Women, Families and Children

Associate Professor Stacy Blythe

Associate Professor Stacy Blythe is a Registered Nurse and a Research Academic. She completed her Bachelor of Nursing in 2003, her Honours in 2009 and her PhD in 2013. She holds both the Dean’s Medal and the University Medal for Academic Excellence. Her research focuses on the health and well-being of children in out-of-home care and their families (biological, foster/kinship and adoptive). As a lecturer in Infant Mental Health, she is particularly interested in infants who have been prenatally exposed to harmful substances (eg. illicit drugs). In addition to her nursing, teaching and research qualifications, Stacy has post graduate certification in Developmental Trauma. Stacy has also been an authorised foster carer for 16+ years. Drawing on her skills as a nurse, knowledge as a researcher and first-hand experience as a carer, Stacy has provided training (nationally and internationally) to health care workers, social service providers, foster/kinship carers and adoptive parents in relation to working with and supporting infants, children and young people who have a history of prenatal substance exposure and/or developmental trauma. Stacy is also the Deputy Director of the Translational Research and Social Innovation (TReSI) group based at the Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research. TReSI’s mission is to conduct translational research that develops and supports implementation of social and system innovations to ensure new treatments and research knowledge actually reach the patients/populations for whom they are intended and are implemented correctly.

Stacy's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Prenatal substance use/exposure
• Child protection and the out-of-home care system
• Infant mental health/attachment
• Developmental trauma

Stacy's main methodological expertise includes:

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

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

• 2 PhD
• 1 BAppSci(Hons)

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

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

Contact details

Phone: +61 404 063 538

Email: s.blythe@westernsydney.edu.au

Twitter:  @stacyleeblythe1

Associate Professor Elaine Burns

Elaine Burns is an Associate Professor of Midwifery and Director of Higher Degree Research and Honours, in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Elaine is an experienced midwifery clinician, educator and researcher. Her research is focussed on breastfeeding, midwifery practice/education and the experience of maternity care. In the topic area of breastfeeding Elaine is ranked number 6 in the SciVal list of Top 500 researchers in the Asia/Pacific. Elaine’s work is multidisciplinary and collaborative and is recognised nationally and internationally with a robust publication track record of more than 40 peer reviewed publications, and 60 conference and seminar presentations, including as invited speaker. Elaine has been awarded multiple research grants to further investigate barriers to breastfeeding and models of maternity care. Her work has been cited in broadcast and print media including more than 50,000 readers in articles written for The Conversation. Elaine is passionate about improving support during pregnancy, birth and the early transition to mothering.

Elaine's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Midwifery
• Breastfeeding
• Postnatal Care
• Pregnancy Care
• Birth
• Women's experiences of Maternity Care
• Migrant and refugee women's experiences
• Peer support
• Oral health
• Homebirth
• Models of care
• Young parents
• Education

Elaine's main methodological expertise includes:

Elaine has conducted large scale national surveys for the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data and has experience in managing large ARC funded projects including qualitative and mixed method studies. Qualitative methodologies include discourse analysis, ethnography, phenomenology.

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

• 3 BNHons
• 3 MRes
• 3 PhD

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

• 1 BNHons
• 2 MPhil
• 1 MRes
• 4 PhD

1. 2021 MPhil Jenni Doust (Primary Supervisor)
2. 2021 MRES Louise Duursma (Primary Supervisor)
3. 2021 PhD Hazel Keedle (Co-supervisor)
4. 2019 PhD Shu Fei Yang (Co-Supervisor)
5. 2018 PhD Jeni Stevens (Co-Supervisor)
6. 2018 PhD Titaree Phanwichatkul (Co-Supervisor)
7. 2017 MPhil Hazel Keedle (Co-Supervisor)
8. 2017 BN Honours Class 1 Heather Sassine (Co-Supervisor)

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 9685 9818

Email: e.burns@westernsydney.edu.au

Twitter:  @elainebdmidwife

Professor Hannah Dahlen

Professor Hannah Dahlen Hannah Dahlen AM is a Professor of Midwifery, Associate Dean Research and Higher Degree Research and Midwifery Discipline Lead in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University.

Qualifications: RN, RM, BN (Hons 1st class), MCommN, PhD, Grad Cert Midwifery (pharmacology), FACM Hannah Dahlen is the Professor of Midwifery, Associate Dean Research and Higher Degree Research and Midwifery Discipline Lead of Midwifery and in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University. She has been a midwife for 30 years.

Hannah has over 200 published journal articles and book chapters and has strong national and international research partnerships. She has received more than 20 grants since 2000, including being a CI on three NHMRC grants and an ARC Linkage grant. She has spoken at over 100 national and international conferences in the past 5 years and given invited keynote addresses at most of these.Hannah is regularly interviewed in the media and sought out for expert comment.

In 2019 Hannah was awarded a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia (General Division) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for her significant services to midwifery, nursing and medical education and research. In November 2012 Hannah was named in the Sydney Morning Herald’s list of 100 “people who change our city for the better” and named as one of the leading “science and knowledge thinkers” for 2012.

Hannah's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Midwifery
• Normal birth
• Birth interventions
• Media
• Water Birth
• Perineal trauma
• Incontinence
• Epigenetics
• Oral Health
• Health Policy
• Acupuncture
• Homebirth
• Birth Centres
• Fear
• Risk
• Birth trauma
• Human rights in childbirth
• Models of care
• Vaginal examination
• Maternal death
• Maternal complications
• Perinatal outcomes
• Young parents
• Obesity
• CALD women's outcomes
• Birth positions
• Birth experiences

Hannah's main methodological expertise includes:

Hannah has experience with both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. She has undertaken systematic reviews (meta-analysis and meta-synthesis) , randomised controlled trials, prospective cohort studies, retrospective cohort studies, population based studies, surveys, grounded theory, narrative analysis, phenomenology, ethnography, thematic analysis, content analysis (qual and quant), and mixed methods.

