In the recent Central Coast Queen’s Birthday honours for 2021, former Sydney Adventist Hospital CEO Dr Leon Clark was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to medical administration and healthcare delivery over the past 35 years.
“It was definitely a surprise and I am honoured,” Dr Clark told the Central Coast Express.
Dr Clark’s career began as an obstetrician for 10 years, where he specialised in vitro ferfilisation (IVF), before starting the Lingard Fertility Centre in Newcastle in 1984.
“At the time there had only been three or four babies born in Australia through IVF so it was really new,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
From there, he worked in IVF at Westmead Hospital before accepting the offer to become a medical executive officer at Sydney Adventist Hospital, which led him to become CEO of Adventist HealthCare for many years.
He also served as president of the Australian Private Hospitals Association, and worked with Sydney University to start a clinical training school that trained doctors, nurses and physiotherapists together. His excellent work led him to being named an Honorary Fellow for the University of Sydney in 2016.
Having now retired, Dr Clark still works for the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission and Agency for Clinical Innovation.
