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
Matthew Yau
- Adjunct Professor
- matthew.yau@jcu.edu.au
Alyssia Merrick
- Doctor of Philosophy (Health)
- alyssia.merrick@jcu.edu.au
Louise Myles
- Adjunct Lecturer
- louise.myles@jcu.edu.au
Sandra Dash
- Lecturer
- sandra.dash@jcu.edu.au
“Bonus Chats”: A podcast series to build professional identity
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
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
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.
Exploring registered nurses understanding of micro trauma: A hybrid concept analysis
The aim of this project is to explore registered nurses’ understanding of micro trauma. A hybrid concept analysis using qualitative enquiry will be undertaken. Current literature does not specifically use the term micro trauma but describes the frequency and impact of endpoints of micro traumas such as burnout and compassion fatigue. Without acknowledgment of an individual’s lived experiences and the influence and impact those experiences have on overall health and wellbeing, it is difficult to fully understand the root causes of what creates harm in nurses. The inference in the literature to micro trauma existing and, that the culmination of micro traumas manifesting in to known phenomenon such as burnout, compassion fatigue and cumulative trauma, has steered the methodology of this project to undertake a concept analysis as the first stage.
Running-related injuries in UK trail runners: A retrospective, cross-sectional study
The of this study of UK trail runners are to: 1) investigate the prevalence of running related injuries, 2) describe the type of injuries sustained, 3) investigate the most common anatomical location of injury, 4) assess the severity of injury, and 5) investigate factors associated with injuries including demographic characteristics, training factors and past running related injuries.
Exploring the Lived Experience of Internationally Qualified Nurses Transitioning into the Australian Healthcare System
Exploring the lived experience of internationally qualified nurses transitioning into the Australian Healthcare System.
This project is designed to improve career outcomes for internationally qualified nurses (IQNs) or overseas born nurses in Australia who, despite making up a significant proportion of the workforce, remain underrepresented in management and leadership positions. Working with a cohort of nurses recruited to Canberra Health Services, the collaboration with ANMAC will focus on the experience of IQNs to better inform recruitment and retention strategies, support employers in their induction processes and drive change in the way they are perceived and treated in nurse settings. This research aims to strengthen the evidence base, support more effective policies and practices, while helping overseas-born nurses thrive in Australia's healthcare system.
Ethics approval received from ACT Health Human Research Ethics Committee 23 March 2026 REGIS Reference 2026/ETH00246
GROW-NQ: Building the Foundations for North Queensland's First Longitudinal Pregnancy and Child Development Cohort
This project will establish the foundational evidence, partnerships and governance required to build North Queensland’s first longitudinal pregnancy and child development cohort. Through co-design with pregnant and postpartum women, fathers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, clinicians, educators and policy stakeholders, the project will identify priority outcomes, culturally safe governance structures, and feasible recruitment and retention strategies across the Townsville Hospital and Health Service region. Findings will inform flagship cohort addressing how tropical, rural and remote contexts shape early child development and lifelong health. Outputs will de-risk a future NHMRC Investigator Grant application and other NHMRC/MRFF applications to advance JCU’s strategic priority in health and wellbeing in Tropics.
Examining the short- and longer-term mental health benefits of focused and immersive music listening events
Stigma prevents many people from seeking mental health support; however, positive music listening experiences buffer the impact of stigma on help-seeking. Recent research suggests that community-based, focused listening experiences have real potential for improving well-being, but research is needed to understand their explicit short- and longer-term impact on stress and anxiety. This case study examines the impact of participating in communal, high-fidelity, and immersive music listening sessions on people’s mental health. Expected outcomes include partnering with a community
organisation to obtain and disseminate evidence relating to substantiating the mechanisms underpinning the well-being benefits of focused and immersive music listening.
How are we doing? Evidence mapping mental distress in North Queensland
This project will generate contemporary, North Queensland-specific normative data for two widely used mental health screening instruments (K10 and DASS-21). Using a three-sample design comprising community members recruited via an online panel, headspace clients, and Townsville University Hospital inpatients, we will establish known-groups validity by comparing distress profiles across clinical and non-clinical populations. The project also examines help-seeking behaviours and service use to understand how distress levels relate to mental health needs and available supports. Findings will inform regional mental health service planning and provide pilot data for future large-scale funding applications.
The impact of the roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons on well-being: A Randomised Controlled Trial
This study explores whether tabletop roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) can be effectively leveraged to support mental health. By examining how different ways of engaging with D&D influence players’ experiences, the study will elucidate what aspects of the game are most beneficial to players—for instance, character creation or simply being part of a shared narrative—and why that matters. These insights will inform how games like D&D are used in the mental health space and how their designs can be tailored to support social connection, motivation, and personal growth.
One nurse's experience with the effects of assumptions and judgements on practice.
- 2005
- Researchers:Pauline Calleja
Inca trail porters : the health of local tourism employees as a challenge for travel medicine
- 2003
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Researchers:Irmgard Bauer
Health advice in Australian travel brochures
- 2002
- Decker Periodicals
- Researchers:Irmgard Bauer
Geographic information systems and travel health
- 2002
- Decker Periodicals
- Researchers:Irmgard Bauer
Influence of age and moderate-intensity exercise training on heart rate variability in young and mature adults
- 2003
- Human Kinetics
- Researchers:Anthony LeichtAndrew Hoey
Influence of intensive cycling training on heart rate variability during rest and exercise
- 2003
- NRC Reserch Press
- Researchers:Anthony LeichtAndrew Hoey
Health psychology: biopsychosocial interactions. An Australian perspective
- 2002
- John Wiley & Sons
- Researchers:Marie Caltabiano
Start Date:
01 Jun 2025
Start Date:
01 Jan 2024
Start Date:
01 Jan 2025
Start Date:
01 Jan 2024
Start Date:
16 Feb 2024
Title:
SARRAH
Start Date:
01 Jan 2021
Start Date:
01 Jan 2021