Outstanding mentor in Pilbara’s Population Health team

Kianna Barker from the WA Country Health Service’s Pilbara Population Health team was awarded the Outstanding Mentor in Health Promotion award at last month’s Australian Health Promotion Association (WA Branch) awards night.

The annual awards acknowledge excellence and leadership in health promotion across the nation and provide an opportunity for health promotion professionals to be recognised by colleagues and peers for their commitment and innovation.

Ms Barker’s award was in recognition of her substantial health promotion knowledge and experience as well as her support and encouragement for the next generation of health promotion practitioners.

For the past seven years Ms Barker has been a Pilbara local and she began her current role of Health Promotion Coordinator more than three years ago, managing a team of ten people who are each focused on different health promotion topics.

“I’m fortunate to have amazing, high quality staff from diverse backgrounds across three sites,” Ms Barker said.

“I believe in creating a positive team culture, offering my staff development opportunities and making sure they feel supported and heard.”

Ms Barker said she was ‘surprised’ to be one of three health promotion experts across WA to receive an award.

“I’m very proud to have won the Outstanding Mentor in Health Promotion award, it’s nice to be recognised but really I can’t speak highly enough of my team – this is a reflection of their work too, along with the supportive mentorship demonstrated by other leaders in my region,” she added.   

During the awards night Ms Barker was said to have inspired and guided her team professionally as a positive role model throughout a broad range of health areas in regional WA as well as celebrated her team’s strengths whilst encouraging and supporting them to overcome challenges.