Ground-breaking work within the Institute for Innovation and Improvement (i3), a core part of Waitemata District Health Board’s (WDHB) commitment to building and enhancing the next generation of health care professionals, has been recognised with a national award.
Dr Eleri Clissold was named Young Professional of the Year at the Institute of Public Administration New Zealand (IPANZ) Awards in Wellington. The award recognises young health professionals – those under 30 years of age – who have achieved excellence through their work within the public sector.
Dr Clissold, who joined WDHB as a Quality Assurance Fellow in 2015, has designed and implemented an innovative medical education programme for junior doctors using virtual reality that continues to enhance the training experience and deliver better outcomes for patients.
She is also leading the Safety in Practice Programme to support primary health care workers.
Prior to joining the DHB, Dr Clissold volunteered on a Mercy Ship delivering care to some of the poorest people in Africa before immigrating to New Zealand from her native Wales.
This is not the first national award for Dr Clissold; she received an Open for Leadership Award from the Health Quality and Safety Commission in 2017.
“I'm delighted that the award has highlighted some of the great work going on at Waitemata WDHB to a wider audience. I'm privileged to work with fantastic teams across the organisation who have taught me so much in the last two years. I am truly grateful for the support I have received and honoured to receive the award,” says Dr Eleri Clissold.
Waitemata DHB Chief Executive Dr Dale Bramley says the award is an acknowledgment of the excellent work of i3 and the Fellows Programme, which has produced a number of very promising young clinicians.
“This is a significant achievement for Dr Clissold who has quickly established herself as an emerging talent,” says Dr Bramley. “It is also a great example of the importance we place on training and development for our workforce in order to fulfil our promise to patients and their families by delivering the very best standards of care.”
Dr Clissold has won a scholarship valued at $10,000 to attend a leadership course run by the prestigious Mt Eliza Business School in Melbourne