News & stories

Alfred Health has been committed to nursing education since 1871, developing some of the most influential nurses in the country. Our nursing teams engage in innovative approaches to research, leading teams, learning and professional development.

In this special edition of The Alfred Foundation's annual publication, Impact, we focus not only on the effect that donors have had throughout 2021, but on the significant impact that philanthropy has had in our 150-year history.

A life-changing working experience in Bangladesh sparked what was to become the focus of Professor W John Spicer’s career. 

George and Anna Kokkinos were inspired by the treatment and care received by their son at The Alfred after a life-threatening incident. Their simple idea led to a phenomenal fundraising effort, donating more than $250,000.

Brian Wharton did not give a second thought to his pending operation when he was aged 14. He didn’t know that he would be the fifth person in Australia to have open-heart surgery. He didn’t know that only two of the previous four people had survived after the operation. 

The Dromana Italian Seniors Social Club did not have to look far when giving away some of its savings.

We continue to commemorate our 150th year, looking back on the remarkable history of The Alfred and celebrate the extraordinary stories of human spirit from over the years.

This year, The Alfred is celebrating 150 years of operation. It is a celebration of the human spirit, a celebration of community and of coming together.  For some time as part of the Alfred Appeal on Fathers’ Day, The Alfred has put on a breakfast for hospital staff to say thanks for all they do. For the second year in a row now, we wanted to extend the invitation out to everyone in the community to hold their own Breakfast Party fundraiser in support of all those who provide critical care at The Alfred, from our dedicated nurses and doctors to other staff as well! This year, it will also be a celebration of 150 years of lifesaving work at The Alfred! This years event, is proudly supported by Bulla. 

It was a pleasure to speak with Jacquie to hear her story. And what a story it is!  For the past 5 years Jacquie, now aged 70, has been sailing around the world on her boat. Her boat’s name is Shanti, which means peace, tranquility, bliss & the ability to rise above stress and adversity. As Jacquie says “kind of sums up my circumnavigation as well as my current journey with Leukaemia.”

Through a substantial commitment from The James Foster Foundation in 2019, The Alfred’s Oncology Department was able to establish The Alfred Cancer Biobank (ACB). The ACB is now fully operational, with the first collection taking place in February 2020 and three major projects underway at the time of writing.