Meet our executive team

Sally Faulkner                                                                                                                                      Chief Executive Officer/Director of Nursing

Sally has over 30 years of nursing experience with a clinical background in Intensive Care and Midwifery, working in remote and rural areas in South Australia, Queensland and her home state of Tasmania. For the past 20 years Sally has undertaken various management roles within the profit and not-for-profit health sectors. She has a Masters of 'Business Administration. Before her appointment to St John of God Nepean Rehabilitation Hospital in August 2010, Sally spent 10 years as Director of Operations & Clinical Services for Calvary Health Care in Tasmania. She was responsible for the Quality/Risk Programme and training and development for clinical and non-clinical staff, both being her key areas of interest and passion.

 

Claire Ferguson
Director of Allied Health

Claire was appointed Director of Allied Health at St John of God Nepean Rehabilitation Hospital in December 2008, after holding the position of Chief Physiotherapist since 2002. Claire is responsible for the strategic and operational management of the Allied Health, Outpatient Administration and Outpatient Group program services at Nepean. Claire is a Physiotherapist with over 20 years of clinical experience in both public and private healthcare sectors and has extensive under-graduate and post-graduate physiotherapy student teaching experience. Claire holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Cardio-thoracic Physiotherapy, a Masters of Physiotherapy and completed the St John of God Healthcare Executive Development Program in 2008.

 

Nathan Johns
Medical Director        

Dr Nathan Johns was appointed as Medical Director in June 2007. He has worked at St John of God Nepean Rehabilitation since February 2005 following graduation as a Fellow of the Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine. His training was focused on the areas of neurological and brain injury rehabilitation, and his current specialty interests include orthopaedic trauma, brain injury, cardiology, oncology and pain. Together with hospital staff he has developed an outpatient brain injury team, a pain management course and a novel oncology rehabilitation program. Nathan previously worked as a consultant rehabilitation physician to the TAC Medical (Clinical) Panel and consults at Epworth Rehabilitation, Brighton.

 

Jim Curtain
Director of Mission 

Jim has had a 26-year career in the Royal Australian Air Force, with active service in the Middle East and East Timor. In the RAAF, Jim worked in the personnel, financial, organisational development and training areas, but after being ordained as a Deacon in the Catholic Church, served as a Chaplain. He has tertiary qualifications in theology, ministry, music, education and administration.

 

 

 

 

Sharon Shillingford
Deputy Director of Nursing 

Sharon has 26 years of nursing experience with a clinical background in surgical and medical nursing, working in public and private hospitals across Melbourne. For the past eight years shen has taken on various management and education roles within both the profit and not-for-profit private health sectors. Sharon has been in her current role as Deputy Director of Nursing at St John of God Hepean Rehabilitation Hospital for the past three years, and has recently completed her Advanced Diploma in Health Services Management.

 

 

 

Adam Dowell
Clinical Risk & Quality Manager 

Adam has been a registered nurse for the past 20 years in both public and private, surgical and medical settings. For the past eight years, he has worked in senior management and executive roles within the private sector. As the Clinical Risk and Quality Manager for St John of God Nepean Rehabilitation Hospital, Adam is responsible for the coordination of patient safety, quality of care, accreditation and risk management.

 

 

 

 

Michelle Rato
Human Resources Manager 

Michelle was appointed as Human Resources Manager in August 2005. She is responsible for the strategic and operational management of workforce programs and other talent management initiatives. Michelle graduated with a Masters in Human Resource Management in 1999 after completing her Bachelor of Commerce degree. Prior to joining St John of God Health Care, she worked in an executive management role for 5 years with a multinational IT company.

 

 

 

 

Ivor Hertz
Finance Manager  

Ivor was appointed as Finance Manager at both St John of God Nepean Rehabilitation Hospital and St John of God Berwick in November 2010, having spent over 30 years in senior financial managerial roles both in the medical industry as well as other various multinational organisations. Ivor is responsible for all the financial management, reporting, budgeting and all other financial related operations for the 2 hospitals. Ivor is a qualified Chartered Accountant having completed a double degree (Honours) at The University of South Africa and successfully converting to an ACA at RMIT Melbourne.