approaches to health service sustainability.
"In my experience clinicians are busy and don't always want to be given extra things to consider, but are highly motivated and engaged when it comes to providing the best patient care. It is my hope that once we as clinicians understand the negative impact of climate change on our patients' health, then with the right organisational support, we can learn to integrate sustainability evaluation and practices into service planning and everyday clinical care." - Net Zero Allied Health Lead Tina Wilkie.
Rebecca Cregan is a anaesthetist at South Eastern Sydney Local Health District and South Western Sydney Local Health District. Rebecca delivers a mixed practice including obstetrics and paediatrics and is passionate about making environmentally sustainable clinical practice easy and accessible.
Anthony Hull is a anaesthetist at South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, South Western Sydney Local Health District and Sydney Local Health District. Anthony has a longstanding interest in the sources of carbon pollution in healthcare and anaesthesia, their effects on global warming, and ways to reduce our impacts. Anthony has significantly reduced his own carbon footprint by changing the way he practices anaesthesia, and promotes the rapid reduction of our anaesthesia and healthcare related greenhouse gas emissions in line with the declarations of a climate emergency by key professional medical bodies.
Brian is the Net Zero Clinical Lead for the Mid North Coast Local Health District and a member of the district Environmental Sustainability Committee. Brian is an emergency physician and former GP in the Coffs Clinical Network and a father of two young children. He became a member of Doctors for the Environment Australia after being asked to prepare to evacuate his hospital from surrounding bushfires to a playing field, caring for patients from the Lismore floods, and experiencing a devastating local supercell hailstorm leading to roofs collapsing and widespread destruction.
Brian is working with statewide and national stakeholders to form an ED Network to address the Climate Emergency. He co-founded and lead the Emergency Medicine Ultrasound Groups Network across Australia and New Zealand from its formation in 2015. He is a strong advocate of staff engagement and accelerating low carbon thinking and integration into practice.
"Transforming healthcare from being part of the climate problem to leading our communities toward solutions." - Net Zero ED Lead Brian O'Connell.
Deepak Bhonagiri is a Senior intensivist and Stream Director for Critical Care in South Western Sydney Local Health District. He is current Chair of the Australia New Zealand Intensive Care Society Safety and Quality Committee and a member of the Environmental Sustainability Special Interest Group at the College of Intensive Care Medicine of Australia and New Zealand. Deepak is a clinical Professor at Macquarie University and conjoint Assoc Professor at UNSW and WSU and has a keen and active interest in providing leadership in environmental sustainability research and implementation across ICUs in NSW.
Nicholas Marks is a diagnostic radiographer at Hunter New England Local Health District's Calvary Mater and is the Section Manager of the CT service. He has worked at a variety of sites across the HNELHD. His focus is on efficient and smart clinical practice that minimises environmental impacts whilst fostering excellent patient focused care.
Alexandra (Lexi) is a registered nurse at the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network working in the PICU. Alexandra is passionate about sustainability and waste minimisation.
"As a clinician on the floor of a busy ICU I know first-hand the challenges of maintaining a standard of practice whilst also trying to reduce carbon footprint. I'm always enthusiastic to engage with all members of staff on matters of sustainability, please don't hesitate to get in contact as we work towards reaching net zero." - Net Zero Nursing Lead Lexi Seville.
Rohan is a Clinical Nurse Educator and Clinical Nurse Specialist at Western NSW Local Health District's Orange Health Service. Rohan is passionate about engaging with operating theatre colleagues to pursue more environmentally friendly practices and improving environmental awareness to drive change.
"The time is now for nurses and the entire health care team to be challenging and re-thinking current practices to minimise our environmental impacts." - Net Zero Nursing Lead Rohan Hutchins.
Derek Kay is a pharmacist at Western NSW Local Health Districts' Bathurst Hospital. Derek holds a senior leadership appointment as Director of Pharmacy. Derek is passionate about delivering the best care outcomes that are efficient and sustainable.
Stanley is a senior surgeon based at John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, specialising in hepatopancreatobiliary and upper GI surgery, and Conjoint Senior Lecturer with the University of Newcastle. He has always been acutely aware of environmental sustainability issues, but has become more of an advocate and activist since the cataclysmic climate events of the past few years. He is a member of Doctors for the Environment Australia, a member of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Environmental Sustainability in Surgical Practice Working Party, a new member of the Sustainability Executive of Hunter New England LHD, and a HNELHD Sustainability Champion.
"We often forget one of our core principles: 'First do no harm'." - Net Zero Surgery Lead Stanley Chen.