College of Healthcare Sciences

Lisa Shaw

Doctor of Philosophy (Health)
lisa.shaw@jcu.edu.au

Stephen Yu

Senior Lecturer, Nursing and Midwifery
stephen.yu@jcu.edu.au

Karen Smith

Lecturer, Nursing and Midwifery
karen.smith6@jcu.edu.au

Chae Rose

Lecturer, Psychology
chae.rose@jcu.edu.au

Helen Petsky

Head, Nursing and Midwifery
helen.petsky@jcu.edu.au

Lucy Bird

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
lucy.bird@jcu.edu.au

Alyssia Merrick

Doctor of Philosophy (Health)
alyssia.merrick@jcu.edu.au

Sandra Dash

Lecturer
sandra.dash@jcu.edu.au

Preparing ‘healthcare scientists’ for placement: Developing a pre-placement training workshop to enhance graduate readiness in science-based allied health disciplines.

Amanda Krause - Psychology

Textbook affordability project: Psychology resource library

Amanda Krause - Psychology

Development of a virtual wellness hub: A student well-being initiative for online learners

Tracey Ahern - Nursing & Midwifery

03 Feb 2025 - 31 Dec 2025

JCU 2024 Learning and Teaching Grant (Medium)

NARDHC Digital Health Microcredential Development

Tracey Ahern - Nursing & Midwifery

01 May 2022 - 01 Oct 2022

Funded by the Australian Government Department of Education; Northern Australian Regional Digital Health Collaborative (NARDHC), this project involved curriculum writing and online development of a digital health course for the rural and remote workforce.

Exploring Student Perspectives on Generative artificial intelligence Integration in Education

Liza van Eijk - Psychology

The Impact of Daily Physical Activity and Sleep on Resting Heart Rate and Resting Heart Rate Variability in Individuals with High and Low Stress Load

Zoltan Sarnyai - Psychology

01 Jun 2026 - 01 Jun 2027

It is known that regular physical activity decreases resting heart rate (RHR) and increases resting heart rate variability (HRV), while chronic stress increases RHR and decreases resting HRV. Although it is recommended that stressed individuals exercise to reduce their stress burden, it is unclear if they benefit from exercise to the same extent as those who do not experience stress overload. A current gap in the literature is the lack of studies investigating cardiac autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning in individuals with different chronic stress loads. The current project aims to investigate the differences in long-term ANS responses to daily physical activity in people experiencing high versus low chronic stress. We hypothesize that individuals who experience chronic stress exhibit a blunted autonomic response (less decrease in RHR and less increase in resting HRV) to daily exercise due to an inability to regulate parasympathetic activation effectively. Therefore, in this regard they won’t benefit from regular exercise as much as those who don’t experience chronic stress, owing to their decreased autonomic nervous system (ANS) reactivity. In order to test this hypothesis, we would like to benefit from the TILES2018 dataset.

Professionally Psyched: A Podcast to build professional identity, career clarity, and belongingness

Connar McShane - Psychology

01 Jan 2025 - 31 Dec 2025

JCU Learning & Teaching Innovation Grant

“Bonus Chats”: A podcast series to build professional identity

Connar McShane - Psychology

01 Jul 2024 - 31 Dec 2024

This project will use a podcast series to build professional identity within the psychology undergraduate cohort. The 15- minute podcast episodes will feature staff, PhD and Honours students discussing their research and contemporary issues relevant to the discipline. Research has shown that professional identity is important in the retention of people to organisations and careers. This project aims to build a sense of belongingness and community with the psychology undergraduate students through a creative and flexible delivery that showcases the diversity and opportunities within the psychology discipline. Improved retention, performance and engagement are the ultimate long-term goals.

Improving Access and Community Trust in Perinatal Genomics for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities: the ImpACT-PG project

Pieta Shakes - Keypath Nursing & Midwifery

01 Oct 2025 - 30 Nov 2027

A 2yr MRFF project led by Professor Lisa Hui (University of Melbourne) including 15 Chief Investigators from five organisations and four partner organisations. There is a critical need to ensure equitable access to perinatal genomic testing for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Australia. Our project adopts a novel, consumer centred approach to address this healthcare gap. By building the evidence base on CALD community experiences of perinatal genomics and developing the translational pathway to more equitable health care, our findings will empower all individuals to make informed decisions and support the well-being of their families. Project objectives: 1. Obtain new evidence on community values, attitudes, and experiences of perinatal genomics among CALD communities 2. Co-design, develop, and pilot culturally-appropriate, in-language health information resources for CALD individuals about perinatal genomics 3. Examine the ethical, policy and social implications of disparities in access to and experiences with perinatal genomics of CALD communities 4. Build capacity for population-based data collection and future monitoring of perinatal genomic testing in Victoria as a model for other jurisdictions

Student Perspectives on GenAI Integration in Higher Education

Megan Dale - Nursing & Midwifery 1

10 Dec 2025

Background Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is rapidly transforming tertiary education, offering students personalised, interactive and adaptive learning experiences. GenAI tools support feedback, engagement, identify learning gaps and generate tailored resources that enhance academic performance and autonomy (Zhan et al., 2025; Park et al., 2025). While students are eager to use GenAI (Alenazi & Alhalal, 2025), institutional policies and educator practices often lag behind. The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA, 2024) highlights the need for strategic planning across process, people and practice to ensure ethical and effective integration. Educators are beginning to use GenAI for personalised resources and administrative efficiency (Kim et al, 2025; Moorhouse et al., 2024), but student trust in these practices is essential. Misalignment or lack of transparency may undermine engagement and perceptions of educational integrity. Aim To explore student perspectives on GenAI integration in tertiary education, focusing on its use in learning and teaching.