The history of St John of God Pathology Victoria

Sr Helen Birt was born in Albany WA in 1909 and joined the Sisters of St John of God at Subiaco WA in 1930. Sr Helen came to Ballarat in 1956 after working as a ward sister in Goulburn, NSW and Subiaco and Bunbury in WA.

Inspired by the original vision of the Sisters, Sr Helen saw the need to provide a pathology service which would incorporate the core values of Hospitality, Compassion, Respect, Justice and Excellence found within the Mission statement of St John of God Health Care.

With a degree in medical laboratory technology, Sr Helen commenced laboratory services in 1968, in one room and a small annex adjacent to what was the doctors lounge on the ground floor of the original St John of God Hospital Ballarat. 

Sr Helen Birt was a woman of vision who could see how important science was to become in medicine, her foresight was the beginning of the development of St John of God Pathology as we know it now.

True to the founding spirit of Sr Helen, pathologists, scientists and staff from our organisation continue to provide pathology services to hospitals and the community around Australia. We will continue to spread our mission to remote areas by establishing laboratories and ensuring availability of pathologists to these areas.