Our Team

Penny TimmsSenior Health Reporter

Penny Timms is a multi-platform health reporter. She has a particular interest in consumer health, future preparedness, and medical science. Penny joins The Australian following a background in public and independent journalism in Sydney, London, the Northern Territory, and Queensland.

Latest

‘lucky to be alive’Medical

Australian-first study estimates 24,000 deaths a year associated with smoking. Picture: Getty Images/The Australian

‘It took a heart attack for me to quit’: alarming rate Aussies are dying from smoking

Worrying findings from a study examining tobacco smoking and cause-specific mortality have raised the alarm on Australia’s biggest killer.

Penny Timms

EXCLUSIVEHealth

14/2/25 - NSW Governor Margaret Beazley at Government house. She is talking to The Australian about women's health and her own experience of navigating her health and life and work. Picture Ryan Osland

‘I got the shock of my life’: when the NSW Governor became aware of her diagnosis, she took action

NSW Governor Margaret Beazley was thrown when the results of a general health exam indicated she has a condition that can be a prelude to osteoporosis.

Penny Timms

MEDICARE REFORMHealth

Significant pre-election pledges have been made to make it easier and cheaper to see a GP. Picture: iStock.

Labor’s $8.5bn bulk-bill boost ‘no quick fix’: doctors

Doctors have warned Labor’s $8.5bn plan to extend bulk-billing incentives will not immediately lead to everyone in Australia getting to go to the doctor for free.

Penny Timms

Outback Long Ridewellbeing

Sarah Wheeler rides across NSW and Queensland

After a double tragedy, this is how Sarah Wheeler found purpose in grief

Driven by sorrow but also determination, Sarah Wheeler embarked on a charity horseback ride 290 days ago. On Saturday, she returns home.

Penny Timms

MATERNITY CLOSURESHealth

25-11-2024 Barwon Health Foundation is launching its Wish Upon A Star Christmas Appeal that helps parents like Tyla and Dale Anderson who have just welcomed their son Hamish, born prematurely at 31 weeks and is currently receiving care at Barwon Health's Special Care Nursery. Picture: Brad Fleet

Private maternity services to close in Darwin and Hobart

Embattled private hospital provider Healthscope has announced the closure of its maternity services in Darwin and Hobart.

Penny Timms

‘HOW AM I GOING TO PAY FOR THIS?’Health

11/2/25: Aalia Ahmed and her cat Leo for a feature story about her experience of fighting breast cancer but then also how her treatment put her into menopause and she was given little warning or information before it happened. John Feder/The Australian.

Battling cancer was no walk in the park. I wasn’t prepared for what came next

When Aalia Ahmed visited her doctor about her ‘strange symptoms’, he assured her she was not going crazy.

Penny Timms

PROSTATE SCIENCEHealth

13/02/2025. Christian and Vicki Edouard-Betsy, photographed in Chatswood in SydneyÃs North. Christian has prostate cancer which is currently being successfully treated with a new therapy. Britta Campion / The Australian

How Christian’s prostate cancer went from ‘out of control’ to undetectable

Scientists ‘excited’ by promising trial results showing men with aggressive prostate cancer felt better and lived longer when taking a combined therapy.

Penny Timms

‘GOT MY LIFE BACK’Health

Reema Murray has been attending a specialised menopause clinic since Novemver. Picture: Supplied.

What the government’s boost to menopause support means for women

For women who experience adverse effects of menopause, help can be hard to come by. Soon, experiences such as Reena Murray’s should be the norm, not the exception.

Penny Timms

EXCLUSIVEHealth

Business NSW CEO Dan Hunter and his triplets. Picture: Supplied

Meet the CEO balancing work, life, and triplets

Juggling a corporate job, a personal life, and 13-year-old triplets is not for the faint of heart. But Dan Hunter would not have it any other way.

Penny Timms

Hospital fundingHealth

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos - February 5, 2025: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler hold a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Hopes for five-year deal dead: premiers

Anthony Albanese announces $1.7bn as an interim funding measure for public hospitals as his government fails to reach agreement with states before the WA election being called.

Sarah Ison and Penny Timms

Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/penny-timms/page/6