History of St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: June 16, 2025

St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, located in Darlinghurst, is a major tertiary referral hospital and research facility. While integrated into the NSW public health system, it's operated by St Vincent's Health Australia. The hospital maintains affiliations with the University of Notre Dame Australia and the University of New South Wales Medical School, supporting education and research endeavors.

1923: Affiliation with University of Sydney

In 1923, St Vincent's Hospital was originally affiliated with the University of Sydney

October 1968: First Australian Heart Transplant

In October 1968, St Vincent's Hospital performed the first Australian heart transplant. The team was led by Harry Windsor. The patient, Richard Pye, survived for 45 days after the operation.

1968: Affiliation Change

In 1968, St Vincent's Hospital changed its affiliation from the University of Sydney to the University of New South Wales.

October 1982: First AIDS Patient Diagnosed

In October 1982, Dr. Ron Penny and Dr. David Cooper are credited with diagnosing the first patient with AIDS in Australia at St Vincent's Hospital.

1982: First Successful Cardiac Transplant

In 1982, St Vincent's Hospital conducted its first successful cardiac transplant. While Windsor led the team, the surgeon who conducted the first successful transplant was Victor Chang.

1983: Specialized Emergency Department Developed

In 1983, St Vincent's Hospital was the first hospital in Australia to develop a specialised emergency department (ED) under Dr. Gordian Fulde.

April 1984: First Female Heart Transplant Recipient

On 7 April 1984, Fiona Coote became Australia's youngest and first female heart transplant recipient at St Vincent's Hospital at the time.

1984: Australasian College for Emergency Medicine Founded

In 1984, Dr. Gordian Fulde, Director of Emergency at St Vincent's ED, pioneered the development of specialised emergency medicine in Australia and a year prior to founding the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.

1986: First Needle Exchange Program

In 1986, St Vincent's Hospital instituted Australia's first needle exchange program, an effort to stem the spread of the virus among IV drug users, a controversial idea at the time.

1996: Joined Sisters of Charity Health Service

In 1996, St Vincent's Hospital joined the Sisters of Charity Health Service, becoming part of Australia's largest not-for-profit health care provider.

2001: Hospital Upgrade

In 2001, St Vincent's Hospital underwent extensive upgrades.

2004: Bed Closures

In 2004, St Vincent's Hospital was forced to close beds due to inadequate government funding.

2006: Research and Biotechnology Precinct Construction

In 2006, building work commenced on Stage 1 of the St Vincent's Research and Biotechnology Precinct, a joint partnership between the hospital, the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute.

March 2007: Surgical Ward Closure

From January to March 2007, St Vincent's Hospital was forced to close an entire surgical ward to cut costs.

November 2007: Closure of Immunology Ward

On 24 November 2007, St Vincent's Hospital announced the closure of its immunology ward due to advances in HIV treatment and reduced patient admissions. The decision, made shortly before World AIDS Day, was met with protests.

2008: New Facility Construction

In 2008, building work commenced on a new facility within the grounds of St Vincent's that will encompass a mental health, drug and alcohol, and community health unit.

2008: University of Notre Dame Australia Opens Darlinghurst Site

In 2008, the University of Notre Dame Australia opened its Darlinghurst site, home to the Sydney branches of its Schools of Medicine and Nursing, co-located with St Vincent's Hospital.

2008: Centre for Applied Medical Research Programs

Since 2008, the St Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research has operated a number of research programs that are engaged in research pertaining to immunology and cell biology, relevant to diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS and inflammatory disease.

2009: Stewardship Transferred

In 2009, the Sisters of Charity transferred the stewardship of St Vincent's Health Australia to the Trustees of Mary Aikenhead Ministries.

2012: Kings Cross ER: St Vincent's Hospital TV Series

From 2012, St Vincent's Emergency Department featured in the Australian television series Kings Cross ER: St Vincent's Hospital.

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2014: World's First Dead Heart Transplant

In 2014, St Vincent's Hospital performed the world's first dead (donation after circulatory death [DCD]) heart transplant on Michelle Gribilar. A few weeks later, Jan Damen received the world's second dead heart transplant.

2015: Kings Cross ER: St Vincent's Hospital TV Series

Until 2015, St Vincent's Emergency Department featured in the Australian television series Kings Cross ER: St Vincent's Hospital.

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2016: Gordian Fulde Steps Down

In 2016, Dr. Gordian Fulde stepped down as Director of Emergency, after being the longest-serving director of an Australian ED at St Vincent's.

2016: Review Finds Factual Errors

In 2016, a government-ordered review found St Vincent's Hospital made "factual errors" and "key omissions" after it was revealed that 78 patients were under-dosed with the chemotherapy drug carboplatin.

2017: Parliamentary Committee Report Leaked

In 2017, a parliamentary committee report investigating the chemotherapy dosing matter at St Vincent's Hospital was leaked, raising the possibility of a cover-up, which the hospital rejected.

2018: Lotto Winner Donation

In 2018, a five-time Lotto winner donated $50,000 to St Vincent's Hospital's cardiac services.

June 2020: Indigenous Flexi-Clinic Implemented

In June 2020, St Vincent's Hospital implemented a new Indigenous Flexi-Clinic aimed at improving the care of Aboriginal patients.

2020: Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre (PECC) Implemented

In 2020, the emergency department at St Vincent's was the first in Australia to implement a Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre (PECC).

July 2021: COVID-19 Footage Released

In July 2021, footage of patients in St Vincent's Hospital's intensive care unit infected with COVID-19 was released publicly. The NSW Government used a photograph of an infected patient from the ward as part of its campaign to urge the public to stay home in an attempt to curb the spread of the Delta variant.

December 2021: Incorrect COVID-19 Test Results

On 26 December 2021, SydPath (St Vincent's Pathology) admitted that more than 400 COVID-19 positive people were incorrectly notified that their PCR test results were negative. Two days later, another 486 people who were issued a negative COVID-19 test result by SydPath have actually tested positive for the virus.