Tami Photinos

Executive Director

Led by Tami Photinos, The Prince Charles Hospital (TPCH) is committed to delivering high-quality, patient-focused services to patients and communities across Queensland, northern New South Wales and in the surrounding pacific region.

With a long standing reputation of excellence in clinical care, research and innovation, TPCH continues to evolve its services to ensure it can continue to provide world class care to its growing community. A priority for the hospital is develop new models of care which focus on getting the patient the right care in the right place at the right time. Equally, TPCH places an important focus on health equity, and Tami is committed to actively working with the hospital’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander team, Elders and the community to improve the health outcomes of First Nations people.

With over 3,000 staff, TPCH is committed to the Values in Action vision. Tami Photinos, alongside the entire Executive Leadership team, actively model and encourage the values of respect, teamwork, compassion, high performance and integrity to all staff.

Dr Donna O’Sullivan

Director Medical Services

Led by Dr Donna O’Sullivan, Medical Services provide specialist professional medical administration leadership, support, co-ordination and direction across the hospital. Particular focused responsibilities include oversight of clinical governance of all medical/clinical services and operational governance of junior medical officers, the Medical Workforce and Medical Education teams, Safety and Quality (clinical governance) teams, Research support, Pharmacy Service, Clinical Pharmacology Service and Clinical Health Information Services.

Key outputs include the delivery of high level leadership and management advice across priority action areas including managing the complex industrial and professional relationships of the hospital with doctors and coordination of professional medical aspects, all clinical governance aspects of strategic initiatives within the hospital as well as linkages across MNH and any issues related to research governance.

Cherie Franks

Director of Nursing Services

Led by Cherie Franks, Nursing Services has a strong interest in developing the nursing profession to work at full scope, while implementing strategies to foster innovation and best practice to achieve excellent healthcare for the patients and community.

TPCH employs around 2,000 nursing staff across a range of departments, each delivering high quality, patient-centred care.

A dedicated Nursing Education and Workforce and Innovation Unit helps support the professional development and professional standards for nursing, meet workforce demands, and foster innovative nursing research.

Perry Judd

Director, Allied Health Services

Led by Perry Judd, Allied Health professions encompass nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, podiatry, psychology, social work, speech pathology and many other health professionals.

The dedicated and multi-skilled teams provide clinical, educational and research services across TPCH.  A priority for the service is the development and implementation of innovative and value based models of care, with a focus on quality and collaborative research to improve patient outcomes and wellbeing.

Bretine Curtis

Director Corporate Services

The Director Corporate Services provides strategic and operational leadership of the Corporate Services portfolio across TPCH. This includes governance, accountability and performance management of Administration Services, Outpatient Services, Corporate Education and venue management, telecommunications, maintenance and management of buildings and accommodation as well as Patient Support Services including food services, cleaning, portage, and security.  Corporate Services are an essential to ensure the non-clinical teams are connected and engaged with clinical teams to support a safe and quality service.

Karen Leighton

Director of Operations, Heart and Lung

Led by Karen Leighton, the Heart and Lung Program encompasses Cardiology and Thoracic services at TPCH which is the major tertiary level cardiothoracic referral hospital for Queensland, the largest such unit in Australia and one of the largest services of its type in Australia.

The Cardiology Program, recognised as a national and international centre of excellence provides a range of services including;

Adult Congenital Heart Disease, Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Services, Angioplasty Service, Cardiac Imaging, Cardiac Investigations unit, Cardiac Sciences Unit, Cardiology Clinical Research, Chest Pain Assessment Service, Coronary Care Unit, Echocardiography, Interventional Cardiology and Percutaneous valve program.

The Thoracic Service comprises a team of experienced and highly skilled specialists with expertise in a broad range of lung conditions, who achieve outcomes in line with world standards. Specialist services include:

Core Thoracic, Adult Cystic Fibrosis Centre, Pulmonary Malignancy (lung cancer), Queensland Lung Transplant Service and Sleep Disorders Centre

Karlene Willcocks

Director of Operations, EPIC

Led by Karlene Willcocks, EPIC provides comprehensive clinical services across Emergency (adults, and paediatrics), Paediatrics (inpatient and outpatients), Internal Medicine Services (General Medicine, Specialty Medicine Services, Rehabilitation and Geriatrics) and Clinical Support which encompasses Medical Imaging and Patient Flow and access.

The service hosts both Adult and Paediatric Emergency Departments which have grown significantly over the past five years, seeing nearly 113,000 patients in 2022 – 77,000 were adults and 36,000 were paediatric.

Paediatric services support the busy paediatric ED with general outpatients and inpatients, with current planning towards a significant expansion supported by the Department of Health which will see the expansion of inpatient and outpatient capacity.

The internal medicine services provide both inpatient and outpatient services across the specialties of general medicine, geriatrics, dementia care, rehabilitation, stroke, neurology, endocrinology and rheumatology.

TPCH Medical Imaging department provides a full range of services including MRI, CT, Ultrasound, fluoroscopy, Interventional Radiology and Nuclear Medicine.  The Richard Slaughter Cardiac Imaging Centre and the specialist Radiologists and Radiographers perform leading Cardiac Imaging services such as CT Coronary Angiography and Cardiac MRI for local and regional patients with congenital and acquired heart disease.