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

• 2 BNHons
• 2 MRES
• 9 PhD

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

• 6 BN(Hons)
• 5 M(Hons)
• 13 PhD

Hannah has had 6 Honours completions, all First Class Honours. Two of her Honours students received the University Medal in 2011 and 2016. In total Hannah has had 24 Honours/HDR completions since 2009.

1. 2009 - Jeni Stevens (BN Honours 1st Class) (Primary Supervisor) - Midwives’ and Doulas’ Perspectives of the Role of the Doula in Australia: A qualitative study
2. 2010 - Heather Pearce (BN Honours 1st Class) (Co-supervisor) – Pregnancy related low back and pelvic girdle pain: Listening to Australian women
3. 2011 - Holly Priddis (BN Honours 1st class and UWS University Medal) (Primary Supervisor) - Facilitating physiological birth positioning in two different birth settings: An ethnographic exploration into facilitators and inhibitors
4. 2016- Hannah Olley (BN Honours 1st Class) (Co-supervisor) . Facilitating closeness between babies with congenital abnormalities
5. 2017- Heather Sassine (BN Honours 1st Class) (Primary Supervisor) – The needs and experiences of women who choose homebirth in Australia: a national survey
6. 2017- Jo Hunter (BN Hons). (1st Class) (Primary Supervisor) The experiences of privately practising midwives in Australia who have been reported to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency: A qualitative study
7. 2012 - Felicity Copeland(Masters Hons) (Co-supervisor)Midwives interpretation of childbirth through photo elicitation
8. 2012 - Susan Harvey (Masters Hons - Award for best thesis 2014) (Co-supervisor) – Judgement, hope and identity: Stories of health care mothering in the perinatal period from women receiving opioid treatment
9. 2014 - Suha Hussein (Masters Honours – Award for best thesis 2014) (Co-supervisor) - The barriers and facilitators of introducing evidence-based practices around the use of episiotomy in Jordan.
10. 2015 - Hazel Keedle (Masters Honours) (Primary Supervisor) - Women’s reasons for and experiences of having a homebirth following a previous caesarean section.
11. 2018 Leonie Hewitt- (Masters Research- High Distinction) (Primary Supervisor). What attributes do Australian midwifery leaders identify as being essential to effectively manage a Midwifery Group Practice (MGP)?
12. 2013 - Christine Catling (PhD) (Co-supervisor) - The influences on women who choose a publicly funded homebirth
13. 2014 - Debra Betts (PhD) (Co-supervisor) – Acupuncture treatment in threatened miscarriage: A mixed methods study.
14. 2015 - Melanie Jackson (PhD) (Primary Supervisor) - Birthing Outside the System.
15. 2015 - Holly Priddis (PhD) (Primary Supervisor) – An evaluation of Health Services for women who have experienced severe perineal trauma: A mixed methods study.
16. 2015 - Mike Amour (PhD) (Co-supervisor) - The effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea: A mixed methods study
17. 2015 – Kate Levett (PhD) (Co-supervisor) - The Complete Birth Study: Effectiveness of a complex antenatal education program incorporating complementary medicine techniques for pain relief in labour and birth for first time mothers: A mixed methods study
18. 2018 - Jeni Stevens (PhD) (Primary Supervisor). Facilitators, barriers and implications of immediate skin-to-skin contact after caesarean section: An ethnographic study
19. 2018 Alison Teate (PhD) (Primary Supervisor). From Worry to hope: An ethnography of midwife-woman interactions in the antenatal appointment.
20. 2019 Lindsay Cole (PhD) (Co-supervisor) – Discourse Analysis on giving birth in South Australia: An ethnomethodological approach
21. 2017 Simone Ormsby (PhD) (Co-supervisor) - Evaluation of the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for antenatal and postnatal depression
22. 2021 Suha Hussein (PhD) (Co-supervisor) –Jordanian women’s perceptions od episiotomy and other birth interventions” an intergenerational qualitative study
23. 2021 Elizabeth Rigg (PhD) (Primary Supervisor) – The role of unregulated birth workers in Australia from the perspective of birth workers and women
24. 2021 Hazel Keedle (PhD) (Primary Supervisor) – The experiences of women planning a VBAC in Australia

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 9685 9118

Email: h.dahlen@westernsydney.edu.au

Twitter: @Hannahdahlen

Dr Rakime Elmir

Dr Rakime Elmir is a lecturer in both the nursing and midwifery directorates. Her passion is midwifery and believes in providing women the 'choice' to make informed decisions. Rakime completed her PhD in 2012 focusing on women's experiences of severe postpartum haemorrhage and emergency hysterectomy. Since completing her doctoral work, she has extended her research interests around father's experiences of traumatic birth and midwives experiences of obstetric emergencies.

