Intensive Care Unit Director Appointed to the Order of Australia

By: Adventist Review, and Adventist Record

The director of intensive care at Sydney Adventist Hospital has been recognized in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, which were announced on Sunday, June 8, 2020.

According to the official list posted by the Australian government, Simon Finfer was appointed an Officer (AO) in the General Division of the Honours for his service to intensive care medicine, medical research and education, and for his service to global health institutes.

Finfer has been on the team leading Sydney Adventist Hospital’s preparedness to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic needs. He has a particular interest in sepsis and is the founder of the research and advocacy body called the Australian Sepsis Network. He has been working with leading medical research body The George Institute for Global Health since 2000.

“In a critical care environment, you need hundreds of people to work together towards a single goal; I’m proud of [our] developing teams and collaboration,” he said. “It means that thousands of people are living who would have otherwise died. Trials can potentially affect the health care of thousands around the world.”

The Institute reports that Finfer has led transformational studies in critically ill patients to reduce mortality and raise awareness of sepsis, one of the world’s most serious silent killers.

About the Queen’s Birthday Honours

The Queen’s Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning monarch’s official birthday by appointing individuals to orders or awarding decorations and medals. In Australia, they are presented by the governor-general, a representative of the queen. In 2020, a total of 933 Australians were recognized with various Queen’s Birthday Honours medals or awards, according to the official page.

“In this list, we see all the positives in our community — we see the great ideas, we see the hard work, we see the love and compassion for fellow human beings — it’s a microcosm of Australia,” Governor-General David Hurley said.

“This list recognizes a group of outstanding Australians who have made a contribution to their community, to Australia globally or domestically. Their efforts have been noted by their peers; they’ve been nominated and assessed independently as worthy of recognition.”

About Sydney Adventist Hospital

According to the institution’s website, Sydney Adventist Hospital’s vision is “to be a thriving, faith-based provider of world-class care inspiring hope and wellbeing.” It affirms the mission of “caring for the body, mind, and spirit of our patients, colleagues, community, and ourselves.”

Sydney Adventist Hospital opened as a small, 70-bed health-care facility for the community in 1903. It was known as Sydney Sanitarium — a home of health and a place where people learned to stay well. Many years after its name change to Sydney Adventist Hospital in 1973, it is still affectionately known as “the San.”

Today, Sydney Adventist Hospital is the largest private, not-for-profit hospital in the state of New South Wales, and the Australian flagship of more than 600 hospitals, aged care, and health-care facilities operated by the Adventist Church around the world.

While many things have changed through the years, the hospital’s mission of “Christianity in Action” endures, its website states.

“Our mission and values inspire the purpose, passion, and dedication that drive our staff and doctors to pursue excellence, and enables us to touch people’s lives with compassion and expertise at a time when they need it most,” it reads.