The Patient Flow and Access team manage and oversee the hospital and patient flow, supporting safe transition and care, and efficient discharge coordination.

Melanie Dubbelde

Director of Operations, Surgical and Critical Care Program

Led by Melanie Dubbelde, the Surgical and Critical Care Program encompasses Cardiothoracic surgery including heart and lung transplantation, General Surgery including breast, vascular and urology surgery, Orthopaedic surgery and Gastroenterology surgical specialities, Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, and adult intensive care services. It provides inpatient and outpatient care to patients throughout Queensland and from around the country and surrounding regions.

Performing close to 10,000 theatre cases each year, the program offers one of the State’s largest joint replacement services, orthopaedic robotic surgery, and Queensland’s leading Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Service.

It also proudly features the world’s first ICU of the Future model to deliver a more patient-centred and recovery focused experience for improved health outcomes which is a major partnership project between Critical Care Research Group (CCRG) and the Common Good Foundation.

Surgical and Critical Care has a strong commitment to research and education as well as multidisciplinary care of patients to optimise surgical outcomes.

Kirsty Leo

Assistant Nursing Director, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Services

Led by proud First Nation and South Sea Islander woman Kirsty Leo, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health team at TPCH provides a range of services aimed at improving the health outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, by ensuring they are the recipients of a culturally safe and appropriate health care journey.  The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health service consists of a First Nation Hospital Liaison Team; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Nurse Navigators; Cultural Capability Officer; and Connecting Care to Country which enables the delivery of specialist respiratory and cardiac outreach services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in rural and remote communities. The team is responsible for implementing and supporting activities and actions within the Metro North Health Equity Strategy 2022 – 2025 that drive health equity, eliminate institutional racism across the public health system, and achieve life expectancy parity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by 2031.

Darren Ransom

Hospital Finance Manager

Led by Darren Ransom, Financial Services provides financial support and management across TPCH, to facilitate its continued commitment to sustainable healthcare. The service line encompasses the immediate Financial Services team, in addition to business managers across all internal service lines.

Financial Services is responsible for budget finance management, performance reporting, planning and asset management, while maintaining a strong focus and commitment to collaborative relationship building with both internal and external parties.

Katie Tully

Manager Strategy and Planning

Led by Katie Tully, Strategy and Planning supports strategic, operational and workforce planning for TPCH, including supporting the programs with their operational planning. Katie is the interface between Metro North and TPCH in relation to performance based reporting and management.

This service also provides specific project management, change management and support to the Executive Director, TPCH, driving a focus on value, quality, timeliness and results in the delivery of health services across TPCH.

Katrina Avery

Manager People and Culture

Led by Katrina Avery, People and Culture Services provides expert specialist advice and support – at the strategic and operational level – in respect of people and culture matters, talent acquisition and recruitment, and HR advisory services.

Services include Comprehensive People and Culture Partnering, Operational HR advice, Culture Improvement Interventions, Local and Informal Resolution for Performance and Behaviour issues, Strategic People and Culture Advice and Support, and Workforce Capability Improvement.

Jane Bebbington

Principal Communications Advisor

The Principal Communications Advisor provides a range of specialist communications and media advice and support services to ensure the delivery of high quality and effective communication to all stakeholders of TPCH, and uphold and promote the hospital as a leading health care organisation. Services include strategic and operational communications counsel and advice, publications and campaigns, media liaison, government relations support, internal communication, social media, event management, issues and crisis management support, and emergency management support.

Melinda Scott

Director, Clinical Health Information Services

Led by Melinda Scott, Health Information Services provides specialist services that embrace the overall commitment to the management and provision of quality patient information at The Prince Charles Hospital.

Health Information Services works in partnership with the facility to improve knowledge, awareness and compliance in – activity counting, clinical coding, data quality, health systems management, provision of patient information for ongoing care, clinical form management, clinical documentation, patient privacy, security of patient information and release of information.

The service is comprised of five key areas: Health Information Services, Clinical Coding, Medical Records and Mail Service, Health Informatics and Information Access. The service provides strategic direction and authoritative advice in all aspects of health information management.

Dr Michael Nissen

Director of Research

The Director of Research, TPCH drives and supports a unique and diverse international and community culture that values health and medical research in providing safe, efficient and high-quality evidence-based health service within Metro North Health. The Director leads the growth of research capacity at TPCH through research promotion, translation and collaborative partnerships with our academic partners and the TPCH Foundation. In line with National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines the Director strengthens, monitors and continuously evaluates research systems, processes and governance developing TPCH’s national and international reputation for high-quality research projects and outcomes, especially in heart, lung, critical care, aged care and mental health.

Research at TPCH brings together 22 active clinical research groups with 370 members, involved in over 142 active projects. The Director is committed to increase research capacity, develop skills in research and innovation in the TPCH workforce, and embed the virtuous cycle of research innovation and better health outcomes in all clinical services in the hospital.