One of Australia's leading experts in cardiovascular disease has been named the 2026 Nursing Trailblazer by the Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Mark Butler MP, at the ACN National Nursing Forum gala dinner in Melbourne tonight.
Deakin Distinguished Professor Andrea Driscoll MACN, the Chair in Nursing at Monash Health and Director of the Centre for Quality and Patient Safety Research, Monash Health Partnership in collaboration with Deakin University, has been recognised for her innovative work developing nurse practitioner models for high-risk heart failure populations.
Professor Driscoll has developed programs to address critical gaps in continuity of care and limited access to specialist services, particularly for people with complex, high risk heart failure in rural and regional areas.
The models have reduced preventable hospital readmissions and emergency department presentations, improved uptake of guideline-directed therapies, and generated significant cost savings. The approach has been replicated across multiple hospitals and has influenced heart failure policy and practice at state and national levels.
The Minister congratulated Professor Driscoll on the award.
"Her efforts show nurses can translate research into health care and drive meaningful change and reform in our health system," said Minister Butler. "Thank you to the Australian College of Nursing for recognising and celebrating the achievements of nurses right through initiatives like these award."
ACN Chief Executive Officer Adjunct Professor Kathryn Zeitz FACN said the quality of the finalists work is exceptional.
"Professor Driscoll's work has transformed heart failure care and influenced clinical guidelines, policy, and practice across Australia," said Adjunct Professor Zeitz. "And the outstanding calibre of each of the finalists' innovations demonstrates the potential of nursing to enhance care — and why we need to support and encourage more of it."
Alongside Professor Driscoll, there were two other highly impressive finalists for the Health Minister's Award this year:
Ms Catherine Baring MACN – Fast Advice and Access for Intravenous Routes with Imaging (FAAIRI) Service and
A nurse-led vascular access service for children with difficult intravenous access in a tertiary paediatric hospital, providing ultrasound-guided cannulation, midline and peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) insertion, and comprehensive vascular access management. Replacing a fragmented escalation process that relied on repeated failed attempts and avoidable anaesthetic intervention, the service has improved first-attempt success rates, reduced complications such as infection and line failure, and streamlined escalation pathways. It has also contributed to policy development, staff education, infection prevention, and expanded access to ultrasound-guided vascular access in hospital and community settings.
Mrs Sigrid Pitkin MACN – Rural Allergy Group Nurse Practitioner-Led Oral Immunotherapy Program
A nurse practitioner-led model delivering oral immunotherapy for food allergies in a regional primary care setting. By shifting a treatment usually confined to metropolitan specialist centres into a community-based, nurse-led environment, the program has expanded access for patients in regional Victoria and interstate, including Queensland and South Australia, who would otherwise have limited or no treatment options. It delivers care at substantially lower cost while maintaining safety and clinical outcomes, offering a scalable model for delivering complex allergy services outside traditional hospital settings.