Rakime's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Qualitative research
• Birth trauma
• High risk / complications in pregnancy and birth
• Father's birth
• Postnatal experiences
• Women's health

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

• Nil

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 4620 3372

Email: r.elmir@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Jann Foster

Dr Jann Foster main research expertise includes:

• Neonatal
• Infant and paediatric nursing and reflective practice: Including pain management of neonates, infants and children
• Nutrition and feeding of neonates and infants including gastrointestinal disorders
• Respiratory management of neonates and infants
• The use of technology in the neonatal intensive care setting

Jann's main methodological expertise includes:

• Historical research
• Descriptive qualitative research
• Randomised controlled trials
• Surveys
• Quantitative comparative studies
• Systematic reviews

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

• 1 BNHons

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 4620 3667

Email: j.foster@westernsydney.edu.au

Professor Donna Hartz

Professor Donna Hartz has a unique breadth of midwifery clinical, teaching, practice development, management, clinical governance, and research experience during her career. Donna has been a member of the leadership teams redesigning and evaluating the Royal Hospital for Women (Randwick) Caseload Midwifery Model, the Ryde Free Standing Midwifery Birth Service, the NSW Aboriginal Maternity Care Workers Demonstration Project (First Nation workforce development) and the Australian College of Midwives National Midwifery Guidelines for Consultation and Referral.

Donna's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Midwifery models of care
• Birthing on Country
• Aboriginal maternal and baby health​ and wellbeing
• Midwifery
• Midwifery Workforce Pathways
• Clinical Governance
• Child Protection

Donna's main methodological expertise includes:

• Randomised Controlled Trails
• Mixed Methods
• Cohort studies
• Community Participatory Action Research
• Survey design
• Indigenous​ methodologies

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

• 1 BMid Hons
• 2 MPhil
• 1 PhD

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

• 1 BMed Hons
• 2 PhD

1. PhD 2022, CDU Co-supervisor​ – An analysis of Inpatient patient suicide in Australia using The Human Factors Analysis and Classification System.
2. PhD 2020, USyd (Primary Supervisor & Aux Supervisor - Rightfully giving effect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s knowledge and cultures of ways of being, knowing and doing in public health policies.
3. BMed Honours 2006, USyd (Primary Supervisor) – The association between Postnatal Depression and Perineal trauma.

Contact details

Mobile:  +61 414 469 335

Email: d.hartz@westernsydney.edu.au

Twitter:  @DonnaLHartz

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

Dr Hazel Keedle

Dr Hazel Keedle is a Senior lecturer of midwifery at Western Sydney University, Australia. Hazel has worked in midwifery group practices, an aboriginal medical service, a variety of hospital settings and as a privately practising midwife in both city and regional locations. Hazel’s passion for vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) followed her own experience of having a VBAC with her daughter in 2008 and since then has published research on women's experience of having a VBAC at home and on her PhD work exploring women’s experiences of planning a VBAC in Australia. Hazel has a developing publication track record as an early career researcher, with 12 peer reviewed publications and was awarded the ACM NSW Pat Brodie research scholarship to develop a smartphone application in her PhD research. Hazel is currently the lead researcher on Australia's largest survey on women's experiences of maternity care, the Birth Experience Study. Hazel is passionate about improving support for women during pregnancy, birth, and the early transition to mothering.

Hazel's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC)
• Birth experience
• Birth trauma
• Interprofessional education
• Child and family health nursing
• Implementation science (scale-up of effective community-based interventions)
• Social and service innovation (particularly integrated community service systems)

Hazel's main methodological expertise includes:

• Mixed method studies and analysis
• Thematic and content analysis

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

• 1 MRES (Co-supervisor)
• 2 PhD (Co-supervisor)

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

• Nil

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 8738 9387
Mobile:  +61 418 436 600

Email: h.keedle@westernsydney.edu.au

Twitter:  @hazelkeedl

Distinguished Professor Lynn Kemp

Distinguished Professor Lynn Kemp is Director of the Translational Research and Social Innovation group in the School of Nursing and Midwifery Western Sydney University. Lynn has developed a significant program of community-based child health research that includes world and Australian-first intervention studies such as the Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting (MECSH) study, the first randomised trial of sustained nurse home visiting that is embedded in universal health services, and the subsequent right@home randomised trial of sustained nurse home visiting. She is now leading an international program of translational research, studying the implementation of these effective interventions at population scale world-wide in Australia, England, South Korea and the USA.

Lynn's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Child and family health nursing Implementation science (scale-up of effective community-based interventions) Social and service innovation (particularly integrated community service systems)

Lynn's main methodological expertise includes:

• Design and conduct of pragmatic randomized trials
• Quantitative studies and analysis
• Qualitative studies and analysis
• Mixed method studies and analysis

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

• 5 PhD

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

• 15 PhD

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 8738 9387
Mobile:  +61 418 436 600

Email: lynn.kemp@westernsydney.edu.au

Twitter:  @LynnKempWSU

Associate Professor Olayide Ogunsiji

Associate Professor Olayide Ogunsiji is a Registered Nurse and Senior Lecturer at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University. Her research focuses on women’s health with specific focus on violence against women, migrant and refugee women’s health and health of people of African descent. Her research topics are female genital mutilation, intimate partner violence, breast and cervical cancer screening and parenting practices. Dr Ogunsiji conducts her research in partnership with industry partners, community organisations and local, national and international collaborators. She supervises Bachelor of Nursing (Honours) and Higher Degree Research students. Dr Ogunsiji has featured in ABC Radio interviews, published in high impact journals and presented in conferences. Dr Ogunsiji is a multi-award winner. She was a finalist at the 2020 Western Sydney University Research Impact Competition, was the 2020 Blacktown Woman of the Year at the New South Wales Women of the Year Award and won the Dorothy Garrigus Adams 2021 Award for Excellence in Service at the Sigma Theta Tau International Honour Society International Awards..

