2026 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients
At the 2026 Leading Reform Summit, we presented Lifetime Achievement Awards to 10 recipients.
Dr Peggy Brown AO
Psychiatrist and nationally recognised mental health leader.
Dr Peggy Brown AO has held some of Australia's most senior mental health leadership roles, including Chief Executive Officer of the National Mental Health Commission, Director-General of ACT Health and Chief Psychiatrist in Queensland, the ACT and the Northern Territory. She continues to lead mental health reform through roles including Chair of Mental Health Australia.
Professor Marilyn Campbell
Researcher, educator and advocate for child and adolescent mental health.
Over a career spanning more than 50 years, Professor Marilyn Campbell has helped shape the way schools and communities support young people's mental health. Her research on anxiety prevention, bullying and cyberbullying has influenced policy, practice and education across Australia and internationally.
Sandra Eyre
Leader in mental health and alcohol and other drugs policy and reform.
Sandra Eyre has played a leading role in major Queensland reforms, including Connecting Care to Recovery and Better Care Together. Her work has strengthened services, workforce development and community-based care across the state.
Fiona Harrington
Peer advocate and community leader championing lived-living experience in alcohol and other drugs reform.
Fiona Harrington has dedicated more than 35 years to supporting people affected by alcohol and other drug use. Through peer support, governance and advocacy roles with organisations including QuIVAA, she has worked to reduce stigma, amplify lived-living experience voices and strengthen community participation in reform.
Dr Jeremy Hayllar
Addiction medicine specialist and leader in alcohol and other drugs reform.
Dr Jeremy Hayllar has combined clinical leadership, public health expertise and advocacy throughout a career spanning decades. As former Clinical Director of Metro North's Alcohol and Drug Service, he helped drive evidence-based reform, service innovation and more compassionate approaches to care across Queensland.
Amanda Hendren
Advocate and reform leader improving outcomes for people with disability, mental ill-health and complex needs.
Amanda Hendren has spent more than 30 years advancing reform across Queensland's mental health, disability and justice sectors. Her leadership has strengthened integrated care, workforce capability and person-centred services for vulnerable people and communities.
Tanja Hirvonen
Aboriginal psychologist advancing culturally informed healing, suicide prevention and systems reform.
Tanja Hirvonen is a proud Jaru and Bunuba woman whose work has strengthened trauma recovery, grief support and culturally responsive care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Through leadership roles across community, research and government settings, she continues to champion community-led healing and reform.
Larry Stapleton OAM
Mental health leader whose service helped transform community support across Queensland.
Larry Stapleton OAM dedicated 33 years to Richmond Fellowship Queensland, helping grow the organisation into a statewide provider supporting thousands of people. His leadership has shaped innovative programs, strengthened recovery-oriented services and improved opportunities for people experiencing mental health challenges.
Dr Stephen Stathis
Child and adolescent psychiatrist who transformed mental health services for young Queenslanders.
Dr Stephen Stathis has played a leading role in developing many of Queensland's most significant child and youth mental health services. His work has improved access to specialist care and strengthened support for young people and families across the state.
Karyn Walsh AM
Housing and homelessness advocate advancing social justice and community wellbeing.
Karyn Walsh AM has spent more than four decades supporting people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. Her leadership and advocacy have shaped services, influenced policy and promoted housing as a foundation for health, wellbeing and dignity.
2026 Emerging Leader Award recipient
We also recognised one recipient with an Emerging Leader Award.
Dr Timothy Piatkowski
Peer researcher driving innovation in harm reduction and drug policy reform.
Dr Timothy Piatkowski is an emerging leader in peer-led research and harm reduction. Through initiatives including ROIDCheck and Steroid QNECT, he has advanced evidence-informed approaches to drug policy, strengthened community engagement and helped shape national conversations on harm reduction and stigma.
Previous Lifetime Achievement Award recipients
Explore previous Lifetime Achievement Award recipients. Their leadership has helped shape mental health, wellbeing, alcohol and other drugs reform, and suicide prevention in Queensland.
