Health Service Board

Board Members

Clinical Professor David Forbes AM
NMHS Board Chair

David has had a career in academic paediatrics, working primarily as a paediatric gastroenterologist. He has also worked in general practice, in paediatric emergency medicine, general and rural paediatrics and child and adolescent mental health. With the University of Western Australia he led undergraduate teaching in paediatrics and child health, and was Head of the School of Paediatrics and Child Health. He led vocational training at the Princess Margaret Hospital for Children (PMH) at different points in his career. For the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) David was a member and then Chair of the) Paediatric Physician Training Committee, and the Division of Paediatrics and Child Health Policy and Advocacy Committee. He held roles in health service management as the Chair of Paediatric Medicine at PMH, and as a Clinical Advisor and Acting Chief Medical Officer in the Department of Health. He joined the NMHS Board in 2018.

Hear from David Forbes here (external site) about their role on the NMHS Board.

Ms Rebecca Strom
NMHS Deputy Board Chair

Rebecca is a solicitor and experienced Non-Executive Director. She has recently stepped away from her role as a national law firm Partner, where for nearly 20 years she practiced in commercial real estate across Australia.

Rebecca is also currently a non-executive director of not-for-profit housing provider, Housing Choices WA (formerly Access Housing Australia), and a member of the WA Netball League Tribunal Panel. She has held roles on the Executive, Finance and Property Committee of the Western Australian Planning Commission and the Department of Planning Audit and Risk Committee.

Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from Sydney University, and is a member and graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Rebecca took on the NMHS Deputy Chair role in May 2021 and has been the Audit and Risk Committee Chair since joining the Board in July 2018.

Hear from Rebecca Strom here (external site) about their role on the NMHS Board.

Mrs Jahna Cedar OAM
NMHS Board Member

A Nyiyaparli/Yindjibarndi woman from the Pilbara region, Jahna is recognised as a strong Indigenous community leader. She has worked for more than 20 years advocating for equal rights and reconciliation on behalf of Indigenous people, representing their interests at the United Nations in New York on three occasions. An executive director at IPS Management Consultants, Jahna holds a Diploma of Business Management, Bachelor of Business Management and Master of Business Administration. In 2017, she was named Business News 40 under 40 First Among Equals, taking the top honour in a field of business and community leaders. In 2020, she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the Indigenous community of Western Australia. In 2022, she was named the Western Australian recipient of the Australian Awards for Excellence in Women’s Leadership. The awards celebrate exceptional female leaders, particularly those who have made outstanding contributions to equality.

Angela Edwards
NMHS Board Member

Angela has an extensive background in human resources, industrial relations, change management, organisational development and stakeholder management. She is currently General Manager – Human Resources, Crown Perth. Angela is also a board member of the not-for-profit cancer support group, Blue Dot Army.

Hear from Angela Edwards here (external site) about their role on the NMHS Board.

Mr Anthony (Tony) Evans
NMHS Board Member

Tony is a certified practising accountant with extensive commercial, financial and corporate governance experience in the health, aged care, education, insurance, property, resources, government and not-for-profit sectors. He is an experienced non-executive director and has been a member of a number of boards and committees, including the RAC; Ahpra Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee; Optometry Board of Australia; Therapeutic Guidelines; Australasian College for Emergency Medicine; Local Government Insurance Scheme; and Central Regional TAFE. Tony has a Bachelor of Business and a postgraduate Diploma in Education and is a Fellow of CPA Australia, the Governance Institute of Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Dr Hilary Fine
NMHS Board Member

Hilary has been a GP in urban and rural General Practice for nearly 40 years. She is currently Principal GP at East Fremantle Medical Centre which she started in 1993 and grew the business from a solo GP to employ over 30 people. She is also Adjunct Associate Professor at Notre Dame University. Hilary has held director and chair positions on the boards of local, state and national not- for-profit Primary Care organisations together with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and External Advisory Board, Notre Dame. She was also until recently, a senior sessional member on the State Administration Tribunal and a clinical advisor at AHPRA.

Hear from Hilary Fine here (external site) about their role on the NMHS Board.

Ms Karen Gullick
NMHS Board Member

Karen brings decades of experience in health management to the Board. She has spent more than 30 years in leadership roles in health care organisations in the public and private sectors, most recently as the Director of Clinical Services at Hollywood Private Hospital. She was also the Director of Nursing and Midwifery at St John of God Hospital in Bunbury. A practising registered nurse, Karen is a Master of Science (Nursing), a Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Managers, and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She sits on a number of non-government boards, including GenesisCare Hollywood Pty Limited and Juniper, and is a member of the Workforce Committee at the Australian Private Hospitals Association (APHA). She is also an APHA representative on the National Nursing and Midwifery Education Advisory Network and the Nursing and Midwifery Strategic Reference Group to the Commonwealth Chief Nurse.

Professor Paul Norman
NMHS Board Member

Paul is a current Consultant Vascular Surgeon at the Fiona Stanley Hospital Group, and Emeritus Professor of Surgery and Senior Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia. He is an active clinical researcher with interests in abdominal aortic aneurysm, peripheral and diabetic arterial disease.

Doctor of Surgery; Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons; Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons; Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery' Bachelor of Science (Hons).

Hear from Paul Norman here (external site) about their role on the NMHS Board.

Ms Paula Rogers
NMHS Board Member

Paula has significant experience in stakeholder management, communications, events facilitation, marketing and business development. She is currently the Director of her own consulting firm, providing thought leadership, stakeholder engagement, communication strategy, marketing and event advice. She is also currently an Independent Director on the Edith Cowan College Board and a member of the AWARE WA (previously First State Super) Advisory Council and of the Art Gallery of WA (AGWA) Foundation Council. Paula has worked in a variety of senior roles in Western Australia including most recently as the State Director of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA). Prior to this, Paula was employed in roles including Managing Director and Event Management CEO and Publisher. Paula holds a Bachelor of Social Science, University College Dublin (Ireland); and has completed the AICD Company Directors Course and continues to be a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).

Steve Toutountzis
NMHS Board Member

Steve is a certified practising accountant and has an extensive background in finance, procurement, public sector service delivery and policy at an executive and strategic level. In his former role as Director, Performance and Evaluation – Group 1, Department of Treasury, his responsibilities included analysis and strategic advice to the Western Australian Government on budgetary and financial management issues impacting a range of portfolios - including Health. He is currently a member of the Board of Commissioners, Legal Aid Western Australia.

Hear from Steve Toutountzis here (external site) about their role on the NMHS Board.