Health Education and Workforce

Dr Rita Chang

Dr. Chang is an accomplished researcher and clinician with more than 20 years of experience in the field of aged care and dementia. She completed her PhD from the University of Sydney in 2009 and has held various leadership positions within nursing schools, where she has excelled in teaching and research. Dr. Chang has received numerous awards for her contributions to teaching, including the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Contribution to Teaching and Learning in 2010, 2011, and 2012, as well as the Award for Excellence in Job Management of the Year as Head of School in 2010. She has also been recognized for her research, receiving the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Research Supervision in 2022.

Dr. Chang has established and maintained partnerships with national and international institutions, collaborating on interdisciplinary research and supervising higher research degree students. She has secured funding from industry partnerships and government tenders for clinical research on feeding difficulties, dementia and driving, and delirium care, as well as a WHO iSupport project. Additionally, Dr. Chang serves on the Grants Committee of the Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG) Research Trust since 2021, Board of Directors, of Multicultural Communities Council of Illawarra (MCCI), founding President of Taiwanese Scholar Australia Association (TSAA), nursing home accreditation advisor, member of the committee of dementia and age-friendly city promotion, member of the committee of long-term care development panel and accreditation appraiser of residential aged care facility, by government invitation, to the Department of Health and Aging.

Rita's main research interests and expertise includes:

Dr. Chang's research interests include carer support in the aged and dementia care, cross-cultural dementia care, dementia education for health professionals and carers, and other forms of dementia care, as well as workforce development in a variety of aged care settings, including community, residential, and hospital. She is well-versed in the effects of increased cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity in consumers and the workforce on care models, communication, and care quality in aged and dementia care. Her most recent study focused on the knowledge translation of healthcare practitioners who work with the seniors and their families.

Rita's main methodological expertise includes:

• Qualitative studies (phenomenological study, focus group interview, Observational studies)
• Quantitative studies (cross-sectional study, randomised controlled trial, non-randomised or quasi-experimental trials, longitudinal study)

Currently supervising (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 5 PhD (Co supervisor)
• 1 PhD

Students to completion (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 3 PhD
• 1 MPhil

2021 Benjamin Mu-Hsing Ho (PhD) (Primary supervisor)-Strategies to Improve the Knowledge and Clinical Skills for Recognition and Management of Delirium of Critical Care Nurses
2023 Zhenyu ZHANG (PhD) (Co-supervisor)-A Machine-Understandable Ontology for Representing the Domain Knowledge Specific to Non-Pharmacological Treatment of Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia
2023 Alera Bowden (PhD) (Co-supervisor)-Exploring the impact of ageing simulation education on acute care nurses' older people
2014 Yun Yan Chen (MPhil) (Primary supervisor)-Effectiveness of Reminiscence therapy for people living with dementia in nursing home setting

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 9685 9034
Mobile:  +61 450 162 006

Email: r.chang2@westernsydney.edu.au

Twitter:   @RitaCha78298491

Dr Antoinette Cotton

Dr Antoinette Cotton is Senior Lecturer and the Academic Course Advisor for the Bachelor of Nursing (Honours), and Bachelor of Nursing (Advanced) programs in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University. She has extensive experience in participating and leading curriculum development at program and unit level, and at undergraduate, honours and postgraduate level. She is a registered nurse and registered midwife and has had a wide variety of clinical experience. She is a nurse academic experienced in qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods. She has supervised and co-supervised BN (Honours) students to completion and is currently co-supervising Master of Nursing (Honours), Master of Research and PhD candidates, and undertaking the role of principal supervisor for a doctoral candidate. She has a background in research, scholarship and publishing in the areas that include critical reflective practices, clinical supervision, health research in cyberspace, palliative care, workforce issues, women’s health, aged care and health issues related to vulnerable populations.

Antoinette's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Ethical Leadership
• Clinical Leadership
• Mentorship
• Clinical supervision
• Aged Care
• Women’s Health
• Cancer screening
• Disability Community
• Palliative Care
• Ethical and methodological issues in Online Research
• Education and workforce
• Curriculum design for undergraduate, honours and postgraduate programs
• Educational preparation for professional practice
• Critical reflective practices for the professions
• Experiences of students in nursing programs

Antoinette's main methodological expertise includes:

• Qualitative Research Methods
• Mixed Methods Designs
• Co-design Methodologies
• Translational Research

Currently supervising (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 2 PhD
• 1 MHons
• 1 MRES

Students to completion (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 1 PhD
• 4 MRES
• 2 BNHons
• 4 BAppsSc(Hons)

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 6985 9501

Email: a.cotton@westernsydney.edu.au

Professor Jane Frost

Professor Jane Frost is a Professor of Nursing. She is a Principal fellow of the Higher Education Academy and certified Lego® Serious Play® facilitator. Jane received an AAUT citation in 2021 for her work in nurse education. She is an experienced educator, clinician, and academic, and a TEDx Speaker. In 2017, Jane was the first person in Australian to be conferred as a Doctor of Nurse Practitioner. Jane has had an extensive clinical career and is passionate about education and work integrated learning. Jane enjoys teaching and employs innovative techniques to prepare students for the realities of clinical practice. To create authentic learning experiences, and enhance epistemic fluency, Jane uses simulation techniques such as Mask-Ed™, HoloLens (mixed reality headsets), 360-degree video, AI and virtual reality. Jane is internationally recognized for her work using technology in nurse and interprofessional education.