Olayides's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Women's and Family Health
• Migrant and Refugee Women's Health
• African Women's Health
• Intimate Partner Violence
• Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Practices

Olayides's main methodological expertise includes:

• Qualitative Research
• Naturalistic Inquiry
• Hermeneutic Phenomenology

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

• 1 PhD
• 3 MRes
• 2 BNHons

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

• 1 PhD
• 2 BNHons

1. 2021-Suha Hussein (PhD) (Co-supervisor): Experiences of episiotomy for Jordanian women
2. 2018-Jacqueline Pangas (BN Honours 1st Class) ( Co-supervisor): Experiences of refugee women and families accessing health services in pregnancy and afterbirth: A meta-synthesis.
3. 2012- Patricia Ayerakwa (BN Honours) (Co-supervisor): The role of media in West African mothers' food choices for young children.

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 4570 1897

Email: o.ogunsiji@westernsydney.edu.au

Twitter:  @OlayideOgunsiji

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.

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

Kazem's main methodological expertise includes:

• Qualitative Research Methods
• Quantitative Research Methods
• Mixed Methods Designs

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

• Nil

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

Email: k.razaghi@westernsydney.edu.au

Professor Virginia Schmied 

Professor Virginia Schmied is Professor of Midwifery in the Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University and is the Health and Well-being Theme Champion at the university. Virginia holds a Visiting Professorship at University of Central Lancashire (UK). In her role she collaborates with other senior academics at WSU to build capacity in maternal and child health research.

Professor Schmied has a strong national and international reputation in the discipline of midwifery, and in the field of maternal and child health. She researches and supervises higher degree students in topics addressing the social and emotional health and well-being of women and men in the transition to parenthood, breastfeeding and young child feeding; perinatal mental health, particularly in vulnerable communities and researching improvements in service delivery and professional practice. She is particularly interested in how relationship-based care leads to improved health outcomes for women, children and families.

Professor Schmied has held national competitive grants from ARC and NHMRC and she has conducted consultancy work including leading the development of the national framework for universal health and development services to children and families the Australian Government. She has published over 200 refereed journal articles, book chapters and published reports and regularly presents (including as a key note speaker) at national and international conferences. Her research has been translated to policy and practice, for example through the development of health policy, models of care, teaching resources for consumers and health professionals.

In 2016 she was awarded the Vice Chancellor’s award for Excellence in High Degree Research Supervision and Training and in 2018 she led a team that was awarded the Vice Chancellor’s excellence in Learning and Teaching award for innovations in perinatal multidisciplinary learning and teaching.

Virginia's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Midwifery
• Maternal and child health; transition to parenthood
• Breastfeeding and young child feeding
• Perinatal mental health
• Vulnerable communities improvements in service delivery and professional practice

Virginia's main methodological expertise includes:

• Qualitative research ethnography
• Action research
• Participatory research
• Discourse analysis
• Mixed methods

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

• 1 BNHons
• 1 MHons
• 7 PhD

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

• 5 BN(Hons)
• 8 M(Hons)
• 48 PhD

1. 2021 - Jen Hocking (PhD) - How Do Lactation Consultants Support Women To Breastfeed?
2. 2021 - Hazel Keedle (PhD) -  What Are The Experiences Of Women Planning A VBAC From 36 Weeks Gestation To Birth In Two Australian Hospitals With Different VBAC Rates.
3. Madeleine Simpson (PhD) - Understanding The Development Of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Following Childbirth And It's Impact On Women Who Access Residential And Day Parenting Services In NSW.
4. Suha Hussein (PhD) - Jordanian Women's Perceptions Of Episiotomy And Other Birth Interventions: An Intergenerational Qualitative Study.
5. Philippa Mann (Conroy) - (PhD) - Co-Bedding Of Twins In The Neonatal Period? A Mixed Methods Study Exploring Variations In Practice And Perceptions In The Hospital And Home Setting.
6. Bridgit Philip (PhD) - Understanding Perinatal Mental Health In Indian-Born Immigrant Women And Men: A Mixed Methods Study.
7. Louise Everitt - (PhD) - Perinatal Interprofessional Psychosocial Education for Maternity Clinicians.
8. Hannah Skelton - (PhD) - Positioning of extremely premature infants.

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 9685 9505

Mobile:  +61 430 242 140

Email: v.schmied@westernsydney.edu.au

Twitter: @vschmie1

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

Dr Jenni Stevens

Jeni is a midwifery lecturer within the School of Nursing and Midwifery and is a passionate educator and researcher focused on improving maternal and and infant physiological and psychological outcomes.

Jeni has completed qualitative research on:

• Doulas in Australia
• Skin-to-skin contact between mothers and babies immediately after a caesarean section

She is currently conducting research on:

• Inducing lactation and re-lactation without birthing
• Antenatal breastfeeding education
• Maternal satisfaction with care after a caesarean section
• Surveying the marketing of breastmilk substitutes in four countries in relation to the World Health Organizations' related Code and subsequent resolutions

Jeni was also a lead in the development of an international guideline on skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth.

Jenni's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Skin-to-Skin Contact, breastfeeding and safe sleeping.

