CQUniversity alumnus Tracey Sweeney once charmed the judges of the Miss World pageant with her beauty and vibrant personality and now has been awarded as a star performer in her career with Queensland Health.

Ms Sweeney won the major award at Queensland Health's inaugural Awards for Excellence 2010 for the Central Queensland Health Service District.

Tracey Sweeney wins the Queensland Health Award for Excellence.Vice-Chancellor Scott Bowman was on hand to present the award to the former CQUniversity marketing student in Rockhampton recently.

As the Strategic Recruitment Officer at Queensland Health since August 2009, her role has been to recruit skilled medical workers to regional and rural areas - no easy feat as history shows.

"My position was newly created and it provided me with an opportunity to start fresh and try some ‘out of the box' ideas that the district had never explored before," Ms Sweeney said.

"Enticing health workers to regional areas is harder than most would think and it is my job to figure out how we are going to get them and keep them here."

District Chief Executive Dr Coralee Barker said Tracey had been working very hard to come up with solutions to the recruitment problem and had achieved well in just 7 months.

"Tracey has been working on a campaign highlighting the fantastic opportunities in Central Queensland - on a professional level and as a lifestyle destination.

"She has been promoting the philosophy: Live Work Love CQ, using a heart motif recognising the fact we are in the heart of Queensland.

"Not only have our staff embraced the concept, but Tracey's fresh approach to advertising and promoting senior positions in the district has already attracted new staff members."

Queensland Health District Chief Executive Dr Coralee Barker and CQUniversity Vice-Chancellor Scott Bowman present the award to Tracey in Rockhampton.Ms Sweeney said she has found the job extremely rewarding.

"When you see one of your campaigns work and as a result recruit to that difficult-to-fill position, you know that you are relieving a bit of pressure that is put on our health workers."

She said there are so many benefits of living and working in regional and rural Queensland.

"I love the short commutes and the fact you can leave home for work at 7:45am and still be 5 minutes early to start at 8am. I also think the opportunities for career development within the region are excellent for young people."