Susi Tegen

Susanne 'Susi' Tegen is an Austrian-born Australian educator, speaker and advocate for rural and remote health. She is currently the CEO of the Australian National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA).
==Early life==
Tegen was born in Salzburg, Austria, and attended school in Vienna before migrating to South Australia as a teenager, where she lived and worked on a sheep, cattle, and cropping property in the Limestone Coast region.https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-reviews-and-consultations/consultations/submissions-discussion-paper-boosting-commercial-returns-research/submission/9137 Tegen has lived and worked in various regions across Australia, including South Australia (SA), Victoria, New South Wales (NSW), and remote Northern Territory (NT), as well as in Vienna, Austria grounding her advocacy for rural and remote health.
==Education==
Susi's education was directed by her personal experience on the land, and laid the foundation for her career. After attending Scotch College, in Adelaide, she completed a BA at the University of Adelaide, and Postgraduate Diploma of Education from the University of New England in 1986. She advanced her leadership capabilities with a MBA at the University of Melbourne in 2006, along with qualifications in organizational leadership, change management and rural leadership from James Cook University, Australian Graduate School of Management, University of NSW , and the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation.
==Career==
Personally Susi grew up, living and working in remote and rural areas, and was a partner in a sheep meat and wool, cattle trading and grain property in the Limestone Coast for 30 years.
Tegen has ascribed her knowledge and expertise across partnerships, leadership, and public relations in health, diplomacy, education, agribusiness, primary industry, and economic development to bridge the gap between rural and urban services access.
Health organizations that have benefited from her advisory and leadership include The Medical Technology Association of Australia, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmology, The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association, and the University of Adelaide Rural Clinical School.https://ranzco.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Annual_Report_2012.pdf
Beyond the health sector, she fosters regional alliances between her home country of Austria and SA and NT communities in her role as the Austrian Consul for South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Her work and advocacy has been recognized through awards including the South Australia Great Award in Medicine and Health (2009), the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) Rural Women’s Award and the Nokia Business Innovation Award at the Telstra SA Business Women's Awards.
===Boards, committees and advisory roles===
Tegen is a member of the Health Workforce Scope of Practice Review Committee and the National Rural Health Strategy Advisory with the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. Her advisory contributions extend to a non-executive director role with the Australian Orthopedic Association, and membership of the Autism CRC (Australia)chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.autismcrc.com.au/best-practice/sites/default/files/resources/Assessment_and_Diagnosis_of_Autism_Guideline_Draft_Admin_and_Tech.pdf. In medical education, she had roles with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
===Public speaking and media===
As the CEO and primary spokesperson of the National Rural Health Alliance, Tegen gives her voice to rural and remote health, mental health, and the digital health divide. In 2023, she addressed the Australian Local Government Association's National General Assembly, the Rural & Remote Health Scientific Symposium, and the RAI Regions Rising National Summit.https://www.conferenceco.com.au/ALGA_NGA/2023NGA-RegBro-WEB.pdfhttps://www.ruralhealth.org.au/16nrhc/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2022-08-02-5pm-Program.pdf
Her ongoing contributions to publications and interviews include education around the disparity between country and city living, rural health fundinghttps://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/rural-australia-missing-out-on-655-billion-in-health-funding-report/news-story/8b96b8dd13cba3f03c784a2a8146fcd2, and the challenges faced by rural healthcare systems.
Category:People from Salzburg
Category:Australian educators
Category:Loudspeakers
Category:Advocates
Category:Austrian people