Our 2026 Elizabeth Pinkerton Memorial Award Winner!
Dr Denise Chan, Paediatric Neurologist and Epilepsy Specialist
Denise is a neurologist and epilepsy specialist at the Sydney Children’s Hospital. Denise’s nominations came from parents of children living with TSC.
Denise was the only health care professional to receive two nominations this year.
Her nominations came from parents of children living with TSC, who said:
Nomination 1:
I am delighted to nominate Dr Denise Chan for the Elizabeth Pinkerton Memorial Award in recognition of her outstanding dedication to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by Tuberous Sclerosis Complex.
Our son, has profound and complex medical needs, including refractory epilepsy associated with TSC. Throughout his care, Dr Denise has consistently demonstrated exceptional clinical expertise, compassion and genuine commitment to our family.
What sets Dr Denise apart is not only her medical knowledge, but the way she always puts our son first as a person. She is incredibly responsive, always replying to questions promptly and making every effort to fit our son in for urgent appointments when his condition changes. Knowing that we can rely on her during difficult times provides enormous reassurance to our family.
One moment that perfectly captures who Dr Denise is occurred at our son’s most recent appointment. She knew that our son absolutely loves guitars, so she brought her own guitar to his appointment simply so she could play it for him. It was such an unexpected and thoughtful gesture that brought him immense joy, it was purely because she wanted to make his experience special. In the midst of managing a child with complex medical needs, she took the time to connect with him through something he loves.
Dr Denise Chan combines outstanding medical care with kindness, empathy, and a genuine understanding of what matters to her patients and their families. She has made an immeasurable difference to our son’s quality of life and to our confidence as his parents.
Nomination 2:
Dr. Denise Chan has been our son’s neurologist since he was born and received his clinical diagnosis of TSC2. She was the person who sat with us when he was just two days old and confirmed that he had TSC.
I still remember that conversation. We were completely overwhelmed and trying to take in what this diagnosis meant for our son and for our family. Denise obviously had to give us the facts, but what stayed with me was how she did it. She was kind, calm, incredibly empathetic and genuinely present with us. She somehow made the hardest news we had ever received a little easier to hear.
Since then, Denise has been there through so much. She has guided us, listened to us, supported us and, during some of the darker times, been someone we could cry to. She has never made us feel like we are asking too much or taking up too much of her time, even though we know how busy she is.
She is an incredibly intelligent doctor and we have so much trust in her clinical judgement. But what we admire just as much is how much she does for the wider TSC community. She is constantly learning, travelling to conferences, sharing her knowledge, advocating for families and being involved in clinical trials and research. We know that the work she is doing is helping not just our son, but so many other children and families living with TSC.
And then there are all the little things that probably aren’t part of her job description at all.
Denise has sat on the floor with us in hospital rooms, just talking, listening and being there. She has stayed for a chat after hours when she should be home with her own family. She has got to know us and has let us get to know her too. We have shared some really lovely moments together in amongst a lot of difficult ones.
She always gives us that little bit extra. She remembers things. She checks in. She stops for a chat. She makes time for our son, even when we know there are so many other families who need her.
We trust her implicitly, and we know how lucky we are to have her looking after him.
TSC is something we will live with for the rest of our lives, and having Denise beside us has made that journey very different. She has given us reassurance when we have needed it, hope when things have felt really hard, and a sense that we aren’t doing this completely on our own.
She has also made hospital a less frightening place for us. We have spent a lot of time in hospitals, and somehow we can walk into an appointment feeling anxious and overwhelmed and often walk out feeling lighter. Sometimes even laughing.
We love Denise because she cares about our son, but she also cares about us. We honestly cannot imagine having anyone else beside us on this journey, and we would love for Denise to receive the Elizabeth Pinkerton Memorial Award because we know just how much she gives to the families she looks after.
Denise said she felt stunned and emotional at this recognition.
“Wow, that is so incredibly lovely. It’s really the children and families who deserve the award, for being TSC champions every single day.”