NEONATAL specialist, Associate Professor Zsuzsoka Kecskes, has been announced as the 2014 ACT Australian of the Year at a ceremony tonight at the National Arboretum.

Dr Zecskes, a mother of two, is a clinical director of the neonatal department at The Canberra Hospital and associate professor with the ANU’s School of Medicine.

She has pioneered the development of the international award-winning Neonatal Intensive Care Unit CAM project – a web-based service which enables parents and families to watch their babies when they are unable to be at hospital.

Dr Zecskes also helped develop a world-class neonatal intensive care unit at Canberra’s new Centenary Hospital for Women and Children, where she consulted and collaborated with families who had experienced neonatal care at the hospital to develop a family-friendly, baby-focused facility.  She was born in Hamburg, Germany, and moved to Australia in 1994.

Chief Minister Katy Gallagher, who presented at the ceremony, said the finalists for the 2014 awards stood out among many fine nominees in the ACT.

“Across different fields and from all parts of our community, they have shown great resilience, leadership, hard work and dedication, to set them apart and set a standard for others to aspire to,” Ms Gallagher said.

“They are people who have put their community and their country before themselves. Today’s winners will go on to represent the ACT at the national awards, presented in our very city on Australia Day Eve, and be a key part of the Australia Day 2014 program.”

 

 The award winners are:

ACT Australian of the Year: Associate Professor Zsuzsoka Kecskes – neonatal specialist

ACT Senior Australian of the Year Award: Lieut-Col Graham Francis Walker – veterans’ campaigner

ACT Young Australian of the Year Award: Mr Huy Nguyen – disability advocate

ACT Local Hero Award: Ms Patricia Mowbray – disability champion