The extraordinary life of regional pathologist Dr Wieslawa Wielebinski

Dr Wieslawa Wielebinski is NSW Health Pathology’s Local Pathology Director for Western NSW and Far West Local Health Districts. It’s a role that spans some of the most remote and geographically vast regions in the state, taking in Broken Hill, Dubbo, Orange, Cowra, Forbes, Mudgee, Walgett, Bathurst and Bourke. But her story begins far from rural Australia. In this interview, Wiesia reflects on her childhood in Poland and the profound impact of growing up during the early years of WWII before her family emigrated to Australia, building a new life in regional Tasmania. She describes moving away to study medicine in Queensland and later in the UK, eventually settling in regional New South Wales with her own family. A highly skilled generalist pathologist with more than 40 years of experience across public and private practice, Wiesia shares some of the challenges and rewards of delivering pathology services in regional NSW. She also explains why pathologists are essential to the health and sustainability of regional communities.