Meet the IBD Clinical Nurses Specialists for Capital & Coast, Wellington.

Lisa Griffiths

My name is Lisa Griffiths and I have been working as an IBD nurse at Wellington Hospital now for 8 years. I work at both Wellington Hospital and Kenepuru Hospital running nurse led clinics.

I grew up in Wellington and studied at Massey University completing my Bachelor of Nursing. I completed my post graduate diploma in nursing science recently through Victoria University. Studying has been beneficial for personal and professional growth and I am hoping to continue to do my Master’s in Nursing in 2023. I started my nursing training at Wellington hospital and then moved to the UK to start my overseas experience working in London and travelling the world. After four years of adventures, I decided to move home.

I worked at Wakefield Hospital for six years, becoming second in charge of their endoscopy unit. The opportunity arose to apply for the clinical nurse specialist role in IBD at Wellington Hospital and I was thrilled to apply. The job has been both rewarding and empowering. I especially enjoy the autonomy of the role. I enjoy working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, making a difference in the lives of our patients with a chronic disease and their whanau and being accessible to help patients when they are having flares which impact their daily lives.

The population of IBD is growing throughout NZ so Wellington Hospital now also has Carissa Jackson who has joined me in July 2022. We will continue to grow this service with our consultants to help people through their journey with IBD. We are also thrilled that Kerry Dellabarca has been appointed the role of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Child Health Clinical Nurse Specialist at Wellington’s new children’s hospital, Te Wao Nui.

Carissa Jackson

Hello, I’m Carissa Jackson. I am a registered nurse working as an IBD Clinical Nurse Specialist at Wellington Hospital. I received my Bachelor of Nursing degree from Massey University. I have completed post-graduate papers and am continuing my studies in 2023. I started my nursing career in older person’s health and have mostly worked in adult surgical units. I began working in the gastroenterology field in early 2022 and commenced my IBD specialist role in July 2022.

I am enthusiastic about working with our patients and their families, along with our fellow IBD nurses and doctors to deliver the best care to our patients. What I enjoy most about my role is the relationships that we build with our patients and families and providing the specialist nursing care and education needed to support our patient’s health and wellbeing.

Kelly Dellabarca

Hello, I am Kerry Dellabarca and I am the Clinical Nurse Specialist for children with IBD for the Wellington Region. This is a newly established role and I will be working Thursdays and Fridays and alternate Wednesdays 8am - 4.30pm. For the last ten years I have been working in the Wellington Children’s Community Nursing team as a Specialty Clinical Nurse. Last year I completed my Registered Nurse prescribing authority and this year I received my Master’s in Nursing Science.

I am always happy to be contacted to discuss any issues. I am really looking forward to working with the children and their families in our service to support them through their journey with IBD.