GV Health celebrates award win and finalist recognition at the 2026 Victorian Public Healthcare Awards
GV Health is proud to share that Lotjpa Yapaneyepuk (Talk Together) has won the Excellence in Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Award at the 2026 Victorian Public Healthcare Awards. The awards were presented at the Gala Night on 14 October 2026.
On the same night, GV Health and The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (Eye and Ear) were recognised as finalists in the Partnering in Healthcare category. The two organisations established a Victorian-first partnership that delivers cochlear implant surgery to regional Victoria.
Winner: Lotjpa Yapaneyepuk (Talk Together)
Lotjpa Yapaneyepuk is a collaboration between Border Medical Oncology Research Unit (BMORU), Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative and GV Health. The project’s partners say the award belongs first and foremost to the community members who generously shared their stories to make the work possible.
The project uses a culturally grounded model of co-design, in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities lead the conversations and shape the work from start to finish. Community members took part in yarning sessions on and around Yorta Yorta Country. Through those sessions, they identified barriers to taking part in cancer clinical trials. They then co-designed three video resources that support decision-making and encourage culturally safe conversations. The videos are available on the Lotjpa Yapaneyepuk YouTube channel.
GV Health Consultant Medical Oncologist Dr Javier Torres said the award was a fantastic recognition of what true collaboration can achieve.
“The success of this project has been built on teamwork, strong partnerships, Aboriginal leadership, and the invaluable voices and lived experience of community members,” he said.
“This award belongs to all of us, and most importantly recognises the community members whose generosity, stories and leadership have been at the heart of the project.”
Leah Lindrea-Morrison, a Yorta Yorta woman and co-investigator on the project, said the community’s contribution was central to the project’s success.
“This couldn’t have been achieved without the community voices, lived experience and Aboriginal leadership. We’ve been privileged to share a culturally safe place for our stories to be heard,” she said.
“I also want to recognise those who have gone on to the Dreamtime. They still walk with us and are a reminder of why this work is important.”
The project was delivered through the ReViTALISE project and facilitated by Regional Trials Network Victoria, which is funded by the Victorian Department of Health. ReViTALISE was funded by the Australian Government through the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and wrapped up in April 2026.
The project also acknowledges support from:
- Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO)
- Aboriginal Advisory Group
- Steering Committee
- Local health services and other partners
The team hopes to share the resources more widely.
“The work is not finished. With further funding commitment, we could share these resources with more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia,” Leah said.
“It all starts with a yarn!”
Finalist: Partnering in Healthcare
GV Health and Eye and Ear were shortlisted for their collaboration to establish Victoria’s first regional public cochlear implant surgery service.
The partnership was set up to address the challenges regional patients face in accessing cochlear implant treatment. In the past, that treatment has required multiple trips to Melbourne for assessment, surgery and follow-up care. The partnership now brings life-changing cochlear implant surgery and specialist hearing care closer to home for people in the Goulburn Valley.
GV Health congratulates all winners and finalists and thanks the Victorian Department of Health for recognising the outstanding work happening across Victoria’s public health system.
More information: Victorian Public Healthcare Awards | health.vic.gov.au
