Dr Keith Howard was named the regional NSW winner of the Humpty Dumpty Foundation’s Michelle Beets Memorial Award at a lavish ceremony at Sydney’s Four Seasons Hotel earlier this month. 

Dr Howard, a general paediatrician and the medical lead of the northern Children's Healthcare Network, is based at Maitland Hospital, where he helps co-ordinate a variety of programs aimed at improving children’s health around the state. 

The award was presented to Dr Howard by the NSW Secretary of Health, Elizabeth Koff at the Humpty Dumpty Foundation’s Great Humpty Ball.

It comes with another hefty bonus for Maitland, with the hospital to a receive a piece of medical equipment of Dr Howard’s choice worth up to $20,000 from the Humpty Dumpty Foundation. 

Dr Howard first started work in Maitland in 1979, working in several capacities at Maitland Hospital before being appointed director of paediatrics. 

In 2014 Dr Howard commenced employment at John Hunter Children’s Hospital with the aim of reducing the general paediatric wait-lists and was appointed senior staff paediatrician at Armajun Aboriginal Health Service in Inverell.  

His held multiple leadership positions across the Hunter New England Local Health District with roles across various committees, including the NSW Health Paediatric Standardisation of Care Committee.

In 2014, he was elected as Board Member of the Children’s Health Australasia, contributing to improving infant and child health care throughout Australia and New Zealand.      

“His work and commitment, as attested by his peers who nominated him, goes above and beyond including assisting at hospitals in the area that experience staffing shortages as well as closing the gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children,” said Humpty Dumpty Foundation chairman, Paul Francis.