THE DESIRE FOR PRIMARY CARE NURSES TO DO MORE, BE RECOGNISED AND VALUED FOR THE WORK THEY DO
With
Denise Lyons
Nurse Practitioner, Newcastle, NSW &
President, Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA)
PEOPLE IN HEALTH CARE SEGMENT
Filmed in Newcastle, NSW | August 2025
Denise Lyons is a highly experienced nurse with over 40 years in the profession, including more than 25 years dedicated to primary care. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in the United States in 1985 and, in 2012, became an endorsed Nurse Practitioner in Australia. Currently, she serves as a primary care Nurse Practitioner in General Practice in Newcastle, where she is committed to delivering high-quality, patient-centred care that improves the health and wellbeing of her community.
Throughout her career, Denise has championed the vital role of nurses in primary health care. Her professional journey spans clinical practice, leadership, and policy, with a strong focus on innovation and equity in health service delivery. Passionate about excellence in primary care, she has contributed extensively to advancing the profession through leadership, mentoring, and advocacy.
As an elected Board Director, and now President of the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA), Denise is dedicated to strengthening the voice of primary health care nurses nationwide. She advocates for best practice, professional recognition, and sustainable models of care. Known for her collaborative leadership and strategic vision, Denise is committed to shaping a strong future for nursing and primary health care in Australia.
About APNA
The Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) is the peak body and professional membership association for all nurses working outside of a hospital setting in Australia. APNA champions the role of primary health care nurses; to advance professional recognition, ensure workforce sustainability, nurture leadership in health, and optimise the role of nurses in patient-centred care.
APNA represents a significant and rapidly expanding workforce; primary health care nurses account for around one in eight of the 640,000 registered health professionals in Australia.
Source: Supplied and from Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) website
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Practising to top scope of urology practice, advancing treatment & patient care through research
Michael is a urology nurse practitioner with a special interest in prostate cancer survivorship, and has worked in urology for the past ten years. Michael has completed the Prostate Nursing Care course at Latrobe University, Graduate Certificate of Health with a specialisation in Scheduled Medicines (USQ), and the Master of Nursing (Flinders) to become a Nurse Practitioner in 2024.
As a Urology Nurse Practitioner he divides his time between the Australian Prostate Centre and Western Urology.
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Using human skin hair follicles to treat Alzheimer’s disease
Professor Michael Valenzuela is a science opinion leader, innovator and creative thinker with a career-long commitment to the prevention and treatment of dementia.
Following that he completed graduate medicine and medical training at the Prince of Wales Hospital. In 2012, he established the Regenerative Neuroscience Group at the University of Sydney, and in 2017 became the university’s first Professor of Regenerative Medicine.
Professor Valenzuela’s group discovered a new cell type with potential for regenerative medicine, a rare neural precursor cell found deep within the human hair follicle. He is the main inventor on several related patents and is the Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Skin2Neuron – a biotech company developing the first neurorestorative cell therapy for Alzheimer’s disease based on this work.
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Victorian social prescribing program underway
n Part 2 of the Models of Care on Social Prescribing, Australian Health Journal spoke to 4 people involved in the Connect Local program under the Connecting Communities to Care 4 year program. The free program for over 65’s promotes wellbeing through social connection and is underway in the Glen Eira community in Melbourne.
– Deidre McGill, Executive General Manager, At Home Support, Bolton Clarke
– Ann Van Leerdam, Connect Local Community Connector, Bolton Clarke
– Dr Rajna Ogrin, Senior Research Fellow, Bolton Clarke Research Institute, Bolton Clarke - Dr Daniel Fineberg, Deputy Director General Medicine, Alfred Hospital, Victoria