Janes's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Learning and Teaching
• Simulation
• Technology-enhanced learning and caring
• Aged care
• Dementia
• VR
• Extended reality
• Interprofessional education

Janes's main methodological expertise includes:

• Qualitative
• Mixed Methods
• Phenomenology

Currently supervising (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 5 PhD

Students to completion (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 1 PhD

1. 2019 Louise Nicholson (Professional Doctorate of Nurse Practitioner(research)) (primary supervisor) Barriers and enablers for the Australian oncology nurse practitioner to engage in research in and on practice: A descriptive phenomenological study.

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 4620 3322

Email: j.frost3@westernsydney.edu.au

Twitter: @JaneFrostWSU

Dr Paul Glew

Dr Paul Glew has a Bachelor of Nursing, Diploma of Teaching, Bachelor of Education, Graduate Certificate in TESOL, Graduate Certificate in Clinical Science (Intensive Care Nursing), Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics (TESOL), Master of Nursing, and a Doctor of Education degree.

Paul's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Clinical communication in nursing education and healthcare
• Academic literacy and English second language assessment, teaching and learning
• Literacy and language program design in education and nursing

Paul's main methodological expertise includes:

• Qualitative and mixed methods research

Students to completion (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 3 BNHons
• 1 PhD

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 4570 1163

Email: p.glew@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Masoud Golakani

Dr Golakani is an experienced researcher and clinician with a passion for investigating the immune system's role in disease and injury. With a PhD in Medicine from UNSW, he has conducted research on neuroinflammation in spinal cord injury. Prior to his PhD, he obtained a Master of Philosophy in immunology from Macquarie University.

Dr Golakani is also a Registered Nurse with over 15 years of clinical experience, during which he provided comprehensive care to patients and their families in medical/surgical nursing. In addition to his clinical work, Dr Golakani held teaching positions at Western Sydney University, Macquarie University, and the University of Notre Dame Australia, where he trained and supervised students and staff, developed and managed research projects, and interacted with various stakeholders.

Dr Golakani’s research has been published in several peer-reviewed journals and a book chapter. He has presented his findings at various national and international conferences. Dr Golakani has also served as a peer reviewer for different journals and has received funding support from various organizations. Driven by a passion to improve healthcare outcomes, Masoud continues to explore new avenues of research, including the use of simulation in nursing education.

Masoud's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Immunology
• Neuroinflammation
• Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)
• Simulation in Nursing education

Masoud's main methodological expertise includes:

• Statistical Analysis including descriptive and inferential statistics and non-parametric tests
• Experimental Designs including randomization and control group selection
• Data Collection, Management, and Visualization including data entry protocols, data quality control, data cleaning
• Epidemiological Analysis such as calculating incidence rates, relative risks, and odds ratios
• Ethical Considerations
• Publication and Communication

Currently supervising (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• Nil

Students to completion (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• Nil

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 4570 1922
Mobile:  +61 425 287 300

Email: m.golakani@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Leanne Hunt

Dr Leanne Hunt is a Senior Lecturer in Nursing and Deputy Director, Clinical Education (Nursing), in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the Western Sydney University. Leanne began nursing in 1992 as an RN progressing to CNC (trauma) and NUM 1. Leanne worked in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Paediatric cardiothoracic intensive care for 2 years. Leanne has 11 years of education and research experience and is the current chair of the Critical Care Research in Collaboration & Evidence Translation (CCRICET) research group. Leanne is an affiliate member of the Centre for Applied Nursing Research (CANR), Centre for Oral Health Outcomes & Research Translation (COHORT) and the Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research. Leanne is a qualitative and mixed methods researcher focusing on critical care practice/patient outcomes, workforce development and clinical practice experience. Leanne’s work is collaborative and multidisciplinary and has impacts on critical care patients, families, student nurses, the future nursing workforce and the profession of nursing.

