Dr Nabrees Sinnalebbe is a Specialist Medical Administrator and Chief Medical Officer who believes that geography should never determine the quality of care a person receives. As Executive Director of Medical Services & CMO at Mildura Base Public Hospital (MBPH) — a large sub-regional tertiary teaching hospital serving over 80,000 people across the tri-state border of Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia — Nabrees has built his career around a simple but courageous conviction: that systemic problems demand systemic solutions, and that real change is measured in outcomes, not intentions.
That conviction has driven results. Confronted with a 40% junior doctor vacancy rate and a regional community bearing the consequences, Nabrees refused to accept the status quo. His response — a bold, integrated International Medical Graduate strategy combining innovative recruitment pathways, workplace-based assessment, and a comprehensive workforce retention model — reduced vacancies to zero within 30 months, cut locum reliance by 96%, and tripled doctor tenure. The work earned him the 2026 Gold Stevie Asia Pacific Award for Innovative Management in Health Care Industries, and more importantly, delivered lasting continuity of care to a community that had long gone without it.
Beyond workforce transformation, Nabrees has pioneered Victoria’s largest rural generalist training model, established an end-to-end Rural Generalist training pathway, and integrated the Victorian Single Employer Model to strengthen training continuity across the region. He drives quality and safety improvement across clinical operations, contributes as a member of the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC), and serves as Chair of the Victorian Rural Generalist Program for the Loddon Mallee Region. He is also an accreditation site surveyor with the Postgraduate Medical Council of Victoria.
At the heart of everything Nabrees does is a deep commitment to healthcare equity — nurturing people, building capability, and having the courage to design systems that work for the communities others overlook.
Nabrees holds Fellowships with the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators (FRACMA) and the Australasian College of Health Service Management (FACHSM), and is completing a Master of Health Management and Leadership at UNSW.
