The nurse who is changing the conversation

For ACU alumna Kate Holliday, nursing has never been just a job. It’s been a global mission with patients and communities – and now, a story that’s captured worldwide attention.

As the founder of the Centre for Community-Driven Research (CCDR), Kate has recently earned recognition for her groundbreaking work in community-led healthcare. 

CCDR was awarded the Outstanding Patient Research Award by Patients Australia in July this year, while Kate herself was named Outstanding Nurse.

This recognition came just months after she was a top ten finalist in the Aster Guardian Global Nursing Award, chosen from more than 100,000 submissions worldwide.

Based in Geneva, Kate is leading the charge in reshaping healthcare to listen better, respond smarter and centre the voices of those it serves most.

“Nursing often happens quietly, behind the scenes, but the impact is life changing,” Kate said.

“Being chosen for the Aster Guardian Global Nursing Award validates not just my efforts, but the importance of the work itself and the importance of the work of every nurse.”

From Brisbane to Geneva

Kate’s career has spanned continents, beginning here in Australia and extending through to the United States and Switzerland.

Her first international role was in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic in America, where danger was often close by.

“It was in a very low resource setting with disadvantaged communities,” she recalled.

“It was in an area that was quite dangerous. I spent a decent amount of time under my desk – as was protocol – because there would often be drug dealers in the car park outside my window, carrying guns.

“But that’s where I saw community nursing in its purest form, being able to care for people that not many people cared about, and making sure their lives were valued.”

Founding CCDR

CCDR was born from a frustration that patient’s voices were not adequately shaping health policy or services. 

Drawing on her nursing background and experience in government and NGOs, Kate created CCDR as a bridge between communities and decision-makers.

“The things patients were talking about, and their needs, weren’t quite resonating with the policies and services being developed,” she said.

“There was a gap in the systemic collection of patient experience data, using methodologies that could speak to decision-makers and took the whole health system into consideration.

“So, I developed CCDR to look at community-driven solutions to health system issues. 

“CCDR has gone from a national NGO in Australia to an international one with its headquarters in Geneva.”

A pathway to change

A standout initiative of CCDR is Pathways, a nurse-led virtual clinic designed to address a range of healthcare needs, developed after extensive patient consultation.

Pathways has since been adapted to diverse health systems through what Kate calls a “measure twice, cut once” approach. 

It focuses not only on service delivery but also on empowering patient organisations as key players in healthcare.

The PEEK (Personal Experience, Expectations and Knowledge) research program is another game-changer. 

Rather than inviting patients to enter the clinical world through focus groups or committees, PEEK flips the script.

“What PEEK does is acknowledges patients’ experience as expertise, and then we go into their world to learn from them – but we do that in a way where the data resonates with decision-makers,” she said.

A powerful impact

Though Kate now lives in Geneva, she maintains strong ties to Australia, including maintaining a clinical position as a Pathways nurse for Australian patients, and sees plenty of room for cross-pollination between the two systems.

“Perhaps what Australia could learn from other countries is to really listen to communities, help them be the hosts in their own health system rather than the guests,” she said. 

“Wherever we work, our main job is to first listen to local communities and health professionals and then adapt our work to their needs.”

That philosophy, grounded in humility and purpose, is at the heart of Kate’s impact and why she believes so deeply in the nursing profession.

“I made a deliberate and informed decision to become a nurse,” she said. 

“One of my favourite things is when patients give feedback about our nurses and describe them as intelligent, knowledgeable, compassionate and kind.”

It’s this deeply human, systems-thinking approach that has seen Kate and CCDR recognised both at home and on the world stage. 

With their international recognition the message is clear: community-led, nurse-driven innovation is not just possible – it’s powerful.

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