Pilbara Health Professionals Network

28/08/2026

What a turnout, Hedland! 🙌

More than 60 Hedland health professionals came together last night for our 7th PHPN Social Sundowner of 2026!

It was fantastic to see so many people taking the opportunity to catch up with familiar faces, meet new colleagues and make connections with other health professionals living and working across Hedland.

That’s exactly what PHPN is all about — bringing our local health workforce together, building stronger professional relationships and creating a more connected health community across the Pilbara. 🧡

A big thank you to The Rural Clinical School of WA for bringing along their junior doctors who are travelling through the region as part of the Pilbara Immersion Program. We loved having you join us and hope this won’t be your last taste of the Pilbara — we’d love to see some of you back here living and working in the future!

PHPN stakeholders:
Rural Health West | WA Country Health Service | WA Primary Health Alliance | St John WA | The Rural Clinical School of WA | Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) | Australian Medical Association (WA) | RACGP | Royal Flying Doctor Service WA | WA Centre for Rural Health

25/08/2026

A few snaps from last night’s Social Sundowner at the Karratha International Hotel!

Thank you to everyone who came along on a midweek evening to socialise, connect with colleagues and meet the junior doctors from The Rural Clinical School of WA, who are visiting the region as part of their Pilbara Immersion Program.

It was wonderful to see so many local health professionals taking the opportunity to connect, catch up and welcome our visiting junior doctors to the Pilbara.

Thanks for a great evening!

PHPN Stakeholders 🙏
Rural Health West | WA Country Health Service | WA Primary Health Alliance | St John WA | Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) | Australian Medical Association (WA) | Royal Flying Doctor Service WA | WA Centre for Rural Health

21/08/2026

We need Pilbara nominations for the following:

🤩Aboriginal Health Professional of the Year
🤩Clinical Leader of the Year
🤩Early Career Health Professional of the Year
🤩General Practitioner (GP) of the Year

Please nominate a colleague now by clicking the link 👇

https://www.waruralhealthexcellenceawards.com.au/

21/08/2026

Application closing this Sunday 23 August 2026!

The HWSP provides scholarships and bursaries to help health professionals in rural and remote Australia retain and enhance their skills, capacity and scope of practice.

Bursary: Payments of up to $10,000 within a 12-month period that covers the cost of course fees and training related expenses such as travel and accommodation where appropriate. Including online or face-to-face: short courses, workshops, conferences and supervision.

Scholarship: Payments up to $10,000 per year can be provided for up to two years, to attain a post graduate qualification of either a postgraduate certificate, postgraduate diploma, Master or PhD.

🔗https://ruralhealthwest.eventsair.com/hwsp/application/Site/Register

19/08/2026

🌟 Do you know a Pilbara health professional or team who goes above and beyond for their community?

Now’s your chance to recognise the incredible work they do!

We need Pilbara nominations across the following categories:

✨Aboriginal Health Professional of the Year
✨Allied Health Professional of the Year
✨Clinical Leader of the Year
✨Early Career Health Professional of the Year
✨General Practitioner (GP) of the Year
✨Health Service Contributor of the Year
✨Health Team of the Year
✨Nurse or Midwife of the Year
✨Specialist (Non-GP) of the Year

Nominations close 2 September 2026

👉 Nominate for the 2027 WA Rural Health Excellence Awards⁠ https://www.waruralhealthexcellenceawards.com.au/

07/08/2026

✨It was fantastic to see local health professionals come together to hear from the TSH multidisciplinary team and learn more about hearing, speech, language and movement skill development in young children.

A big thank you to the Teach, Speak, Hear (TSH) team for sharing their expertise and highlighting the important work they do to support children and families in Onslow.

Thank you to everyone who attended—we hope you left with new knowledge, practical tools, and valuable connections to support your everyday practice.

28/07/2026

🚨 Still time to register! 🚨

Join us tomorrow evening in South Hedland or Thursday evening in Newman for an important education session on Syphilis and Emerging STIs.

We're pleased to welcome Dr Adriane Houghton, a proud Aboriginal woman born and raised in the Pilbara, who works as a GP at Hedland Health Campus and Wirraka Maya Health Service Aboriginal Corporation.

This practical session will cover:
🔹 The current syphilis outbreak in the Pilbara
🔹 Key clinical practice points
🔹 Resources available to support clinicians
🔹 Other emerging STI issues

This education is relevant to all health professionals, with knowledge and skills that are valuable not only in the Pilbara but as syphilis continues to re-emerge globally.

📍 South Hedland: Tomorrow evening - Wed 29 Jul, 5.30-8.00pm
📍 Newman: Thursday evening - Thurs 30 Jul, 5.30-8.00pm

There's still time to register – we'd love to see you there!

02/07/2026

Event Recap | Karlarra House: A Home for Everyone – Applying Person-Centred Care in a Residential Aged Care Facility

Health professionals joined us in South Hedland and online for a fantastic evening of learning as the Karlarra House team shared how they are embedding person-centred care into residential aged care.

The session explored practical strategies for delivering meaningful, culturally safe care that places residents at the heart of every decision, with presenters sharing their experiences, insights, and lessons learned from everyday practice.

A big thank you to Dexter Catambay, Lorraine Armstrong, Matthew Humbert, Mariah Herrick, Larisa Sony, and everyone who attended for making it another successful PHPN education event.

We look forward to seeing you at our next event!

18/06/2026

Congratulations to Wirraka Maya Health Service Aboriginal Corporation on reopening its Registered Training Organisation (RTO).

Expressions of Interest are now open for the Certificate IV Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care Practice.

If you or someone you know is interested in a rewarding career in Aboriginal health, be sure to check out the post below for application details and eligibility information.

📣Wirraka Maya RTO are now taking Expressions of Interest in Cert IV Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Care Practice.

If you're interested, contact our RTO Team for the EOI form.
Phone: (08) 9172 0422
email: [email protected].
Visit us at 17 Hamilton Road, South Hedland WA 6722

RTO code: 52115

23/05/2026

Catching up with some of our amazing local health professionals last night at Celebrate Hedland!

📸 Left to right: Multicultural Health Connect Pilbara, Elevation Health - Pilbara, and WA Country Health Service East Pilbara Renal team.

A big thank you to the Town of Port Hedland and Horizon Power for making the event possible and creating an opportunity for health professionals to connect with the community and showcase the valuable health services available across Hedland.