2026 San Spirit Awards
Sydney Adventist Hospital has celebrated the outstanding contributions of its people at the 2026 San Spirit Awards, recognising the compassion, dedication and excellence demonstrated across Adventist HealthCare.
The awards recognise the people who bring the hospital's values to life through the care they provide, the way they support colleagues and their commitment to making a difference for patients and the wider community.
The evening celebrated achievements across clinical care, medical excellence, quality improvement, leadership and support services, recognising the important contribution of both frontline teams and those working behind the scenes.
2026 San Spirit Award recipients
- Care Excellence – Nursing & Midwifery: Heike Schuster, Melissa Ward, Talya Lewin and David Scott.
- Care Excellence – Allied Health, Pharmacy & Radiology: Pauline Russett and Tung (Tony) Vuong.
- Service Excellence: Elizabeth Thornthwaite and John Borg.
- People Leadership Excellence: Suzanne Flannery and Steve Ralphs.
- Mission Ambassador Award: John Resultay and Susan Van Vliet.
- Doctor in Training: Dr Isabel Hedberg
- Academic Award: Dr Aviv Pudipeddi
- Community Service Award: Dr Michael Wines
- San Doctor of the Year: Dr Ali Gursel and Associate Professor Stephen Pillinger (joint recipients)
The 2026 Quality Awards recognised innovative projects improving patient care, clinical processes and hospital services, with awards presented to the Perfusion Training Package and Renal Dialysis Unit. The Overall Excellence Award was shared between our Neuro, Emergency, Radiology and Ward Teams for the 'Time is Brain' project, which has led to the San being internationally recognised for our Stroke service. San Day Surgery Hornsby also recieved the award for Infection Prevention and Control Excellence.
The evening also recognised the significant and lasting contributions of three distinguished doctors, with Dr Ian Hargreaves, Dr Sven Whitehouse and Professor Raymond Sacks honoured with Emeritus Consultant appointments.
The celebration also acknowledged the important work of the San Foundation in supporting advancements in patient care through philanthropy and research.
Congratulations to all our award recipients and nominees, and thank you to everyone across Adventist HealthCare who brings the San Spirit to life every day.
