This International Women’s Day, the NORTH Foundation proudly celebrated the remarkable women leading care, research and innovation across the Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD), as the global community united around the 2026 theme, Balance the Scales.
Balance the Scales is a commitment that every woman – regardless of background or identity – should be safe, heard, and free to shape their own lives. In healthcare and medical research, that promise also means ensuring women are equally represented, supported and recognised as leaders, innovators and decision-makers.
Across the NSLHD, women are not only shaping healthcare – they are leading it!
Across the NSLHD, several hospitals are led by female General Managers: Alison Zecchin (Royal North Shore Hospital), Amanda Green (Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital), Jennifer McConnell (Ryde Hospital) and Renae McCarthy (Mona Vale Hospital). Their leadership reflects a powerful shift toward greater representation of women at the highest levels of healthcare decision-making.
In marking International Women’s Day, the NORTH Foundation recognised four exceptional women whose contributions to healthcare and medical research demonstrate what it truly means to Balance the Scales.
Associate Professor Yemima (Mimi) Berman – Clinical Associate Professor and Head of Department Clinical Genetics, NSLHD
A leader in rare disease and genomic medicine, Associate Professor Mimi Berman has dedicated her career to improving care for patients with complex genetic conditions, including Neurofibromatosis. Clinical Genetics – the study of inherited and rare diseases – affects more people than many realise, with rare disease impacting 1 in 12 Australians and around 80% of rare diseases having a genetic basis.
Her work spans clinical innovation, laboratory research and advocacy for equitable access to rare disease therapies. With advances in human genome sequencing transforming understanding of how specific biological pathways drive disease, she is particularly excited by the promise of precision medicine - not only for rare diseases, but for all conditions. Among her current collaborations is research into using cell-free DNA analysis through an annual blood test to enable earlier detection of cancer.
On International Women’s Day, Mimi says it is critical to acknowledge that gender inequity persists in medicine and science.
“Women are still disadvantaged in medicine and research due to career breaks, carer responsibilities, and institutional barriers to maternity leave and part time work. There is still a lot more to do if we are to achieve equality for women in medicine and science.”
Mimi’s leadership and advocacy are helping ensure that both patients and the next generation of women researchers are better supported - strengthening the future of healthcare innovation for all.
Associate Professor Yemima (Mimi) Berman
Roadmap for Rare Disease, Clinical Associate Professor Mimi Berman 3rd December 2025
Rachel Wolfe – Director, Prevention and Response to Violence, Abuse and Neglect (PARVAN) Services, NSLHD
Rachel Wolfe leads district-wide responses to sexual assault, child abuse and neglect and domestic and family violence. Rachel is currently working with the PARVAN team to design a new Domestic and Family Violence Model of Care for the Northern Sydney Local Health District that delivers consistent, integrated psychosocial, medical and forensic trauma-informed responses for victim survivors - both within the community and for the health workforce.
With 39.6% of Australian children exposed to domestic violence, her work addresses one of the most urgent justice, safety and public health challenges facing women and children today. Under her leadership, services are expanding to provide direct support not only to adults, but to children and young people as victim survivors.
The new model is also deliberately inclusive and accessible to members of the LGBTQIA+ community, moving beyond historical referral models to ensure anyone experiencing domestic and family violence can access care.
Driven by a lifelong commitment to justice, Rachel sees her role as both strategic and systemic.
“Everyone deserves a life free from violence, abuse and neglect and its adverse effects,” she says. “My role holds a responsibility for leading and calling for the mobilisation of the whole health workforce to recognise the important role each of us play in improving the support and quality of service we provide to victim survivors across the district.”
By strengthening trauma-informed care, raising visibility of the scale of violence, abuse and neglect, and building psychologically safe and supported teams, her leadership is helping transform how the health system responds to violence, abuse and neglect. Her work speaks directly to the IWD 2026 call for systems that are truly accessible and responsive to the needs of every woman and young girl - ensuring safety, dignity and justice are not aspirations, but realities.
Rachel Wolfe
Dr Benita Tse – Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Kolling Institute, NLSHD
Driven by a passion for immunology, Dr Benita Tse is leading research into colorectal cancer prevention and treatment response. Her work investigates immune cell changes in colorectal polyps and explores how the immune environment influences therapeutic outcomes. She is also examining why some patients respond positively to colorectal cancer therapies while others do not, with the aim of using the tumour’s immune environment to better predict treatment response.
Balancing her role as a full-time researcher and mother, Benita understands first-hand the structural pressures faced by women in research.
“The major challenge I’ve faced is juggling personal life goals with career goals, especially contemplating when to start a family and how that delays research projects, publications, grant opportunities,” she says.
As a full-time researcher and mother to a toddler, she aims to be fully present in both roles -working efficiently during the day so she can focus on family at home. Grateful for a supportive workplace, Benita also recognises how critical strong leadership and flexible environments are for women in science. Her research ultimately aims to reduce rising colorectal cancer rates, particularly among young Australians, by identifying high-risk patients, developing chemo-preventative strategies and contributing to earlier, more personalised treatment approaches.
Dr Benita Tse
Dr Benita Tse at work
Shiraz Abdulla – Director of Nursing and Midwifery, Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital, NSLHD
With 25 years of experience as a registered nurse, Shiraz Abdulla leads with compassion and strength, ensuring nursing perspectives are recognised at the highest levels of hospital leadership. From bedside care to executive decision-making, her career has been shaped by a commitment to dignity, safety and excellence in patient care.
Her focus on workforce sustainability, mentoring emerging leaders and implementing system-wide transformation is helping balance the scales within healthcare itself, ensuring nurses are supported to deliver safe, high-quality care. Shiraz has seen first-hand how system-level decisions directly affect patient outcomes and staff wellbeing and has led changes to staffing and care coordination that resulted in measurable improvements in continuity of care.
“As a woman in healthcare leadership, I have encountered challenges such as advocating for nursing and ensuring that nursing perspectives are recognised and valued,” she says. “Leadership roles often demand long hours, high-stakes decision-making, and constant availability, which can make managing family, personal health, and other obligations challenging. Navigating this balance has taught me the importance of setting boundaries, prioritising, and role modelling sustainable work habits for my team.”
These experiences have shaped her leadership style to be collaborative, supportive and grounded in fairness - strengthening both patient outcomes and the sustainability of the nursing workforce.
Shiraz Abdulla
Balancing the Scales Together
The NORTH Foundation is committed to supporting the progression of women across medical research, healthcare innovation and leadership, helping create a diverse and inclusive environment for all.
Equality is not about advantage for some; it is about dignity, safety and fairness for all. When women stand equal, workplaces are fairer, communities are stronger and society becomes safer for everyone.
This year, the NORTH Foundation invites the community to Balance the Scales by supporting the women and teams transforming healthcare across Northern Sydney and beyond.
To make a donation and help drive ground-breaking research, compassionate care and innovation led by extraordinary women across the NSLHD, visit www.northfoundation.org.au