Jenni's methodological expertise includes:

• Qualitative methods
• Video ethnography

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

• 1 PhD

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

• Nil

Contact details

Mobile: +61 (0)410 563 924
Phone: (61) 02 3685 9070 
Email: jeni.stevens@westernsydney.edu.au
Twitter:  @JeniStevensS2S

Associate Professor Virginia Stulz

Associate Professor Virginia Stulz is currently working in a conjoint position between Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District and Western Sydney University. Virginia is currently Chief Investigator on one major research project in five Local Health Districts of NSW that improves birth options for women. She recently worked in NSW across four Local Health Districts on a major research project in an effort to improve and explore student midwives’ experiences. She mentors and supports midwives in the local health district with their research projects. She collaborates with other university academics across Australia and New Zealand as a member of the Trans Tasman Midwifery Education Committee (TTMEC) and is currently the Chair for the TTMEC. She is currently leading one national research project with this consortium that explores characteristics of support within new graduate programmes within Australia and has recently completed and published another study that focused on midwives’ experiences during COVID-19. In collaboration with other researchers, she has published 25 peer-reviewed journal articles over the past five years in areas of complementary therapies, midwifery education, factors affecting birth practices, gender-based violence and women’s health. Virginia is currently supervising six higher degree research students as a primary supervisor and co-supervising two students.

Virginia's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Midwifery education, factors affecting birth practices, gender-based violence and women’s health. Mixed methodologies.

Virginia's methodological expertise includes:

• Qualitative methods

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

• 4 PhD
• 1 MRES
• 1 BNHons

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

• 1 MR
• 2 PhD (Co-Supervisor)
• 1 BNHons (Co-Supervisor)

Contact details

Phone: +61 (0)408 427 612
Email: v.skinner@westernsydney.edu.au
Twitter:  @Virgini51194997

Dr Christine Taylor

Dr Christine Taylor is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, WSU, and Deputy Director of The New South Wales Centre for Evidence Based Health Care that supports nurses in systematic reviews and implementation reports. Christine is a supervisor of PhD and Honours’ students and has published in child and family health and nurse education. Christine is also an experienced educator, having spent around 25 years in higher education in a variety of roles, including senior governance positions. Christine's clinical experience extends over 30 years. The first half of her clinical career was spent in adult care and covered a variety of fields, such as medical, surgical, psychiatric, and aged care. The second half of her clinical career was with neonates, infants, and children, and included high dependency and critical care units and specialist medical units.

Christine's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Child and family health education

Christine's main methodological expertise includes:

• Systematic reviews

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

• 1 PhD

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

• 7 BNHons
• 1 PhD

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 409128880 or +61 2 9685 9029
Email: ch.taylor@westernsydney.edu.au
Twitter:  @christaylorwsu

Associate Professor Stacy Blythe

Associate Professor Stacy Blythe is a Registered Nurse and a Research Academic. She completed her Bachelor of Nursing in 2003, her Honours in 2009 and her PhD in 2013. She holds both the Dean’s Medal and the University Medal for Academic Excellence. Her research focuses on the health and well-being of children in out-of-home care and their families (biological, foster/kinship and adoptive). As a lecturer in Infant Mental Health, she is particularly interested in infants who have been prenatally exposed to harmful substances (eg. illicit drugs). In addition to her nursing, teaching and research qualifications, Stacy has post graduate certification in Developmental Trauma. Stacy has also been an authorised foster carer for 16+ years. Drawing on her skills as a nurse, knowledge as a researcher and first-hand experience as a carer, Stacy has provided training (nationally and internationally) to health care workers, social service providers, foster/kinship carers and adoptive parents in relation to working with and supporting infants, children and young people who have a history of prenatal substance exposure and/or developmental trauma. Stacy is also the Deputy Director of the Translational Research and Social Innovation (TReSI) group based at the Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research. TReSI’s mission is to conduct translational research that develops and supports implementation of social and system innovations to ensure new treatments and research knowledge actually reach the patients/populations for whom they are intended and are implemented correctly.

Stacy's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Prenatal substance use/exposure
• Child protection and the out-of-home care system
• Infant mental health/attachment
• Developmental trauma

Stacy's main methodological expertise includes:

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

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

• 2 PhD
• 1 BAppSci(Hons)

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

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

Contact details

Phone: +61 404 063 538

Email: s.blythe@westernsydney.edu.au

Twitter:  @stacyleeblythe1

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
• 1MRES

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

Dr Rakime Elmir

Dr Rakime Elmir is a lecturer in both the nursing and midwifery directorates. Her passion is midwifery and believes in providing women the 'choice' to make informed decisions. Rakime completed her PhD in 2012 focusing on women's experiences of severe postpartum haemorrhage and emergency hysterectomy. Since completing her doctoral work, she has extended her research interests around father's experiences of traumatic birth and midwives experiences of obstetric emergencies.

Rakime's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Qualitative research
• Birth trauma
• High risk / complications in pregnancy and birth
• Father's birth
• Postnatal experiences
• Women's health

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

• Nil

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 4620 3372

Email: r.elmir@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Linda Gregory

In 2016, Linda completed a professional doctorate in education at the University of Technology, Sydney. Her thesis,  'learning with and from others in clinical practice' answered questions about how and what registered nurses learned as they carried out every day work in acute care. Currently, Linda's research interests lie in nurse education, workplace learning, medication administration, clinical handover and more recently with the newly released code of professional conduct for nurses. Linda was also a recipient of an early career researcher grant in late 2018. This grant will be used to explore nurses’ experiences with the new electronic medication chart at two Sydney based hospitals in 2019.

