Staff

Leo has been a social worker for the past 20 years.He has worked in various clinical settings in the HIV, mental health and drug and alcohol sectors. He has been on the team since its inception 12 years ago.  He has lead teams in both the private and non-government sectors. He has led the team for the past 2 years and is committed to providing leadership that is transformative and innovative. He values the voice of consumers and is committed to including them in the co-production of service provision.

Alice is a Social Worker and joined the team in 2016. She has been working with HIV, Hepatitis & chronic illness for the last 10 years. Alice's strengths and interests lie in social justice, client centred practice, effective care coordination, advocacy and providing psychosocial support for positive people. She values the diversity of the HIV community and enjoys working alongside clients to improve their overall health and wellbeing.

Althea joined the HIV Outreach team in June 2015. She is an Occupational Therapist with a number of years’ experience in the following areas: intellectual disability, mental health services, community development and services in HIV/AIDS. She holds a BSc Occupational Therapy with postgrad experience in disability rights. Althea has co-authored in various Occupational Therapy publications including Occupational Therapy without Borders. She is interested in community and occupation orientated health promotion, self-management approaches and occupational justice. Althea feels privileged working within a multidisciplinary team and with the clients who engage with the service.

Amanda joined the team in 2010 when she moved to Sydney. She is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and worked overseas before coming to Australia. She believes in a client centred approach to health and enjoys the diversity of this role. One of the most rewarding aspects of her work is when she can help someone reach their dietary goals and subsequently see their health improve.

Annabel joined the Outreach Team in 2014 and has enjoyed over 10 years in the local community as a Clinical Nurse Specialist. She works with each individual, discovering & nurturing their own unique strengths, talents, abilities & resilience. Annabel’s aim is to encourage and empower each person to live life to their fullest potential of health & wellbeing. She holds a Masters’ Degree in Mental Health.

Esther is a highly motivated Personal Assistant, with over fifteen year experience in working for Health Services.  Her professional interests focus on administration, project and event managements.  She joined the team in March 2019.  Esther enjoys a challenging work environment. In addition, she is creative and skillful in advanced desktop publishing and graphic design. She also volunteers to assist various community services and has been recognised by the local Council.

Dianne has worked with the HOT team since April 2017 as the Community Engagement Officer. Dianne comes to the team as an openly HIV positive woman who has worked extensively in governance and public speaking with in the HIV NGO sector for seven years. Dianne previously has a background in community work in Domestic Violence, CALD community as well as Mental Health after getting her Social Science degree. Dianne is both a voice and face for women living with HIV in Australia and is passionate about sharing her experience to support the HOT team as well as assist the opportunity for PLWHIV to live authentic, resilient and empowered lives by her example in her own life and encouraging those through her work.

Lis is a credentialed mental health nurse who has worked in the field of mental health and drug and alcohol for over a decade. Lis has extensive experience in education and training at a clinical undergraduate level of mental health nursing. She holds a Masters’ Degree in Mental Health and is trained in psychotherapy (conversational model). Her interests and experience include co-morbidity, trauma informed care, solution-focused therapy and mental health promotion.

Matt has worked as a registered nurse for over 22 years in a broad range of specialty health services. Matt brings a wealth of experience to the team having worked in the HIV and infectious diseases fields for the past 13 years and other areas such as alcohol and other drugs, occupational health, critical care, and general medical/surgical care. Matt is interested in promoting an early intervention approach for clients of our service and working with key stakeholders such as general practitioners.

Mike has worked with the HIV Outreach Team since November 2007. Mike has experience in mental health nursing which has included inpatient, forensic, community, homeless, emergency department, consultation liaison, GP/primary health care liaison and drug and alcohol. Mike has a Master of Public Health and a Master of Mental Health Nursing.

Bridget is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian and joined the team in early 2019.
She has previously lived and worked in rural NSW and Qld in both hospital and community settings. Bridget enjoys working closely with her clients to set realistic and achievable lifestyle change.

Joanna is a Social Worker, a new member of the HIV Outreach Team. Joanna graduated from University of New South Wales in 2002. She joins the teams with extensive experience working in mental health with SESLHD.

Joanna has also worked in Child and Family Health as well as health project management. Joanna values working from a client centred approach to empower clients with their health and support options. Joanna is excited to join the team and ready to bring her experience to the HIV Sector.