2024 recipients
Associate Professor John Allan
National mental health reform leader and advocate for human rights and lived experience partnerships.
Associate Professor John Allan dedicated 45 years to public mental health services and has held senior leadership roles including Queensland Chief Psychiatrist, New South Wales Chief Psychiatrist and Executive Director of Queensland Health's Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drugs Branch. His leadership has driven major reforms in policy, clinical standards and mental health system improvement across Australia.
Jennifer Black
Mental health commissioner and reform leader focused on person-led systems and services.
Jennifer Black has spent more than 40 years shaping mental health services through advocacy, policy development and system reform. As NSW Mental Health Commissioner and former CEO of the Queensland Alliance for Mental Health, she has championed collaboration, innovation and person-led approaches to care.
Karen Dare
Community sector leader improving wellbeing, inclusion and support for vulnerable Queenslanders.
Karen Dare has dedicated more than 40 years to strengthening community services across Queensland. Through her leadership of Communify and her contributions to sector boards and committees, she has advanced programs supporting mental health, homelessness, social inclusion and community wellbeing.
Mitchell Giles
Alcohol and other drugs leader advancing evidence-based and family-centred care.
Mitchell Giles has spent more than 30 years improving alcohol and other drugs services in Queensland. As Chief Executive of Lives Lived Well and a founding leader of sector organisations, he has championed accessible, evidence-informed care and continuous sector improvement.
Gary Haddad
Mental health support worker dedicated to recovery and community participation.
Gary Haddad has supported people with lived-living experience through more than 27 years of service with Open Minds. Through frontline support, mentoring and workforce development, he has helped people achieve their goals and contributed to major reforms in community mental health care.
Professor John McGrath
Internationally recognised researcher investigating the causes of serious mental illness.
Professor John McGrath has made major contributions to understanding schizophrenia and other mental disorders through internationally recognised research. His work has advanced knowledge of risk factors, epidemiology and mental health outcomes, influencing research and policy worldwide.
Teegan Modderman
Workplace mental health leader driving psychosocial safety reform.
Teegan Modderman has played a leading role in advancing workplace mental health and psychosocial risk management. Through policy reform, advocacy and organisational leadership, she has helped shape safer and healthier workplaces across Queensland and Australia.
Martin Shaw
Veteran advocate and founder of life-changing support services for former Defence personnel.
Since 2011, Martin Shaw has led Wounded Heroes Australia in providing practical support to veterans and their families experiencing crisis. His leadership has expanded services, increased community support and helped prevent veteran suicide across Queensland and beyond.
2023 recipients
Stephen Kelly
Peer leader and advocate advancing lived experience voices in alcohol and other drugs reform.
Stephen Kelly has spent more than 20 years championing the rights and perspectives of people with lived and living experience of alcohol and other drug use. A founding member of QuIVAA and long-time leader within QuIHN, he has helped drive peer workforce development and sector reform in Queensland.
Dr Jacinta Powell
Psychiatrist and healthcare leader improving specialist mental health services.
Dr Jacinta Powell has dedicated more than 30 years to improving mental health care through clinical leadership and service development. She established and expanded Queensland's specialist eating disorders services and continues to drive system-wide improvements in person-centred care.
Gabrielle Vilic
Lived experience leader advancing peer workforce development and consumer participation.
Gabrielle Vilic has been a driving force in the lived experience movement for more than 30 years. Through leadership roles across government and community sectors, she has championed consumer rights, strengthened peer workforce development and helped shape mental health reform in Queensland.
Norm Wotherspoon
Veteran, consumer and carer advocate advancing lived experience in mental health reform.
Norm Wotherspoon has contributed to the mental health sector since the 1970s through volunteer leadership, advocacy and community education. He has worked tirelessly to elevate the voices of veterans, consumers and carers and strengthen lived experience participation in policy and service improvement.
2022 recipients
Kingsley Bedwell
Mental health sector leader advancing community services, reform and lived experience inclusion.
Kingsley Bedwell has contributed across public mental health, community services, policy reform and research. As Chief Executive of Richmond Fellowship Queensland and co-founder of the Queensland Alliance for Mental Health, he has helped strengthen community-based mental health services and championed the role of lived experience in service design and delivery.