Leanne's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Critical care
• Workforce development
• Undergraduate clinical placement

Leanne's main methodolgical expertise includes:

• Qualitative
• Mixed methods

Currently supervising (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 2 PhD

Students to completion (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 1 BNHons

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 4570 1676

Email: l.hunt@westernsydney.edu.au

Associate Professor Leeanne Heaton

Associate Professor Leeanne Heaton is Deputy Dean in SoNM.  Previous to working in the educational sector, Leeanne held various roles in the clinical environment as a paramedic, nurse, midwife and flight nurse.  Leeanne is an experienced academic who has been heavily involved in educational and professional governance.  She has had extensive experience in curriculum development and has a passion for using simulation as a pedagogy to support learning in nursing education.  She is an inaugural Fellow with the Western Sydney University Badugulang Centre for Teaching and Learning Excellence Foundation and is affiliated with the Australian Nurse Teacher’s Society, Australian Academic Integrity Network and Association for Tertiary Education Management.

Leeanne completed her own PhD in the use of simulation as a pedagogy in preregistration nursing programs and was a team member for a major Office of Learning and Teaching grant around the integration of patient safety into curriculum using simulation: Preparing undergraduates for the workforce in the context of patient safety through innovative simulation-TAG Team Patient Safety Simulation (TTPSS). (ID15-4983) .  She has a background of cross university and cross discipline research and publications re patient safety, curriculum, simulation and aspects of student engagement.

Leanne's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Curriculum Design
• Curriculum Development
• Curriculum renewal and transformation
• Simulation in Heathcare
• Interprofessional Education
• Digital Health
• Patient Safety and Quality
• Health Policy
• Leadership and Management
• Leadership in Nursing
• Patient Reported Outcomes

Leanne's main methodolgical expertise includes:

• Qualitative

Currently supervising (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 5 PhD

Students to completion (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• Nil

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 9685 9869
Mobile:  +61 400 0626 
Email: l.heaton@westernsydney.edu.au
Twitter: @LeeanneHeaton

Dr Diana Jefferies

Dr Diana Jefferies is a lecturer in the school of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University. She has twenty-five years' experience in acute clinical nursing specialising in mental health and HIV Nursing. She has academic qualifications in Arts Based research methods such as historical analysis and literary criticism. Her current research program integrates her nursing and arts-based background to examine descriptions of mental health issues in historical and literary contexts.

Diana's main research interests and expertise includes:

• The Lived Experience of Illness
• Mental Health
• Patient Centred Care
• Medical and Health Humanities
• Womens Health

Diana's main methodological expertise includes:

• Qualitative Research - Narrative Arts based research methods especially historical and literary analysis

Currently supervising (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 1 BN (Hons)
• 1 MRes

Students to completion (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 1 PhD
• 1 BNHons

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 9685 930
Mobile:  +61 409 125 256
Email: d.jefferies@westernsydney.edu.au
Twitter:  @DianaJefferies7

Associate Professor Lauretta Luck

Associate Professor Lauretta Luck is the Director of the Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Research, a conjoint position of the SoNM, WSU and Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District. Lauretta supports and mentors Nurse Clinicians undertaking research focused on improving patient care and outcomes and nursing evidence based practice. Lauretta has many years teaching in the tertiary sector both at Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels and has experience in numerous governance and leadership roles. Lauretta was the recipient of a Women’s fellowship grant (WSU) (2018) exploring violence towards nurses from the Nurse Managers’ perspective. In 2019, in collaboration with the NBMLHD Safety Culture Coordinators (Nurse Educators), she attracted NaMO and Louisa Hope funding to implement resilience and mindfulness workshops for nurses to provide strategies to respond to the problem of violence. Lauretta supervises undergraduate and postgraduate research students including Bachelor of Nursing (Hons), Master of Research and PhD students and mentors Bachelor of Nursing (Advanced) students. Lauretta’s research skills include case study design, mixed methods research and qualitative designs.  Her areas of research include violence towards nurses, nursing workforce issues and nursing education. She has published in, and reviews, national and international journals and has presented a national and international conferences.

Lauretta's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Violence towards nurses
• Nursing education
• Nursing workforce

Lauretta's main methodological expertise includes:

• Qualitative research
• Case study
• Mixed methods

Currently supervising (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 5 PhD
• 1 MRes

Students to completion (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 2 PhD
• 3 BNHons

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 4734 3181
Email: lauretta.luck@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Fiona McDermid

Dr Fiona McDermid is a lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Dr Fiona McDermid completed her PhD in 2017 on the transition of clinical nurses to academia under a framework of liminality. Following on from her doctoral work, Fiona is further exploring the concepts of resilience and transition within workforce and communities. She is currently involved in a project centered on emergency departments highlighting the concept of resilience and retention and was successful in obtaining an Early Career Research grant for this study. She is also involved in the Women's Health stream of research and is currently undertaking work on women's experiences of menopause. She has published and presented research both nationally and internationally.

