Tracey Szanto

I have the following skills and experience:

• Experience in senior executive leadership roles and qualifications in social work, education and nursing alongside skills in redesign and change management.
• High level skills managing and supporting teams and maintaining stakeholder relationships across complex service systems.
• Experience with children and young people in the out of home environment and working with vulnerable populations in the community.
• a solid understanding of the NSW Health system (public and private) and the interface with other government and non- government sectors in regulatory environments, including children's health, aged and disability sectors.
• Led the development and implementation of many improvement initiatives and have given system level expert advice on strategic initiatives, policies and guidelines, such as palliative and disability care, policy review and implementation in the area of violence, abuse and neglect, transitioning young people to adult health services, the management of safe assessment rooms and the use of seclusion and restraint in mental health services.
• Key executive team member for two hospital accreditations and have a working knowledge of the application of safety and quality commission guidelines in aged care, NDIS and health services.
• Use trauma informed co-design methodology in my practice, working closely with clinicians, managers, consumers and carers to design, implement, evaluate and scale up person-centred models for service.
• Mentor undergraduate, post-graduate and practising Social Workers as part of my role in building workforce capability.
• Facilitate workshops, forums, roundtables and other decision-making forums and activities
• My CliftonStrengths Profile lists my strength as strategic thinking, with other strengths in the areas of executing, influencing and relationship building.

Australian citizen

WWCC - Current;

NSW Driver's License - Current

AHPRA - 0001280275

Immunisation status - three covid vaccinations 

• Bachelor of Social Work - psychology major (University of Sydney)
• Registered Nurse
• Master of Education (UNSW)
• Master of Health Law (University of Sydney - paused)

• Co-Design Methodology and Implementation Trainer (NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation 2018)
• Evaluation Capability Training (Australian New Zealand School of Government 2019)
• Program Logic (New Horizons 2018)
• Accelerated Implementation Methodology Program Management for Trainers (AIM 2017)
• Writing Easy English Cert (Accessible English 2019)
• Facilitator - Green Band (NSW Health 2022)
• Child Protection (NSW Health 2021)
• Trauma Informed Care (ECAV, NSW Health 2022)
• Mind the Gap Indigenous Training (2024 NSW Health)

• Reppermund S, Heintze T, Srasuebkul P, et al. Health and wellbeing of people with intellectual disability in New South Wales, Australia: a data linkage cohort. BMJ Open 2017
• Dimopoulos-Bick, Tara L.; O'Connor, Claire; Montgomery, Jane; Szanto, Tracey; . (2019) "“Anyone can co-design?”: A case study synthesis of six experience-based co-design (EBCD) projects for healthcare systems improvement in New South Wales, Australia," Patient Experience Journal: This research article won journal article of the year for this global journal
• Reppermund S, Srasuebkul P, Heintze T, et al. Cohort profile: a data linkage cohort to examine health service profiles of people with intellectual disability in New South Wales, Australia. BMJ Open 2018
• Say Less Show More”: The development and introduction of visual supports to assist children during health care visits to an Emergency Department, RACP Congress 2018; https://www.racp.edu.au/docs/default-source/fellows/resources/congress-2018-presentations/racp-mon-18-silvia-goldstein.pdf?sfvrsn=bd060b1a_2

• Improving Palliative Care Services for people with an Intellectual Disability Research Project
• Child Neurodevelopment and Mental Health (Sydney Health Partners)
• Equity Pathways and Integrated Care for children with Cerebral Palsy (EPIC-CP): a pilot randomised controlled trial of social prescribing for children with cerebral palsy and their families (Stream 2 Incubator project)
• Effectiveness and scalability of Specialist Intellectual Disability Services delivered virtually
• Developing a model of Preventative Healthcare for People with Intellectual Disability
• First 2000 Days Care Connect (FDCC) – a holistic first 2000 days model of care for migrant and refugee populations
• GENEeQual NSW Health ‘Transforming healthcare through genomic technologies’ initiative
• Motivated for Change
• Co-creating an accessible patient experience measure with people with intellectual disability to improve healthcare quality and outcomes
• Developing a framework for person-centred practice to strengthen school vaccination programs for adolescents with disability