School of Nursing and Midwifery Executive

Professor Lisa McKenna

Professor Lisa McKenna is Dean of the School of Nursing and Midwifery. She is a Registered Nurse and Registered Midwife and Fellow of the Australian College of Nursing. Professor McKenna has extensive experience in teaching undergraduate and postgraduate health professionals. She has researched and published extensively on health education and workforce, particularly in the areas of interprofessional education, simulation, graduate transition to practice, workplace violence and peer-assisted learning. Professor McKenna has over 200 publications in international refereed journals, ten textbooks and many book chapters and conference presentations. She is regularly invited to present her work nationally and internationally. She is Editor-in-Chief of Collegian: The Australian Journal of Nursing Practice, Scholarship and Research and Editorial Advisor for Nurse Education Today.

Professor David Edvardsson

Professor David Edvardsson is Associate Dean, Academic in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. He is a Registered Nurse with a research Master and PhD in nursing, and a member of the Australian College of Nursing, the Swedish Society of Nurses and the Gerontological Society of America. Professor Edvardsson is an internationally recognised and awarded expert in health promoting nursing, clinical nursing and geriatric/gerontological nursing. He has numerous international peer-review publications, and a h-index of 36 with about 10,000 citations. He is the Associate Editor of Nordic Journal of Nursing Research and former Regional Editor of Health and Social Care in the Community, with a global network of collaborators.

Martine Davis

Ms Martine Davis is the Senior Manager for the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Ms Davis has extensive experience managing administrative teams, including nineteen years higher education sector management experience at La Trobe University and the Universities of Waikato and Auckland in New Zealand. In her role as Senior Manager, she leads the professional administrative staff team, and as primary adviser to the Dean and the School Executive, supports the governance, operations, and strategic planning activities for the School.

Associate Professor Bev Copnell

Associate Professor Bev Copnell is Associate Dean, Research and Industry Engagement, as well as Director of Graduate Research and Director of the Northern Clinical School in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. She has researched and published widely in clinical nursing practice, particularly in paediatric nursing and professional nursing issues. Her current research interests include caring for families of hospitalised children, end-of-life care for infants and children in acute care settings, and nursing workforce issues. She is an editor of Collegian: The Australian Journal of Nursing Practice, Scholarship and Research and a member of the Editorial Board of Paediatric Critical Care Medicine.

Dr Jenny Davis

Dr Jenny Davis is Associate Dean, Domestic Partnerships and a Senior Lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. She specialises in nursing education and history, health workforce optimisation, advanced practice development and the contribution of nursing and information management to health care quality. Dr Davis has worked across diverse public health and tertiary education settings to manage research programs which deliver organisational and industry impact. She has postgraduate qualifications in nursing, midwifery, education and information management. She has published several co-edited books and book chapters and over 20 refereed international journal articles and is a reviewer for several multidisciplinary journals. She has been awarded over $2M in collaborative grant funding for projects that delivered organisational and industry impact.

Professor Debbie Kirk

Professor Debbie Kirk is Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. With an extensive background spanning 30 years as a registered nurse and 25 years as an endorsed nurse practitioner, Professor Kirk has a diverse clinical portfolio, specialising in hematology/oncology, chronic illness, health promotion and palliative care/symptom management. In addition to her clinical background, Professor Kirk has made significant contributions to academia, excelling in leadership and team development roles. Her scholarly contributions include over 30 refereed manuscripts and approximately 32 book chapters, where she has served as both author and editor with a focus on oncology symptom management and workforce.  Her dedication to excellence in clinical practice, teaching, research and service has earned her international recognition, culminating in her appointment as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

Associate Professor Gulzar Malik

Associate Professor Gulzar Malik is Associate Dean, International Partnerships and a Senior Lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Associate Professor Malik co-ordinates postgraduate nursing subjects and oversees offshore undergraduate nursing courses. She specialises in evidence-based practice in clinical settings, voluntary assisted dying, empowering international students, pain management and innovative teaching pedagogies. Associate Professor Malik is a highly experienced Registered Nurse and academic who has over 20 years of experience in healthcare settings and academic institutions both in Australia and overseas. She is an active member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and contributes to the Psi Zeta At-Large Chapter of Sigma as a counsellor.

Professor Helen McLachlan

Professor Helen McLachlan is Professor and Discipline Lead (Midwifery) in the School of Nursing and Midwifery and is a Registered Nurse and Midwife. She has extensive experience teaching in undergraduate and postgraduate midwifery and in higher degree supervision. Professor McLachlan is a national and international leader in maternity care research and has published in a range of areas including innovative models of care, maternal and child health, breastfeeding, postnatal depression, midwifery education and translating research into practice. She has 80 publications in international refereed journals, two book chapters and 200 conference presentations. She has received over $10M in competitive grant funding and has received multiple awards, proving her ability to lead large, complex projects which have led to substantial policy and practice change in maternity care.

Janette Collier

Janette Collier is Acting Director of the Australian Institute for Primary Care and Ageing (AIPCA), a research centre located within the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Ms Collier specialises in aged care assessment including the use of technology during assessment. Ms Collier is also a PhD Candidate within the School, researching the impact of pet ownership on older people transitioning to residential aged care.

Read our Statement of Strategic Intent.