Professor Robert Bland AM
Social work educator and researcher advancing mental health practice and policy.
Professor Robert Bland AM has contributed to mental health social work as a practitioner, educator and researcher for more than five decades. Through his teaching, research, leadership roles and service on numerous national committees and boards, he has helped strengthen mental health practice, professional standards and social inclusion.
John Brady
Suicide prevention advocate and co-founder of the Mates in Construction program.
John Brady helped develop the award-winning Mates in Construction program, which has played a significant role in reducing suicide in the construction industry. Through leadership, community engagement and education, he has championed the belief that suicide prevention is everyone's business.
Michael Burge AM
Peer advocate advancing consumer and carer leadership in mental health reform.
Michael Burge AM has spent decades championing the rights and perspectives of people with lived experience and their families. A former Chair of the National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum, he has influenced mental health policy and peer workforce development in Australia and internationally.
Professor David Crompton OAM
Psychiatrist and researcher advancing community mental health and trauma-informed care.
Professor David Crompton OAM has led mental health services across Queensland and New South Wales while contributing to research in disaster recovery, mental health reform and substance use treatment. His work has strengthened community-based mental health care and recovery-oriented practice.
Professor Brett Emmerson AM
Psychiatrist and system leader shaping Queensland's mental health services and workforce.
Professor Brett Emmerson AM has led some of Queensland's largest public mental health services and played a significant role in workforce planning and service reform. His work has strengthened mental health policy, service delivery and clinical leadership across Australia.
Helen Glover
International leader in recovery-oriented mental health practice and service transformation.
Helen Glover has spent more than 35 years advancing recovery-oriented approaches in mental health services. Drawing on lived experience and professional expertise, she has developed influential programs, resources and training that have shaped practice nationally and internationally.
Dr Elisabeth Hoehn
Child psychiatrist advancing perinatal and infant mental health in Queensland.
Dr Elisabeth Hoehn has dedicated more than 30 years to improving child and youth mental health services. As Medical Director of the Queensland Centre for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health, she has led the development of statewide services and championed family-focused and community-based care.
Emeritus Professor David Kavanagh
Psychologist and researcher pioneering digital mental health innovation.
Emeritus Professor David Kavanagh has contributed to mental health research, policy and practice through a career spanning community health, academia and service improvement. His work in digital mental health has helped expand access to evidence-based support across Australia.
William Rutkin OAM
Community health advocate advancing HIV, alcohol and other drugs, and LGBTQIA+ reform.
William Rutkin OAM has spent decades championing public health, harm reduction and social justice. A founding leader of several key Queensland organisations, he has helped strengthen HIV prevention, needle and syringe programs, and lived experience advocacy across the state.
Raylee Taylor OAM
Suicide prevention pioneer supporting individuals, families and communities for more than 30 years.
Following the loss of her son to suicide, Raylee Taylor OAM dedicated her life to suicide prevention and postvention support. Her advocacy, education and community leadership have influenced suicide prevention initiatives at local, state, national and international levels.
Professor Harvey Whiteford
Mental health researcher and policy leader influencing reform in Australia and internationally.
Professor Harvey Whiteford has dedicated his career to improving mental health policy, service planning and population wellbeing. Through leadership roles in government, research and national reform bodies, he has helped shape mental health systems in Australia and around the world.
Dr Dennis Young AM
Alcohol and other drugs sector leader advancing treatment, advocacy and workforce development.
Dr Dennis Young AM has spent more than three decades strengthening Queensland's alcohol and other drugs sector. As a long-serving leader of Drug ARM and an advocate for sector development, he has helped expand services, improve governance and promote evidence-based approaches to care.
2021 recipient
Ailsa Whitehead AM
Carer advocate and pioneer of mental health support for families and carers.
Ailsa Whitehead AM devoted more than 40 years to supporting mental health carers in Queensland. Through her leadership of Arafmi and her role in establishing the Arafmi Telephone Support Line, she helped create lasting services and stronger support for families and carers.