Professor Emerita Mary Chiarella AM Awarded the ACHS Medal 2025
We are pleased to announce that Professor Mary Chiarella AM has been awarded the prestigious ACHS Medal 2025, recognising her exceptional contributions to nursing safety and quality.
With a distinguished career spanning over 40 years, Professor Mary Chiarella’s influence has shaped nursing practice, policy, and education across Australia and internationally.
Professor Chiarella has been a driving force in healthcare safety and quality, serving on the NSW Quality Council, the Board of the Institute for Clinical Excellence, and as Chair of the Clinical Council of the Clinical Excellence Commission. She was instrumental in establishing the world’s first professional doctorate in midwifery at UTS as well as the first Master’s subject in Safety and Quality in Healthcare at the University of Sydney. She was appointed Chair of the NSLHD Health Care Quality Committee and a member of the MQ Health Audit and Risk Committee.
Watch Professor Chiarella’s acceptance speech here:
Professor Chiarella’s work extends beyond the health system, to the justice system. As UTS Foundation Professor of Nursing at Corrections Health, she was instrumental in developing key competency requirements and official recognition for Justice Health Nurse Practitioners.
As Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, NSW Health, she provided leadership and strategic direction for 45,000 nurses and midwives working in the public system and was instrumental in achieving a significant increase in the number of Nurse Practitioners in NSW.
Internationally, Professor Chiarella has contributed to the World Health Organization’s Nursing and Midwifery Directorate to develop a compendium of nurse-led Primary Health Care models. She has also been a Visiting Scholar to International Council of Nurses (ICN) and was part of the team that led a review of the definition of nurse and nursing for the international body, that was approved this year by ICN.
She has published 97 peer-reviewed journal articles and reports and over 100 blogs, editorials and newspaper articles, and is co-author of Law for Nurses and Midwives. Her research and advisory work have influenced legislation and professional standards from Australia to New Zealand, Tonga, and beyond.
Recognised with a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2019 for her contributions to nursing, Professor Chiarella’s legacy continues to inspire. In 2024, Northern Sydney LHD honoured her impact through the creation of the Mary Chiarella Medal for Clinical Nursing and Midwifery Research.
Professor Len Notaras AO presented Professor Chiarella with the ACHS Medal at the Annual Awards Ceremony 2025, where he remarked, “Mary has dedicated her career to inspiring excellence in nursing and healthcare systems. Congratulations on being a truly deserving winner of the ACHS Medal 2025!”
