Pilbara's Chantelle wins Prestigious National Recognition for Academic Excellence

WA Country Health Service Pilbara Director Strategy, Change and Service Development Chantelle Pears is no stranger to accolades.

In just a few short years, Chantelle has taken home a WA Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Award, a Rural Health Excellence Award and can now add the highly regarded Australian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM) Anthony Suleau Prize to her trophy cabinet.

The prize honours the student with the highest-grade point average in a postgraduate course and is one of the most competitive ACHSM student awards.

Chantelle – who recently completed her Graduate Diploma in Health Leadership and Management as part of the WACHS LEAD (Leadership, Exploration and Development) Program – said the award came as a surprise.

“I feel incredibly honoured and I hope it also reflects the calibre and impact of WACHS’ investment in leadership development across country health.

“It’s been a valuable opportunity to strengthen my leadership practice, broaden my thinking, and bring together theoretical learnings with my practical leadership experience to improve country health services, systems, and outcomes.”

WA Country Health Service Manager Learning and Development Matt Connell said Chantelle’s achievement highlighted not only her academic prowess, but also her commitment to professional development.

“This is a notable achievement.," Matt said.

While several students achieved the top GPA in the Masters-level category this year, Chantelle Pears stood out as the sole recipient in the Graduate Diploma category across all universities accredited by ACHSM.

“It also underscores the high calibre of students emerging from the WACHS LEAD Program and reinforces the importance of strong leadership capability in the future of WACHS.”

For Chantelle, the opportunity to develop leadership skills would have a direct impact on her work to support communities in the Pilbara region.

“I am dearly passionate about the work I do in the Pilbara, and I hope this recognition helps inspire others to pursue opportunities for learning, growth and leadership development,” Chantelle said.

“Even when it’s not always easy to juggle the many personal and professional demands that come with it.”

Chantelle went on to express her gratitude to those who had helped her complete her studies with such an outstanding result.

“I’m incredibly grateful to my LEAD cohort peers, our WACHS Executive, ACHSM, UNSW, and my mentors Leticia Whelan and Karen Bradley for their support, encouragement and guidance throughout the program.”

“For me, the program has reinforced the importance of leading with both purpose and curiosity - asking better questions, building trusted relationships, and staying focussed on improving health outcomes and experiences for the communities we serve.”