The Elaine Graham Robertson Award

The Elaine Graham Robertson Award is presented at the Annual Conference- having commenced in the ACT Branch of AICA.The award is the result of a gift from Elaine Graham Robertson – a pioneer infection control professional in the ACT and funds that were previously provided by the ACT Infection Control Association.

Elaine Graham Robertson became the first full time Infection Control Practitioner at Woden Valley Hospital (now The Canberra Hospital) in 1983 and remained in that position until her marriage to Paul Robertson and their move to Wollongong in 1999. She became an Infection Control Consultant in the Illawarra and southern Sydney until her retirement and a move to Brisbane in 2004.

In 1985 Elaine chaired the inaugural meeting of the Infection Control Association ACT (ICA ACT) and also in 1985 she was a member of the group that formed the Australian Infection Control Association (AICA). In 1987 she was convener for the first AICA conference held in Canberra and co-ordinated the writing of the first Infection Control Manual for the ACT.

In 2004 Elaine drafted three sections of the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing Infection Control Guidelines (2004). She has held Executive positions in ICA ACT and AICA. With others, she has been involved in research involving endoscopes.

Elaine completed writing the History of AICA – The First Ten Years. Until her retirement she was a member of the Royal College of Nursing Australia and is a Fellow of ICA NSW as well as a Life Member of AICA/ACIPC.

It is in Elaine’s honour and to perpetuate her ideals that this award was established in 2005 by ICA ACT.