This award recognises a health professional whose leadership has driven improvements in patient care, access or safety in rural WA. They inspire excellence, foster collaboration and serve as a role model in rural healthcare.
Cristina Taucean – Finalist
Cristina Taucean is a dynamic nurse leader who provides outpatient and community care in the South West. Her holistic, forward-thinking approach reduces hospital admissions, strengthens primary care connections, and keeps patients close to home.
Since becoming Nurse Manager Ambulatory Care in 2021, she has expanded services from a small wound clinic to a comprehensive network including Hospital-in-the-Home, Home Link Nursing, infusion and transit lounges, and rapid access surgical and medical clinics.
Under Cristina’s leadership, staff numbers have more than doubled, and patient access to timely, home-based care has dramatically improved. Her leadership in patient safety has led to major improvements to emergency response systems, and the development of a delirium pathway linking hospital and community care. Cristina is a compassionate innovator whose vision for accessible, safe, and patient-centred care continues to enhance the health and well-being of the Bunbury community.
Samantha Barba – Finalist
Samantha Barba is recognised for strengthening maternal and environmental health outcomes in the Pilbara, drawing on more than 21 years of nursing experience. With a paediatric background and strong community partnerships, she identified opportunities to better support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers and babies through practical, culturally grounded, co-designed approaches that build local ownership.
She co-developed and led the rollout of the Maternal Environmental Health Referral Pilot and delivered regionwide education that increased clinician confidence and referral rates. As voluntary Chair of the Pilbara Aboriginal Health Environmental Health Subcommittee, she used de-identified data to guide collaborative initiatives and respond to local priorities.
Her leadership has fostered stronger connections between environmental and maternal health, supporting healthier homes and more sustainable, community-led outcomes for First Nations families across the Pilbara.
Kim Tracey – Winner
Kim Tracey is an exceptional clinical leader whose 35-year nursing career has transformed renal care across rural WA. A nephrology specialist and diabetes educator, she is committed to bringing high-quality kidney care closer to home. Her leadership has enabled patients to return to their communities within weeks of transplant, rather than remaining in Perth for months.
Kim established multidisciplinary renal clinics in Bunbury and Busselton, integrating nephrologists, dietitians and social workers, and introduced vascular surgery outreach and enhanced ultrasound services to improve access and safety. Her compassionate approach includes chronic kidney disease prevention, culturally safe partnerships with Aboriginal Medical Services, and group education that empower families. She mentors renal nurses, drives data-informed quality improvement and strengthens regional capability, building a sustainable service for rural West Australians.
Clinical Leader of the Year is sponsored by the Australian Medical Association of WA.