IMPORTANCE OF CONNECTION TO STAFF AND PATIENTS Allied health leader shares career insights
With
Mirella Vagnarelli, Director of Allied Health – Women’s and Children’s Division
Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, SA Health
People In Health Care segment
Filmed in Adelaide, South Australia | March 2025
Mirella Vagnarelli is a distinguished healthcare leader with proven expertise across South Australia and the United Kingdom, where she has successfully led large, multidisciplinary teams. Holding a Master of Business Administration (Health) from Flinders University, she earned Fellowship status with the Australasian College of Health Service Management in 2022. In 2023, Mirella was honoured as a scholarship recipient for the prestigious ‘Women in Leadership’ Program at the Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation.
Mirella thrives in dynamic, complex environments, demonstrating situational leadership and an exceptional ability to navigate challenges and drive strategic change. She is currently expanding her expertise by undertaking the AI in Healthcare specialisation at Stanford University’s School of Medicine, building upon her experience leading digital transformation and deploying emerging technologies aimed at improving patient outcomes, staff satisfaction, and overall service safety, quality and efficiency.
A registered Physiotherapist, Mirella is passionate about fostering meaningful connections with patients and embracing a person-centred, holistic approach to care. She continues to practice as a hospital-based clinician across a broad range of specialty areas. Her background, particularly in critical care and cardiorespiratory specialties, has provided her with deep insight into evidence-based practice. Before transitioning into leadership roles, Mirella developed skills in advocating for advancing the role of Physiotherapists and Allied Health Professionals in delivering high-quality, collaborative care. This is something she continues to do now with more impact than ever before as a Director of Allied Health.
Source: supplied
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Empowering underprivileged communities with sustainable health
Dr Gaj Panagoda, CEO of Xstitch Health, has a diverse medical background and is working to improve health systems for underprivileged communities. In the Australian Health Journal’s People In Health Care series, he talks about the changes needed in community-based care using a project based approach,
According to Dr Panagoda, there is a need for a shift towards community-based care and collaboration with stakeholders in the healthcare system, and the potential to create a new kind of socially conscious, inspired, community-informed medical specialist is the future of medical specialty care.
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From University to Pharmacy Industry
The transition from full time academic study to industry can be both rewarding and challenging. Intern programs and an association for pharmacists, makes the transition easier.
The National Australian Pharmacy Students’ Association (NAPSA) represents students from 17 universities nationwide studying either an undergraduate or postgraduate program. The association advocates for Australian pharmacy students to ensure their future is prosperous and their status, rights and privileges are protected.
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Australian Healthcare Week 2019: Pitch Fest Finalist Coviu
Telelheath startup company Coviu was a Pitch Fest Finalist at last week’s Australian Healthcare Week Expo in Sydney. The Coviu platform has been developed as an spinoff from CSIRO and allows healthcare businesses offer video consultations to their own patients. It differs from being just a ‘talking head’ platform that Skype or Zoom could offer, by providing clinical tools integrated within the app. Anne Dao spoke with Co-founder and CEO Silvia Pfeiffer about the company and platform’s journey to date and its longer term goals.
Coviu helps healtcare businesses by helping fit in more consultation during that day and reducing no-shows for appointments. Also given the nature of the dispersed population, the application reaches to rural and regional areas where patients are a long distance from their healthcare provider. The company is focused on the Australian market and aims to enter the US market next year
