Staff profile

Dr Virginia Dickson-Swift

Senior Lecturer

Faculty of Health Sciences

La Trobe Rural Health School
Department of Health and Environment

HHS-1.15, Bendigo

 

Qualifications

B Pub Hlth Hons DM Myers Medal, PhD (La Trobe)

Membership of professional associations

Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA), Health Promotion Australia, Australian Association for Qualitative Research

Area of study

Public Health

Brief profile

Virginia is a Senior Lecturer in the La Trobe Rural Health School based at the Bendigo campus. She is the undergraduate course coordinator for the Bachelor of Health Sciences at Bendigo. She teaches across a broad range of undergraduate and post-graduate courses in the School. Her research interests focus on challenges to public health and her strengths lie in qualitative methodologies.

Research interests

Rural and Regional Health

- Community Participation

Teaching units

PHE1SDH Social Determinants of Health

PHE2PHP Principles of Public Health Practice

PHE5ARM Research Methods

PHE5QLR Qualitative Research Methods

Recent publications

Sawtell, J, Dickson Swift, V, Verrinder, G (2010) ‘It’s not all tied up with bureaucrats and funding. Autonomous volunteer participation in the rural settlement of refugees, Australian journal social issues, vol. 45, no. 4,  pp. 543-558

Antoniazzi, D., Dickson-Swift, V and Snow, P (2010) Teacher identification of children at risk for oral language impairment in the first year of school. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology 

James EL, Ward B, Dickson-Swift V, Kippen S & Snow S. (2009) Best practice in research methods assessment: opportunities to enhance student learning. In: M Garner, C Wagner & B Kawulich (Eds.) Teaching Research Methods (pp. 139-152). Surrey England: Ashgate.   Dickson-Swift, V., Kippen, S., James, E., Talbot, L., Verrinder, G., (2009) A non-residential alternative to off campus writes' retreats for academics. Journal of Further & Higher Education.33 (3) pp. 229-239.   Dickson-Swift, V., James, E., Kippen, S. and Liamputtong (2009) Researching sensitive topics: Qualitative research as emotion work. Qualitative Research. Vol 9 (1) pp 61-79.   Dickson-Swift, V., James, E. L. and Liamputtong, P (2008) Undertaking Sensitive Health Research: Managing Emotions, Boundaries and Risk: Cambridge University Press   Johnson, N, and Dickson-Swift, V. (2008) “It usually happens in older women”: Young women’s perceptions about breast cancer” Health Education Journal 67(4) 243-257   Ward, B., Dickson-Swift, V., James, E.L., Snow, P., Spark, J. and Verrinder, A. (2008) Incorporating research training into undergraduate pharmacy courses: A case study from Australia. Pharmacy Education   Dickson-Swift, V., James, E. L., Kippen, S. and Liamputtong, P. (2008) Risk to researchers in qualitative research on sensitive topics: Issues and strategies. Qualitative Health Research 18(1) pp. 133-144   Dickson-Swift, V., James, E. L., Kippen, S. and Liamputtong, P. (2007) Doing sensitive research: What challenges do qualitative researchers face? Qualitative Research 7(3) pp 327-353   Lewis, C., Dickson-Swift, V., Talbot, L. and Snow, P. (2007) Regional tertiary students and living away from home: A priceless experience that costs too much? Australian Journal of Social Issues, 42(4), pp. 531-547   Ward, B., Snow, P., Munro, G., Graham, M.L., Dickson-Swift, V. (2006) It starts with the parents and ends with the parents? The attitudes, knowledge and practices of metropolitan parents in relation to teenage alcohol use. Australasian College of Road Safety Journal 17(3);20-28.   Dickson-Swift, V. et.al (2006) Blurring boundaries in qualitative health research on sensitive topics. Qualitative Health Research 16 (6) pp 853-871, July 2006   Dickson-Swift, V., James, E. and Kippen, S. (2005) The experience of living with a problem gambler: Spouses and partners speak out. eGambling (online) available at: http://www.camh.net.au/gambling

Dickson-Swift, V., James, E. and Kippen, S. (2005) "Do University ethics committees adequately protect public health researchers". Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 29 (6) pp. 576-581

Dickson- Swift, V. (2003) Qualitative research on sensitive topics: The impact on the researcher. Re-searching Research Agendas: Women, Research and Publication in Higher Education. Proceedings of the ATN WEXDEV 2003 Conference pp. 23-33

Conference Presentations

Dickson-Swift, V. “Well I have had a course of antibiotics- I mean would that help?” What young people don’t know about HPV. Australian Sexual Health Conference, Sydney 2010

Dickson-Swift, V. Workplace health promotion programs in the Loddon Mallee Region, Rural Health Conference, Ballarat 2010.   Dickson-Swift, V. Kippen, S. Teaching sociology to nurses. Paper presented at the TASA & SAANZ Joint Conference: Public Sociologies: Lessons and Trans-Tasman Comparisons. Auckland NZ, December 4-7, 2007

Dickson-Swift, V. Finding journal articles in your thesis. Invited workshop at the TASA & SAANZ Joint Conference: Public Sociologies: Lessons and Trans-Tasman Comparisons .Auckland NZ, December 4-7, 2007 .

Dickson-Swift, V. "Waiting for the Magic: Reflections on a grounded theory study. Paper Accepted for the International Institute of Qualitative Methods (IIQM) International Interdisciplinary Conference, Gold Coast, July 2006.

Dickson-Swift, V., James, E., Kippen, S., & Liamputtong, P. "What are some of the challenges faced by qualitative researchers". Paper Accepted for the International Institute of Qualitative Methods (IIQM) International Interdisciplinary Conference, Gold Coast, July 2006.

Dickson-Swift, V. & Kippen, S. "Reflecting on teaching sociology in vocationally-based health and welfare course. Paper presented at The Australian Sociology Association (TASA) conference, Hobart, December 2005.

Dickson-Swift, V. Research as emotional labour. Invited workshop presentation at Loddon-Mallee Women’s Health Regional Women’s Health Conference – Responding to the Evidence, March, 2003.

Dickson-Swift V, Kippen, S. & James, E. Do ethics committees protect researchers? Paper presented at the Australian Human Research Ethics Conference Canberra April 2003

Dickson-Swift, V. Qualitative research on sensitive topics: The impact on the researcher. Paper presented at ATN-WEXDEV Network Conference, Curtin University, Perth, W.A June 2003.

Dickson-Swift, V. How are we supposed to feel: Research on sensitive topics as emotional labour. Paper presented at the Association for Qualitative Research (AQR) Conference , Coogee Beach, Sydney July 2003.

Welch, N. & Dickson-Swift, V. Confidentiality in small population research. Paper presented at the Association for Qualitative Research (AQR) Conference, Coogee Beach, Sydney July 2003.

Dickson-Swift V, Methodological Issues in sensitive health Research: Challenges for the researcher. Association for Social Research Conference Blue Mountains, Nov 2002.

Research projects

Case studies in Workplace Health Promotion in the Loddon Mallee Region (funded by the Department of Health 2009)