About Helen

“I like helping people to make a difference, encouraging people to break out of the stereotypes and molds and to pursue their goals and dreams.

There is something exciting about sharing my stories, along with my failures and triumphs and showing people that if I can do it, they can too.”

Contact Helen Now

My Career at a Glance

Over the last 25 years my Nursing and Paramedical work has exposed me to Emergency Departments, Rural and Remote Areas, and Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Responses. As a result I have advanced clinical skills and am adept at working both professionally and flexibly in unstable and unpredictable environments.

Working closely with different cultures, including Indigenous Australians, Refugees, People Seeking Asylum and people with disabilities, I have highly developed interpersonal communication skills and am able to deliver results whilst being conscious of cultural and political sensitivities and always ensuring best practices and standards are maintained. I have vast experience enriched with diversity and it is this foundation of knowledge that can allow me to shape your project.

I have vast experience working autonomously in remote Indigenous communities and during Disaster responses, such as the Nepal Earthquake and Typhoon Hyan in the Phillipines, and I am able to effectively and confidently take responsibility and make difficult decisions without the need for constant supervision. Equally, working both in the hospital setting and on the frontline, I am experienced in working as a member of a broader team and productively collaborating on risk assessments, problem solving, planning, advising, debriefing and evaluating.

I have a Masters of Nursing ( Emergency), Certificate IV in training small groups and a Graduate Diploma of Science (Paramedic).

“I was lucky enough to share the TEDx stage as one of the guest speakers alongside Helen Zahos in 2018. Her speach was incredible! She captivated the audience with her moving stories that brought tears from both laughter and heartbreak. After listening to Helen’s talk I was so inspired to go out in my community and just be better. Helen is a rare kind of leader and an inspiration to us all!”

Anthony Ikin
Creative Director + Choreograopher

What I Stand For

I stand for doing good for humanity without discrimination or prejudice.

I stand for providing people with kindness, hope, empathy and compassion.

I stand for caring and treating people with dignity and respect, no matter their situation, culture, religion or gender.

I stand for encouraging people to break out of their stereotypes and to pursue their goals and dreams, achieving what they until recently thought was impossible.

I stand for inspiring women to become role models in society and to simply make the difference!

I stand for Helen Zahos and I thank you for trusting me to share my experiences with you and to inspire your people to become leaders in their community.

CONTACT HELEN NOW

Helen working for WYI Nurses in Action in Kenya

Nurses in Action

Nurses in Action (NIA) is a team program which provides a unique, powerful and immersive experience for volunteers. The program is held over 3 weeks (Nepal) or 4 weeks (Kenya) and allows nurses and allied health professionals aged 18 – 65 to provide primary healthcare services to people living in remote communities.

Helen Zahos

BN; MNEmerg; GDipSCParamed; GCertHRes; FRSA; MACN

Helen is a Humanitarian, Emergency Nurse and Paramedic who has volunteered in disaster areas around the world and has cared for some of the world’s most vulnerable people. Helen has volunteered in Iraq in IDP Camps, in Nepal after the earthquake and Philippines after the Typhoon, as well as assisting during the Syrian refugee crisis on the border of Greece. Since then she has worked in Emergency Departments in Tertiary hospitals; in Remote Indigenous Communities; attended Disaster Responses both locally and internationally, and worked with Asylum seekers and Refugees.

Helen grew up on Groote Eylandt, a remote Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory of Australia. She completed her Nursing and Paramedic studies in Darwin, where she was working in the Emergency Department and was involved with the Royal Darwin Hospital Response to the Bali Bombings.

“I am extremely proud to inspire people, particularly young women, and to be a role model in the community. When people tell me how they have changed after hearing my stories, it makes me realise how my work inspires others, and by sharing my experiences, I really can make a difference.”

Awards and Recognitions

Helen is recognised internationally for her volunteer humanitarian work and has been nominated for multiple awards including:

2020

Gold Stevie award – Medical Frontline Hero
Gold Stevie award – Mentor and coach – Not For Profit
Silver Stevie award -Woman of the Year – Not for Profit
Silver Stevie award – Female Innovator of the Year – Not for Profit
Bronze Stevie award -Backline Medical Hero of the Year

2019

Finalist for volunteer of the year QLD
Speaker, CSW NGO Forum – “Economic Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs through the sustainable Development Goals”, United Nations 63rd Commission, March 2019 New York.
Speaker, UNSDG Health Summit – “Non-communicable Diseases” (World Health Assembly side event), United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction Global Platform, May 2019 Geneva.

2017

International Greek Women’s Awards
Australian of the year QLD

2016

Australian of the year QLD
Hellenic Australian Chamber Commerce and Industry award for Community Service

Member

National focal point (Australia) and Regional Advisory Group (Asia-Pacific) for the Global Network of Civil Society for Disaster Reduction (GNDR)
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA)
Member of the Australian College of Nursing (MACN)
The Health and Disaster Management Advisor to the Commonwealth Business Women’s Network (CBWN)