Celebrations
Professor Jane Maguire has been inducted into to the SIGMA International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame
Jane will receive her award at the Nursing Research Congress in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in July. Jane is very deserving of this honour as it recognises her considerable research achievements over more than two decades.
Jane is also in the spotlight for the International Society of Nurses in Genetics. Read about it in ISONG newsletter.
School Research Celebration for 2022
Held on 9 February, 2023.
Attendance was consistent throughout the day with up to 26 attendees. The quality of the presentations and projects, high level of engagement and strong evidence of a growing national and engagement presence by members of the school demonstrated the growth of a thriving and healthy research culture.
School Research Awardees for 2022
Awards were given to the following school members in public recognition of a consistent, high-quality research outputs, and are always a highlight of the year, and 2022 was no exception.
These awards are based on overall research outputs.
Best Early Career Researcher: Dr Muhammad Chutiyami (Scholarly output 19, 117 citations, H index 5)
Best Middle Career Researcher: Dr Leila Gholizadeh (30 publications, 168 citations, H index 18)
Senior Researcher Publication Overall Best impact: Prof. Tracy Levett-Jones 'An Evidence-Based Checklist for Improving Scoping Review Quality'. DOI: 10.1177/1054773819846024
Best Publication: FWCI 2022- shared by Prof Kathleen Baird, A/Prof. Christine Catling. DOI: 10.1016/j.wombi.2021.03.006
Impressive Achievement: Dr Loretta Musgrave- Excellence in Thesis
Congratulations to…
Katie Tunks Leach (PhD candidate)
Katie was awarded the Jean Ker Prize for Most Innovative Presentation at the 9th International Clinical Skills Conference.
The title of the presentation was ‘Don’t tell me what’s wrong, teach me what works: A positive approach to understanding empathic encounters with healthcare professionals’.
This presentation profiled the preliminary findings from a research project conducted by an international collaborative team affiliated with the Empathy Initiative research group: Katie Tunks Leach, Tracy Levett-Jones, Samantha Jakimowicz, Ellie Barker, Kirsten Jack, Helen Rook, Caz Hales, Linda Streit, Gwen Sherwood, Bodil Holmbeg and Mats Holmberg.
Isabelle Faber (student)
Isabelle has been accepted into a one-month residency with the Brocher Foundation (Switzerland) in September 2024. Her proposal "“Midwives involved in disciplinary proceedings, which have resulted in protective orders imposing conditions on the midwife’s registration. An analysis of published decisions spanning from 2010 to 2022” has been selected for implementation during the 2024 Brocher Foundation programme. The Foundation will also grant her their scholarship which includes airfare and daily allowance.
Jack Cornish
Jack has been a successful applicant for the Jawun secondment program, commencing October 14 of this year. Jawun has partnered with UTS to offer a 6-week immersive secondment, where UTS staff members connect with Indigenous-led organisations to work together on a community project. Jack will be traveling to Ceduna on the West coast of South Australia and will be working in a youth outreach and community health context. He'll report back when he returns to work in Sydney late November!
Dr Priya Saravanakumar (Level C nursing academic)
Priya has been given this prestigious award: Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing Award from the National Hartford Centre of Gerontological Nursing Excellence.
Priya brings a wealth of research expertise as a Senior Lecturer of Older Person Wellbeing at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). She has broad experience in gerontology research and nursing education and a nursing career that has spanned over two decades. Priya is an active member of our new research institute INSIGHT and has developed expertise in older person nursing research and teaching scholarship that focuses on developing practical interventions to improve the experiences of aging across various cohorts, which includes those residing in aged care facilities, community dwellings, and individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Dr Elizabeth Brogan, School of Nursing and Midwifery (SoNM)
Elizabeth secured a Prestigious SPHERE Nursing and Midwifery Researchers Grant. Elizabeth is an inaugural member of the Nursing and Midwifery Implementation Science ECR Group, along with peers, Dr Nicola Straiton (St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney, USyd) and Dr Helen Goldsmith (The Sydney Children’s Hospital Network), with support from Professors’ Sandy Middleton (ACU Nursing Research Institute) and Caleb Ferguson (UOW and Adjunct, UTS) The team have been awarded a grant to host a symposium entitled: "Charting the Future of Healthcare: N&M EMCR symposium". This grant will provide an opportunity for the team to host a much-needed symposium for future researchers and provide a platform for a tailored think tank to promote and support all Early Career Researchers.
News
HDR Networking event
On 31 January we held the School inaugural HDR, Industry and UTS staff networking event at the Four Points Sheraton, on Broadway. We had over 35 attendees and representation from industry, potential industry HDR students, staff and current HDR students.
It was a resounding success with feedback comments that included;
When I came in this morning I felt that the weight of the PhD was on my shoulders, I felt alone and unsupported, but this afternoon I feel supported and not alone. I feel the joy of conducting research. It is no longer a burden and I have made friendships and connections with many other students, industry and UTS staff. Thank you!
– HDR Student in private communication
Dr Suzanne Sheppard-Law continues to expertly manage and guide our HDR students as they progress through their candidature. Please let Suzanne know if you are looking for new students or have any queries regarding the HDR space.
ECR/MCR Career Retreat
The School held the ECR/MRC Research Career Retreat on 23-24 February 2023.
The purpose of this time away from the office was to brainstorm ideas and develop strategies to better support the researchers in the school. This was a lively and engaged retreat with 11 attendees who bonded over shared ideas and quality time spent together.
We discussed what the group thought the challenges to being a successful researcher were, and discussed institutional and individual barriers and brainstormed innovative supportive ideas for actions to better enable our school researchers.
Professor Marilyn Cruickshank
In May, Marilyn was interviewed for an ABC article and discussed whether someone could be immune to COVID-19.
Read the full article: "It's been three years and I still haven't caught it - does that mean I'm immune to COVID-19?"
HDR Writing Retreat
On 6-7 September, Professor Jane Maguire and Dr Priya Saravanakumar embarked on a writing retreat with 15 of our HDR students to Q-station, Manly.
Below are some testimonials from our HDR students that attended:
I just wanted to write to you to thank you for the opportunity to attend the HDR writing retreat this week at the Q Station, it certainly exceeded my expectations. Supporting a truly immersive experience over 2 days in a beautiful and tranquil setting really enhanced the experience. It felt like a real break from the usual routine and promoted productivity.
It was a great opportunity to meet and connect meaningfully with other students. At times a PhD can feel quite isolating and overwhelming, and it was so good to share experiences amongst peers and learn from each other. I really do hope that I have the opportunity to attend more writing retreats in the future - it really has helped me achieve some clarity and celebrate my PhD journey so far.
Look forward to seeing you and the students again soon.
- Jenny Green
I feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity to attend this writing retreat. The venue (Q Station) is incredible, steeped in history and surrounded by beautiful bush and wildlife with stunning harbour views from almost every spot.
Being given the time and space, away from work, family, life generally, to focus on my studies enabled me to really focus. Two days of absolute focus on my work is such a luxury and I made some great progress. I also connected with a fantastic group of fellow HDR students who were all so inspiring and great company.
Thank you Jane and Priya for your leadership and encouragement, and for enabling us to attend.
- Helen Donovan
University Health Students’ Challenges and Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Integrative Literature Review
This review focused on COVID-19 challenges, coping strategies, and university support for health students. It analysed 19 studies with 3,967 participants across academic levels.
Key findings included challenges in psychological and educational aspects, coping strategies like routines and social support, and university-provided support.
In conclusion, health students faced COVID-19 challenges, highlighting the need for a health awareness campaign to promote effective coping strategies and healthy habits.