Linda has had considerable teaching experience in both the clinical context as a Nurse Educator and in the tertiary environment, with undergraduate and postgraduate nursing programs. With an industry career involvement in the nursing profession spanning over 35 years, Linda has worked in major tertiary referral acute care hospitals in Sydney as a clinical nurse, clinical nurse specialist, nurse educator and as nurse manager for education (all at major teaching hospitals in Sydney). This experience has given Linda an expert understanding of the knowledge and skills required to practise in the nursing profession together with understanding the challenges faced by transitioning new graduate nurses. Linda has also worked in a regulatory environment as a professional officer for the former Nurses and Midwives Board of NSW (2004-2005) where she also acquired her interests in professional issues and nursing and midwifery regulation. Linda is also a current Professional Member for the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Linda's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Medication Administration
• Clinical Handover
• Patient Safety in Actue Care
• Workplace Learning
• Competence
• Professional and Regulatory Issues
• Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Linda's main methodological expertise includes:

• Qualitative Methods Research/Naturalistic Inquiry
• Spatial Theory
• Workplace Learning theories and Sociomateriality

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

• 1 PhD

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

• Nil

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 4620 3344

Email: l.gregory@westernsydney.edu.au

Dr Cannas Kwok

Cannas' main research interests and expertise includes:

Dr Cannas Kwok is a registered nurse specialised in oncology nursing. After completion her PhD in 2005, Dr Kwok has received the prestigious 'Early Career Development Fellowship' from the Cancer Institute NSW to continue her groundbreaking work in breast cancer research. This was an expansion of her doctoral research which focused on the attitudes of Chinese-Australian women to breast cancer prevention. Over the last ten years, she has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles in breast cancer screening behaviours and breast cancer survivorship among Chinese community and other ethnic groups.

Dr Kwok is interested in contributing to ethnic health research, particularly in the field of breast cancer screening. Dr Kwok has established a substantial network in the breast health and cancer screening promotion field. In 2012, Dr Kwok and the team have launched a culturally sensitive breast cancer support group for Chinese women with breast cancer, the first of its kind in Australia. The programs were well received by the community. As a result, Dr Kwok has built up a substantial network with community organizations. Being recognised as a leader in cancer research within CALD communities, she was invited to be the member of advisory board for a number of cancer screening promotion projects.

Cannas's main methodological expertise includes:

Dr Kwok's expertise includes cancer screening and survivorship care among ethnic groups. She has substantial experiences in both quantitative and qualitative methodology.

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

• 1 BNHons
• 1 M(Hons)
• 1 PhD

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 9685 9531

Email: c.kwok@westernsydney.edu.au

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

Associate Professor Olayide Ogunsiji

Associate Professor Olayide Ogunsiji is a Registered Nurse and Senior Lecturer at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University. Her research focuses on women’s health with specific focus on violence against women, migrant and refugee women’s health and health of people of African descent. Her research topics are female genital mutilation, intimate partner violence, breast and cervical cancer screening and parenting practices. Dr Ogunsiji conducts her research in partnership with industry partners, community organisations and local, national and international collaborators. She supervises Bachelor of Nursing (Honours) and Higher Degree Research students. Dr Ogunsiji has featured in ABC Radio interviews, published in high impact journals and presented in conferences. Dr Ogunsiji is a multi-award winner. She was a finalist at the 2020 Western Sydney University Research Impact Competition, was the 2020 Blacktown Woman of the Year at the New South Wales Women of the Year Award and won the Dorothy Garrigus Adams 2021 Award for Excellence in Service at the Sigma Theta Tau International Honour Society International Awards..

Olayides's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Women's and Family Health
• Migrant and Refugee Women's Health
• African Women's Health
• Intimate Partner Violence
• Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Practices

Olayides's main methodological expertise includes:

• Qualitative Research
• Naturalistic Inquiry
• Hermeneutic Phenomenology

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

• 1 PhD
• 3 MRes
• 2 BNHons

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

• 1 PhD
• 2 BNHons

1. 2021-Suha Hussein (PhD) (Co-supervisor): Experiences of episiotomy for Jordanian women
2. 2018-Jacqueline Pangas (BN Honours 1st Class) ( Co-supervisor): Experiences of refugee women and families accessing health services in pregnancy and afterbirth: A meta-synthesis.
3. 2012- Patricia Ayerakwa (BN Honours) (Co-supervisor): The role of media in West African mothers' food choices for young children.

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 4570 1897

Email: o.ogunsiji@westernsydney.edu.au

Twitter:  @OlayideOgunsiji

Dr Kate O'Reilly

Kate O’Reilly is a Lecturer with the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University and teaches into both the undergraduate and post graduate programs. Kate is the Director of International (Programs and Engagement), in this role she collaborates closely with Hong Kong Baptist University through the offering of the Master of Nursing (Clinical Leadership). Kate has recently completed her PhD and is awaiting conferral. She has contributed to over 20 peer reviewed publications and is a contributing author to book chapters and research reports. Kate has presented at over 20 conference both nationally and internationally. She has received best presenter awards within the School of Nursing and Midwifery and has represented the school on two occasions at the Western Sydney University 3 Minute Thesis competition finals.

Kate's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Rehabilitation following traumatic brain injury
• Working with vulnerable populations
• Women's Health

Kates's main methodological expertise includes:

• Qualitative

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

• Nil

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

• 1 BNHons

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 4620 3362

Email: kate.oreilly@westernsydney.edu.au

Twitter:  @kateoreilly20

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

Professor Lucie Ramjan

Lucie Ramjan is an Professor and Director of Academic Workforce (Parramatta) in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University. She is also a core member of the Translational Health Research Institute (THRI), Young & Resilient Research Centre and an affiliate member of the Centre for Oral Health Outcomes & Research Translation (COHORT) and the Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research.

