• Recipients of the Charles Sturt University Alumni Awards announced
• Distinguished Alumni Awards Program celebrates the personal and professional achievements of the University’s alumni
• Winners announced in six categories – Professional Achievement, Service to the Community, Professional Achievement (Research), Young Alumni, International Alumni, and Indigenous Alumni

The 2022 Charles Sturt University Alumni Awards recipients were announced today as part of the University’s Foundation Day celebrations.

Recipients from around the world represent the University’s outstanding and diverse alumni, and the group is testament to the impact that more than 230,000 Charles Sturt graduates are making in their communities every day.

The Distinguished Alumni Awards Program aims to identify and recognise graduates making a difference in the world, either professionally or as a volunteer. The awards were developed to align with the University ethos – ‘Yindyamarra Winhanganha’ – a Wiradjuri phrase meaning ‘the wisdom of respectfully knowing how to live well in a world worth living in’.

Nominees were sought in six categories – Professional Achievement, Professional Achievement (Research), Service to the Community, Young Alumni, International Alumni, and Indigenous Alumni. One overall winner and one highly commended were chosen in each category.

The winners in each category are:

Charles Sturt University Alumnus of the Year – Professional Achievement:

Dr Euclid Seeram in British Columbia, Canada, graduated from Charles Sturt with a PhD in 2012.

He is a diagnostic radiographer / radiologic technologist, educator, and researcher. He is recognised world-wide as the leading author / editor of radiologic science textbooks that are used to inform and educate imaging professionals and students in university programs.

There are many millions of patients requiring CT scans and X-ray examinations globally who have benefited from the knowledge gained through Dr Seeram’s textbooks, his research and on-going education roles.

Dr Seeram has authored / edited 27 computed tomography (CT) and radiologic sciences textbooks which are used worldwide. He has published more than 55 papers in peer-reviewed journals on CT and radiologic sciences. He is a founding member of the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences (Canada) and is an active member of Editorial Boards of the several major international medical imaging journals. He remains an active researcher in radiation dose optimisation in computed tomography and digital radiography imaging systems.

Charles Sturt University Alumnus of the Year – Professional Achievement (Research):

Dr Shafi Sahibzada in Spearwood, Western Australia, completed a PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health from Charles Sturt University in 2017, and is Lecturer in Epidemiology and Public Health at Murdoch University.

He has thirteen years’ experience in academia, research, and extension, having worked with several national and international organizations.

Dr Sahibzada has published over 25 research articles as author and co-author, which is an extraordinary output for an early career researcher.

Charles Sturt University Alumnus of the Year – Service to the Community:

Dr Mihajlo Glamcevski in Ardeer, Victoria, graduated from Charles Sturt in 2017 with a Master of Education (Educational Psychology).

With a career providing services to the education and mental health sector for over 25 years, he has also been recognised for his work as a soldier, doctor, teacher, and volunteer in both Cambodia and Australia.

Dr Glamcevski has worked across three continents and has invested most of his working life to be an interdisciplinary mental health and education development worker and clinician. His passion for helping others knows no bounds, from providing counselling after Victoria’s ‘Black Saturday’ to Covid-19 pandemic support; to providing mental health support and education to schools in Malaysia, Turkey, Cambodia, Nauru and East Timor.

Dr Glamcevski also has a PhD (Psychology), Master of Social Work (Qual), and a Master of Business Administration and has qualified as a social worker, psychologist, and paramedic.

Charles Sturt University Young Alumnus of the Year:

Mr Gideon Johnson, in London, England, graduated from Charles Sturt in 2020 with a Master of Nursing (Leadership and Management). He has dedicated himself to the service of humanity, from mentoring students from minority ethnicity groups, to leading a team of multidisciplinary staff, specialists, and non-specialist nurses to safely care for critically ill patients with COVID-19 in a London hospital.

He is currently undertaking a Doctor of Philosophy, researching acute brain dysfunction, and is the lead educator and senior specialist nurse in the major adult trauma intensive care unit and critical care areas.

Mr Johnson holds current and unencumbered practice licenses in Australia, the UK, and the USA, and has progressed his career through the diversity of clinical experience across three continents and advancement in scientific knowledge.

Charles Sturt University Alumnus of the Year – International Alumni:

Inspector (Dr) Veronica Fox, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (British Columbia RCMP Office of Commanding Officer), in British Columbia, Canada, graduated from Charles Sturt in 2018 with a Doctor of Policing and Security.

Inspector Fox is an academic practitioner with over 20 years of experience in the Canadian Justice System, with most of her experience serving in Canada’s national police force, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

She has worked in municipal, provincial, and federal level positions and the breadth of her experience includes frontline and investigative policing, information management and technology, media communications and public relations, as well as strategic planning and governance. Inspector Fox rose through the ranks in the RCMP, received her Commission in 2021 and currently serves as the Executive Officer to the Commanding Officer of the BC RCMP.

Charles Sturt University Alumnus of the Year – Indigenous Alumni:

Ms Elizabeth Wall in Daruka, NSW, graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work in 2011 and was a 2010 recipient of the Charles Sturt Foundation Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Human Services/Social Work student scholarship.

Her passion for community outreach, support and disability advocacy is underpinned by both professional and lived experience, and has driven her extensive contribution to disability and indigenous advocacy in regional NSW.

She has served as a member of the Tamworth Local Aboriginal Lands Council (TLALC) as well as being a former member of the NSW Ministerial Carers Advisory Council, National Disability Carer Advisory Council, and a Living Life My Way Ambassadorship.

Charles Sturt Vice-Chancellor Professor Renée Leon said Foundation Day was the perfect time to celebrate the achievements of the University’s alumni.

“Charles Sturt University alumni make an impact through their work, research and volunteer work, which is remarkably inspiring not only to those around them, but to the next generation of the University’s graduates,” she said.

“This year’s recipients have made a significant difference, helping in a number of important fields and I congratulate the 2022 awardees and thank them for their contributions.”

For more information please visit the Charles Sturt Alumni Awards web page.