Fiona's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Women's Health
• Emergency Workforce Resilience

Fiona's main methodological expertise includes:

• Qualitative studies and analysis

Currently supervising (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 2 BNHons
• 1 PhD

Students to completion (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• Nil

Contact details

Mobile:  +61 408 675 169
Email: f.mcdermid@wsternsydney.edu.au
Twitter:  @fiona_McDermid

Dr Tiffany Northall

Tiffany Northall completed the Bachelor of Nursing, Master of Nursing with distinction and her PhD at Western Sydney University. She also completed a Graduate Certificate in Nursing Education. Tiffany has been a lecturer at Western Sydney University in undergraduate and post graduate nursing. Throughout her nursing career she worked in a variety of positions including primary health care, palliative care, emergency department and was a clinical nurse specialist in discharge planning. Tiffany’s research focuses on the care of older people in hospital, nursing homes and in the community with a specific interest in transfers of care. She also has an interest in the transition, retention and success of enrolled nurses who enter the Bachelor of Nursing degree. Tiffany has applied a variety of research methodologies including phenomenology and mixed methods.

Tiffany's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Aged Care
• Undergraduate nursing student retention
• Success Health professionals decision making
• Critical reflective practices for the professions

Tiffany's main methodological expertise includes:

• Phenomenology Qualitative Methods

Currently supervising (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 1 PhD
• 1 MRES

Students to completion (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)2 BNHons

• 1 BNHons

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 4620 3368

Email: t.northall@westernsydney.edu.au

Twitter:  @TiffanyNorthall

Professor Kath Peters

Professor Kath Peters RN BN (Hons) PhD is an academic in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University.  Kath has extensive clinical nursing and research experience with a strong background in health research and qualitative methodologies.  Kath is actively engaged in research and regularly disseminates research outcomes in peer reviewed journals and at national and international conferences.

Kath's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Nursing Workforce
• Women's and Family Health
• Vulnerable Populations

Kath's main methodological expertise includes:

• Qualitative Research
• Feminist Research

Students to completion (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 8 PhD
• 8 BN (Hons)

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 4620 3567

Email: k.peters@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Kazem Razaghi

Dr. Kazem Razaghi is a Registered Nurse and Lecturer, with an extensive academic and research background. In 2010, he successfully completed his PhD in Social and Behavioral Sciences in Health at The University of Sydney. Additionally, he possesses a master's degree in Health Promotion. Dr. Razaghi's research is focused on exploring the mental health, well-being, and overall quality of life among young individuals including those placed in out-of-home care, as well as their families. He also holds postgraduate certification in Drug and Alcohol studies, reflecting his keen interest in research within this field. He has actively contributed to various research grants, encompassing a wide range of topics, including Substance Abuse. Kazem's research endeavors are characterized by their multidisciplinary and collaborative nature. One of his most recent projects involved collaboration with an international university and resulted in a publication in the year 2022. He has presented his research findings at conferences and seminars and has successfully published his work in peer-reviewed journals. He has been supervising Higher Degree Research students.

Kazem's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Substance Abuse
• Young people's health and well-being, including those in out-of-home care
• Mental health and well-being
• Behavioural change
• Social determinants of health
• Clinical Leadership
• Clinical supervision
• Men's Health
• Education and workforce
• Curriculum design for undergraduate and postgraduate programs
• Experiences of students in nursing program

Kazem's main methodological expertise includes:

• Qualitative Research Methods
• Quantitative Research Methods
• Mixed Methods Designs
• Co-design Methodologies
• Translational Research

Currently supervising (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 3 BNHons
• 1 PhD

Students to completion (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 1 BNHons (Medical Sciences)

1. 2013 Victoria Buckley, (BN Honours 1st Class) (The University of Sydney) - secondary supervisor

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 9685 9447

Mobile:  +61 404 912 115

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7142-0836

Email: k.razaghi@westernsydney.edu.au

Associate Professor Athena Sheehan

Athena Sheehan is a Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University.

Qualifications: RN, BN, RM, MN, PhD

Athena's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Midwifery
• Breastfeeding
• Midwifery education
• Women's experiences of midwifery care
• Midwifery workforce
• Homebirth
• Breech birth
• Mentoring
• Models of care
• Antenatal education

Athena's main methodological expertise includes:

Athena has experience with a wide variety of qualitative and quantitative methodologies. This includes:

• Grounded theory
• Discourse analysis
• Qualitative descriptive analysis
• Metasynthesis
• Quasi-experimental design
• Mixed methods
• Experimental design

Currently supervising (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 1 BN(Hons)
• 1 M(Hons)
• 5 PhD

Students to completion (PhD), (MHons), (BNHons)

• 1 BM(Hons) (First Class)
• 1 M(Hons)
• 5 PhD

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 9685 9068

Email: a.sheehan@westernsydney.edu.au