Lucie graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing (Honours – 1st Class) in 2003 and was awarded a PhD in 2007. Lucie is a qualitative and mixed methods researcher who is committed to education and workforce research, research with adolescents and young people and mental health research, particularly in the area of eating disorders. Her research scholarship is characterised by interdisciplinary and international collaborations culminating in research outputs and funding success. Most notably Lucie is proud to have secured research funding as first CI on a competitive grant from The Ian Potter Foundation Ltd to develop and pilot test a mentorship program for people with anorexia nervosa. This followed further Research Development Strategic Initiative Funding through Western Sydney University to extend and pilot to people with any type of eating disorder.

Lucie was also invited to contribute to a White Paper on eating disorders and obesity which also secured funding. Lucie is currently supervising 8 research higher degree students and has supervised 12 students to completion [5 PhD; 1 MN(Hons); 1 MPhil; 5 BN(Hons)]. Lucie’s teaching excellence is evidenced by the receipt of two prestigious teaching awards. In 2011, Lucie received the College of Health & Science Learning and Teaching Award and in 2012 Lucie received an Office for Learning & Teaching (OLT) National Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning. Lucie continues to teach in both the undergraduate and postgraduate programs within the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University.

Other professional activities: Lucie is the Vice-President (WSU) of the Xi Omicron at-Large Chapter of Sigma and the Chair of the Adolescent & Young People Faculty of the Australian College of Nursing. She was previously the Associate Editor for Contemporary Nurse and is now a current Associate Editor for Nursing Open.

Prior to employment at Western Sydney University, Lucie was a clinician working with adolescents at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead (Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children) in roles as a Registered Nurse and Clinical Nurse Specialist.

Lucie's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Adolescent and Young People's Health
• Eating Disorders
• Education and Workforce

Lucie's main methodological expertise includes:

• Qualitative Research Methods

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

• 8 PhD
• 1 MPhil

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

• 5 PhD
• 1 MPhil
• 1 MHons
• 5 BNHons

1. 2014 - Chandra Poudel (Master of Nursing (Honours) (Co-supervisor) - Career Intention of Nursing Students in Nepal: The CARINA Study
2. 2016 - Rasmieh Al-Amer (PhD) (Co-supervisor) - Depression and Self-care In Jordanian Adults with Diabetes: The POISE study
3. 2016 - Christine Walker (BN (Hons) 1st Class) (Co-supervisor) - Unleashing the iPad’s potential: The lived experience of undergraduate nursing students when using the iPad for tertiary education
4. 2016 - Graham Sean Gough (BN (Hons) 1st Class) (Primary Supervisor) - Men in Nursing: Predictors and antecedents of retention in the first year undergraduate nursing program: The RETAIN Study
5. 2016 - Ghada El-Ayoubi (BN (Hons) 2nd Class, Div. 1) (Co-supervisor) - Beyond Hand Hygiene: Investigating Multi-resistant Organism Colonisation in the Intensive Care Unit: The BIOTIC Study
6. 2016 - Liz Flannery (BN (Hons) 1st Class) (Primary Supervisor) - End-of-Life Decisions in the Intensive Care Unit – Exploring the experiences of doctors and nurses
7. 2019 - Ibrahim Alananzeh (PhD) (Co-supervisor) - The unmet supportive care needs of Arab people affected by cancer (The SNAP study)
8. 2019 - Scott Brunero (PhD) (Co-supervisor) - A constructivist grounded theory of generalist health professionals and their mental health work
9. 2020 - Jacqueline Rojo (BN (Hons) 1st Class) (Co-supervisor) - CONerns During Clinical PlacemenT: The CONDUCT Project
10. 2021 - Gursharan Singh (PhD) (Co-supervisor) - Access and referral to palliative care for individuals with chronic heart failure
11. 2022 - Maricris Algoso (PhD) (Co-supervisor) - The value of undergraduate Assistant in Nursing (AIN) employment in the aged care setting: Developing transferable skills and increasing workforce readiness
12. 2022 - Rebekah Carter (MPhil) (Co-supervisor) - Feed-forward: Using annotated exemplars to promote student engagement and satisfaction

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 9685 9032

Email: l.ramjan@westernsyney.edu.au

Twitter:  @LucieRamjan

Associate Professor Virginia Stulz

Associate Professor Virginia Stulz is currently working in a conjoint position between Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District and Western Sydney University. Virginia is currently Chief Investigator on one major research project in five Local Health Districts of NSW that improves birth options for women. She recently worked in NSW across four Local Health Districts on a major research project in an effort to improve and explore student midwives’ experiences. She mentors and supports midwives in the local health district with their research projects. She collaborates with other university academics across Australia and New Zealand as a member of the Trans Tasman Midwifery Education Committee (TTMEC) and is currently the Chair for the TTMEC. She is currently leading one national research project with this consortium that explores characteristics of support within new graduate programmes within Australia and has recently completed and published another study that focused on midwives’ experiences during COVID-19. In collaboration with other researchers, she has published 25 peer-reviewed journal articles over the past five years in areas of complementary therapies, midwifery education, factors affecting birth practices, gender-based violence and women’s health. Virginia is currently supervising six higher degree research students as a primary supervisor and co-supervising two students.

Virginia's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Midwifery education, factors affecting birth practices, gender-based violence and women’s health. Mixed methodologies.

