Moorditj Dookoorniny Award
In Noongar language Moorditj Dookoorniny means to make well and this award, chosen by the SMHS Chief Executive and Board, recognises an employee who goes above and beyond their normal duties to embody the organisation’s values and proactively works to improve outcomes. This category is open to all staff working across SMHS.
Meet our 2026 finalists
Dr Daniela Vecchio – Consultant Psychiatrist and Head of Service for Mental Health at Fiona Stanley Hospital and Cockburn Health
Dr Daniela Vecchio’s commitment to patient-centred mental health care is as respected as her ability to build outstanding teams through learning, collaboration and continuous improvement.
A renowned clinician, Daniela engages compassionately with consumers and their families and advocates strongly for coordinated, practical support across the care continuum.
Her exceptional strategic leadership is demonstrated through the delivery of three complex services – Western Australia’s first specialist assessment and treatment service for consumers experiencing co-occurring mental health and addiction difficulties, an Australian-first gaming addiction clinic, and the State’s only woman’s inpatient mental health service. These services enable access to high standards of safe, trauma-informed holistic mental health care while achieving sustainable cost efficiencies.
Daniela also champions investing in those who deliver this care. An active mentor, she develops and maintains a skilled and patient-focused workforce through careful recruitment, ongoing learning, quality improvement and team building.
Dr Rafiq Hemani – Head of Department Paediatric and Neonatal services, Rockingham Peel Group
Clinically rigorous and deeply compassionate, Dr Rafiq Hemani’s commitment has enabled local families to get high-quality neonatal and paediatric care sooner and closer to home.
Rafiq co-designed a clinic providing early, safe and fast neonatal care and led an expansion of neonatal unit capabilities, enabling preterm infants greater than 32 weeks to stay with their parents. He also reshaped paediatric outpatient care into a safe, child-centred space with a dramatically reduced waitlist.
Continuous improvement is the hallmark of Rafiq’s practice. An ethical and transparent leader, he invests in staff development, encouraging shared learning and building a culture where everyone feels respected and confident to speak up.
By leading a transformation anchored in safe, timely and patient-centred care, Rafiq has delivered better outcomes for families and a stronger, more connected workforce.
Wesley Serrano – Team Lead, CoNeCT Mental Health Expansion, South Metropolitan Health Service Mental Health
Wesley (Wez) Serrano has a deep, long-standing commitment to delivering integrated, compassionate and culturally safe care to people with complex mental health needs.
Under his hands-on leadership, building a robust multidisciplinary team and close collaboration with external agencies streamlined care delivery and reduced service duplication significantly. The team’s targeted interventions achieved outstanding and sustainable reductions in emergency department presentations and inpatient admissions. These outcomes demonstrate how strategic community-focused leadership can free up critical emergency resources and acute bed capacity.
A leader who actively removes barriers, Wez demonstrates genuine concern for his team’s psychological and physical safety. He strengthened team capability by building strong partnerships, improving safety practices and investing in workforce development during challenging conditions.
A proactive champion of staff wellbeing, Wez walks alongside his team to deliver excellent, safe health mental health care, every single time.
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See other 2026 Excellence Award finalists.
Read about our 2026 SMHS Excellence Award sponsors.