A recognition she describes as a reflection of collective effort rather than individual achievement. 
 

Associate Professor Suzie Ferrie, Critical Care Dietitian at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPA), was recognised as a finalist in the highly competitive Researcher of the Year category at last night’s NSW Health Excellence in Allied Health Awards. 

The annual awards honour the contribution of allied health professionals across NSW, highlighting their role in delivering patient-centred care and advancing health outcomes. 

For Suzie, whose career in intensive care at the District spans more than two decades, the nomination shines a light on a body of research focused on some of the most complex patients in the health system. 

“I’m a dietitian in the ICU here at RPA… and most of my research has been based in ICU, looking at patients who are critically ill,” she said. 

Her work explores how critical illness fundamentally changes the body’s metabolism - challenging conventional approaches to nutrition. 

“When you’re critically ill, your metabolism changes… the ways we would normally work out what to feed people don’t really work,” she said. 

Patients in intensive care often present with multiple, overlapping conditions, making them difficult to study and treat using standard methods. Suzie’s research has focused on addressing these gaps - from determining appropriate protein requirements to developing ways to monitor whether patients are receiving too much or too little nutrition. 

With a strong focus on translating research into real-world practice, one of her most impactful contributions has been her publication on Pancreatic Enzyme Supplementation for Patients Receiving Enteral Feeds. The work provides practical guidance for administering pancreatic enzyme therapy to patients receiving tube feeding - an area where clinicians previously had limited direction. 

“There’s so many people that have benefitted from this one publication,” she said. 

The work has since been incorporated into clinical guidance, helping clinicians navigate a previously unresolved challenge and improving care for patients who cannot take medications orally. 

“Nobody does research by themselves as one person and nobody does healthcare by themselves as one person… it’s really recognising what a huge number of people have done,” Suzie said. 

She describes being named a finalist as an opportunity to acknowledge those contributions and the support that makes clinician-led research possible, while also highlighting the critical role of leadership in enabling research within busy clinical environments. 

“It’s only possible if your managers support research… I’m just so lucky that in our department we have so much support to actually do research as part of our clinical job,” she said. 

Her recognition as a finalist reflects not only her individual contribution, but the strength of collaboration across the District in advancing patient care through research.