We awarded Lifetime Achievement Awards to eight recipients in 2024. The awards were presented on 28 November at the Leading Reform Summit 2024.
Associate Professor John Allan
In honour of your distinguished service, significant contribution and leadership in the mental health sector in Queensland
Citation: John has recently retired after a 45-year career working in public mental health services. Throughout his career, he has sought to transform services and practice. He is recognised as a national leader in mental health reform in Australia.
Of his many achievements, John is most proud of his partnerships with people with lived experience, the establishment of Equally Well to improve the physical health of people living with mental illness, the promotion of human rights, and his role in securing Better Care Together for the people of Queensland.
Karen Dare
In honour of your distinguished service, significant contribution and leadership in the mental health sector in Queensland.
Citation: Karen has a background in social sciences and over 40 years of dedicated service in the community sector, making her a distinguished leader and advocate for social change. She joined Communify in 1994, where she played an instrumental role in transforming the organisation from a modest into the vibrant, multi-service hub it is today. Guided by a community development ethos, Karen works closely with the Communify team to create programs and services that support individuals to achieve positive outcomes, enhance their quality of life, and build stronger connections within their communities across Brisbane.
Her commitment to social impact extends well beyond Communify. Karen has served on the boards of several prominent community organisations and has contributed her expertise to various representative committees, helping to shape policies and practices that advance the sector. She is deeply passionate about fostering innovative and responsive services in critical areas such as mental health, alcohol and other drugs, family support, homelessness, poverty, social inclusion, and assistance for refugees and asylum seekers.
Karen’s contributions to the community sector have earned her significant recognition, including the Centenary Medal in 2001 and an Australia Day Award. Her work continues to uplift and empower vulnerable populations, driving meaningful change and strengthening the social fabric of her community.
Mitchell Giles
In honour of your distinguished service, significant contribution and leadership in the alcohol and other drugs sector in Queensland.
Citation: Mitchell has spent over three decades in the alcohol and other drug (AOD) sector. As CEO of Lives Lived Well since its founding in 2012 and previously CEO of the Alcohol and Drug Foundation Queensland, Mitchell has focused on evidence-informed programs prioritising family-centred outcomes and measurable success.
Mitchell started his AOD career as a Registered Nurse in the Royal Brisbane Hospital’s detox unit. Other roles include Nurse Manager at Damascus and State Manager for an HIV services program. Mitchell has been keenly interested in driving sector-wide improvements, advocating for accessible, effective care, and improving standards.
Mitchell served on the Board of the Australasian Therapeutic Communities Association (ATCA) and was a founding Board member of the Queensland Network of Alcohol and Other Drug Agencies (QNADA). He was also on the Queensland Mental Health Commission (QMHC) Advisory Council at its establishment.
His commitment to the question, “Will this service help my loved one?” reflects an unwavering focus to meaningful impact for people with lived-living experience.
Gary Haddad
In honour of your distinguished service, significant contribution and leadership in the mental health sector in Queensland.
Citation: With an admirable 27 years of service, Gary has a wealth of experience in the mental health sector. Gary began his career with Open Minds in 1997 as a support worker.
Gary has had a variety of roles including Acting Lifestyle Coordinator, Case Worker, and co-facilitator of adventure-based programs and learning activities. He worked through significant changes across the industry, bearing witness to significant reforms such as the introduction of the Project 300 (P300) Initiative and the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Gary’s passion has been helping people with lived-living experience achieve their goals. Gary is a part-time trainer inducting new support workers, and is relishing the opportunity to pass on his skills and knowledge to future generations of support workers.
In Gary's leisure time, he is also involved in the music scene including performing, recording and live production.
Professor John McGrath
In honour of your distinguished service, significant contribution and leadership in the mental health sector in Queensland.
Citation: John is a psychiatrist interested in discovering the causes of serious mental disorders. He has affiliations with the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, the Queensland Brain Institute (University of Queensland), and the National Centre for Register-based Research (Aarhus University) Denmark. His research aims to generate and evaluate nongenetic risk factors for schizophrenia. He has forged productive cross-disciplinary collaborations linking risk factor epidemiology with developmental neurobiology.
John has supervised major systematic reviews of the incidence, prevalence and mortality of schizophrenia. He has also led register-based studies that detail patterns of comorbidity related to mental disorders. He was awarded a John Cade Fellowship by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, and a Niels Bohr Professorship by the Danish National Research Foundation. Additionally, he has been awarded the Erik Stromgren Medal and the Lieber Prize for Outstanding Schizophrenia Research.
Teegan Modderman
In honour of your distinguished service, significant contribution and leadership in the mental health and suicide prevention sectors in Queensland.
Citation: Teegan is a psychologist passionate about building strategy and capability within organisations to ensure a healthy and safe workplace for all. She has extensive experience gained through working within the public and private sectors to drive system reform and legislative change in the management of psychosocial risk.
Teegan was instrumental in forming the business case for Queensland’s new laws for managing psychosocial hazards at work, and regularly contributes thought leadership to the field. Throughout her career, she has worked with international regulators, government agencies, peak bodies and community organisations to raise awareness and embed systemic change.
Her key focus areas are suicide prevention and enhancing mental health within workplaces. Teegan is driven by a desire to leave a legacy for her three beautiful children to experience healthy workplaces into the future.
Currently, she serves as the Chief Mental Health Officer for Queensland Rail, is an Advisory Board Member for Syncing Minds, and acts as a Psychosocial Risk Consultant for Yes Psychology, BHP and Orica.
Martin Shaw
In honour of your distinguished service, significant contribution and leadership in the mental health and suicide prevention sectors in Queensland.
Citation: Since taking on the presidency of Wounded Heroes Australia in January 2011, Martin Shaw has consistently shown his commitment to the organisation’s mission. Over time, Wounded Heroes has adapted its focus to provide immediate financial assistance to Australian Defence Force Members, veterans and their families facing financial crises, regardless of their service history.
To serve the veteran community, Martin established a 24/7 crisis hotline, ensuring that veterans can access support every day of the year. He also created a sustainability model that includes an Op Shop and café in Bundamba, as well as an Equine Healing Program in Wacol. To increase funding for crisis support, Martin tirelessly raises funds and actively advocates for veterans, collaborating with the Department of Veteran Affairs and other key partners.
He personally manages the crisis hotline, assisting over 100 veterans and their families each week, with issues such as mental health, homelessness, domestic violence, and food security. To date, he has supported more than 28,000 veterans and their families through Wounded Heroes Australia in the prevention of veteran suicide.
Jennifer Black
In honour of your distinguished service, significant contribution and leadership in the mental health and lived experience in Queensland. Please note, Jennifer's award was collected by Farina Murray.
Citation: Jennifer’s 40-year career spans all parts of the mental health service system, including advocacy, policy development and service reform. At the core of her motivation is the genuine desire to create a better system that meets the needs of people, is truly person led and actively helps people live their best lives.
Jennifer is currently the NSW Mental Health Commissioner. She previously served as CEO of the Queensland Alliance for Mental Health, where she championed greater collaboration between government agencies, service providers, and the community to improve mental health services across Queensland.
Jennifer previously held key leadership roles in Victoria, including Deputy Mental Health Complaints Commissioner and Executive Director of Mental Health and Drugs and Alcohol Services for Barwon Health.
Jennifer is particularly interested in how organisation culture influences the care that is delivered, and has spent much of her career challenging the status quo to enable better outcomes for people to live their best lives within their communities.