Virginia's methodological expertise includes:

• Qualitative methods

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

• 4 PhD
• 1 MRES
• 1 BNHons

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

• 1 MR
• 2 PhD (Co-Supervisor)
• 1 BNHons (Co-Supervisor)

Contact details

Phone: +61 (0)408 427 612

Email: v.skinner@westernsydney.edu.au

Twitter:  @Virgini51194997

Dr Kelly Baird

Kelly takes a collaborative, applied and community embedded approach to research, partnering with organisations delivering support services to children, young people and families. She has a particular research interest in addressing the service and support needs of those within our communities experiencing adversity or marginalisation. Kelly is also an advocate of child and youth-led research and the use of participatory research methods.

Kelly was awarded her PhD in 2015. Her doctoral research examined young children’s experiences of program participation and family life during involvement in an intensive, therapeutic, attachment-based parenting support program. Before commencing her PhD, Kelly worked in the non-government sector in both direct service work and research.

Kelly's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Children and families experiencing adversity
• Child and youth-led research/child voice research
• Social isolation
• Structured social relationship models to support social connection
• Volunteerism

Kelly's methodological expertise includes:

• Mixed methods
• Qualitative methods
• Effectiveness trials

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

• 1 PhD
• 1 MPhil

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

• Nil

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 8738 9380

Email: k.baird@westernsydney.edu.au

Associate Professor Stacy Blythe

Associate Professor Stacy Blythe is a Registered Nurse and a Research Academic. She completed her Bachelor of Nursing in 2003, her Honours in 2009 and her PhD in 2013. She holds both the Dean’s Medal and the University Medal for Academic Excellence. Her research focuses on the health and well-being of children in out-of-home care and their families (biological, foster/kinship and adoptive). As a lecturer in Infant Mental Health, she is particularly interested in infants who have been prenatally exposed to harmful substances (eg. illicit drugs). In addition to her nursing, teaching and research qualifications, Stacy has post graduate certification in Developmental Trauma. Stacy has also been an authorised foster carer for 16+ years. Drawing on her skills as a nurse, knowledge as a researcher and first-hand experience as a carer, Stacy has provided training (nationally and internationally) to health care workers, social service providers, foster/kinship carers and adoptive parents in relation to working with and supporting infants, children and young people who have a history of prenatal substance exposure and/or developmental trauma. Stacy is also the Deputy Director of the Translational Research and Social Innovation (TReSI) group based at the Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research. TReSI’s mission is to conduct translational research that develops and supports implementation of social and system innovations to ensure new treatments and research knowledge actually reach the patients/populations for whom they are intended and are implemented correctly.

Stacy's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Prenatal substance use/exposure
• Child protection and the out-of-home care system
• Infant mental health/attachment
• Developmental trauma

Stacy's main methodological expertise includes:

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

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

• 2 PhD
• 1 BAppSci(Hons)

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

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

Contact details

Phone: +61 404 063 538

Email: s.blythe@westernsydney.edu.au

Twitter:  @stacyleeblythe1

Dr Hazel Keedle

Dr Hazel Keedle is a lecturer of midwifery at Western Sydney University, Australia. Hazel has worked in midwifery group practices, an aboriginal medical service, a variety of hospital settings and as a privately practising midwife in both city and regional locations. Hazel’s passion for vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) followed her own experience of having a VBAC with her daughter in 2008 and since then has published research on women's experience of having a VBAC at home and on her PhD work exploring women’s experiences of planning a VBAC in Australia. Hazel has a developing publication track record as an early career researcher, with 12 peer reviewed publications and was awarded the ACM NSW Pat Brodie research scholarship to develop a smartphone application in her PhD research. Hazel is currently the lead researcher on Australia's largest survey on women's experiences of maternity care, the Birth Experience Study. Hazel is passionate about improving support for women during pregnancy, birth, and the early transition to mothering.

Hazel's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC)
• Birth experience
• Birth trauma
• Interprofessional education
• Child and family health nursing
• Implementation science (scale-up of effective community-based interventions)
• Social and service innovation (particularly integrated community service systems)

Hazel's main methodological expertise includes:

• Mixed method studies and analysis
• Thematic and content analysis

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

• 1 MRES (Co-supervisor)
• 2 PhD (Co-supervisor)

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

• Nil

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 8738 9387
Mobile:  +61 418 436 600

Email: h.keedle@westernsydney.edu.au

Twitter:  @hazelkeedl

Distinguished Professor Lynn Kemp

Distinguished Professor Lynn Kemp is Director of the Translational Research and Social Innovation group in the School of Nursing and Midwifery Western Sydney University. Lynn has developed a significant program of community-based child health research that includes world and Australian-first intervention studies such as the Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting (MECSH) study, the first randomised trial of sustained nurse home visiting that is embedded in universal health services, and the subsequent right@home randomised trial of sustained nurse home visiting. She is now leading an international program of translational research, studying the implementation of these effective interventions at population scale world-wide in Australia, England, South Korea and the USA.

Lynn's main research interests and expertise includes:

• Child and family health nursing Implementation science (scale-up of effective community-based interventions) Social and service innovation (particularly integrated community service systems)

Lynn's main methodological expertise includes:

• Design and conduct of pragmatic randomized trials
• Quantitative studies and analysis
• Qualitative studies and analysis
• Mixed method studies and analysis

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

• 5 PhD

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

• 15 PhD

Contact details

Phone: +61 2 8738 9387
Mobile:  +61 418 436 600

Email: lynn.kemp@westernsydney.edu.au

Twitter:  @LynnKempWSU

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.

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

Kazem's main methodological expertise includes:

• Qualitative Research Methods
• Quantitative Research Methods
• Mixed Methods Designs

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

• Nil

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

Email: k.razaghi@westernsydney.edu.au