Published on 1 December 2023

Western Health Foundation’s Women for Western Health Giving Circle Pitch Event on Tuesday night was a resounding success.

The four teams who presented their pitches spoke with passion – and presented their central ideas with deep conviction. All the project pitches would make a significant difference to the quality of healthcare in the west. Some of the ideas have potential for international application.

The winners of this year’s $50,000 award were the powerful duo, Alex Potter (1st L) and Jan Kilicaslan (2nd L). Alex gave their personal and inspiring story as a trans person, and together they laid out a road map for how Western Health can create more inclusive spaces for the estimated 100,000 gender diverse people in our catchment. Western Health Foundation is very much looking forward to following Alex and Jan as they use the Giving Circle funding to create a safe and affirming Western Health for our LGBTIQA+ communities.

The other presenters were:

  • Emily Ramage (1st R). Emily explained that heart disease is a women’s problem and outlined how women who present with pre-eclampsia during pregnancy are at greater risk of heart conditions and stroke. Emily’s project involves an intervention plan for this high-risk group
  • Ke Doris Cao (2nd R). Doris presented a case for finely tuning chemotherapy dosing to reduce toxicity in cancer patients. Cao’s project has used tilised AI in a proof-of-concept to accurately predict 83 per cent of colorectal cancer chemotherapy toxicities
  • I-Lynn Lee (3rd R). I-Lynn’s project aims to improve inefficient glucose screening tests for mothers. Lee wants to establish a pilot study, and requires funding to establish the scientific evidence base.

All the projects were worthy of support, and the Western Health Foundation will continue to attempt to find alternative funding support for these worthy projects via philanthropic, corporate or in-kind donations.

Western Health Foundation is grateful to our corporate sponsors, Plenary and Multiplex. Without their support, this event would not have been possible. We were honoured to have Stephenie Rodriquez as our guest speaker, and we appreciate her sharing how caring health professionals have played an important role in her journey. We also express our gratitude to Business in Heels, who provided invaluable mentoring.

For those who would like to vote in future pitch events that showcase the excellence, innovation and dedication of the incredible women, trans and gender diverse people who power health care at Western Health, please consider joining the Giving Circle here.

Your tax deductible donation can be made fortnightly, monthly or as a one-off gift.