College of Medicine & Dentistry

Semagn Abate

Semagn Abate

Fahmida Begum Mina

Fahmida Begum Mina

Hannah Woodall

Hannah Woodall

Jessica Scott

Jessica Scott

Brittany Moller

Brittany Moller

Amanda Mackay

Amanda Mackay

Nathan Dawes

Nathan Dawes

Donald Whaleboat

Donald Whaleboat

Anna Kokavec

Anna Kokavec

Aaron Hollins

Aaron Hollins

Beyond the bump: Leveraging social media to build positive perinatal mental health in regional, rural and remote North Queensland women
Jessica Muller
13 Jan 2025 - 12 Jan 2027
This project aims to codesign, develop, and evaluate a preventative intervention to address mental health among perinatal women in regional, rural, and remote (RRR) areas. Co-designed with RRR perinatal parents and mental health professionals, the intervention will deliver a established psychotherapeutic techniques that are effective for preventing perinatal depression and anxiety (psychoeducation and behavior change on health literacy, interpersonal therapy) at-scale, tailored to the unique needs of the RRR maternity and mental health system. The evaluation will assess the feasibility, reach, engagement, and acceptability of the intervention, enabling a future larger-scale efficacy and implementation trial.
Evaluation of NQPHN's mental health stepped care model
Jessica Muller
01 Jan 2025
The NQPHN is commissioning JCU/PAHL to undertake an evaluation of their new mental health stepped care model. This project aims to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the model by: (1) Assessing service delivery against the Quintuple Aims Health Framework, (2) Evaluating partnership effectiveness and integration across providers, and (3) Analysing the economic impact and return on investment.
Parasitic Disease Wastewater Surveillance to Inform Public Health Action in Remote Northern Queensland
Jessica Muller
01 Jan 2025
External advisor on community engagement and culturally safe protocols for a TAAHC funded research project. Intestinal parasites are chronic preventable infectious disease of poverty which disproportionately affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in northern Australia. Surveillance for these diseases is time consuming costly, difficult and intrusive, requiring faecal and blood testing of community members. This project is a proof-of-concept study to validate and pilot the use of wastewater testing for the surveillance of important intestinal parasites, including strongyloidiasis, whipworm, giardiasis, and amoebic dysentery infecting people in northern Queensland. The use of wastewater sampling will augment the capacity for public health surveillance by facilitating timely and cost-efficient parasitic disease surveillance simultaneously in multiple communities.
Understanding culturally safe and responsive healthcare practices.
Jessica Muller
25 Jan 2021 - 01 Jun 2025
PhD project conducted in partnership with Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) to develop standards for culturally responsive healthcare practices.
Professionally Psyched: A Podcast to Build Professional Identity
Jessica Muller
01 Jul 2024 - 31 Dec 2025
This project is funded by a Scholarship of Learning and Teaching grant and aims to build and strengthen student identification with psychology as a profession, increase retention and belongingness with JCU Psychology, and develop more confident graduates.
The Indigo Project
Jessica Muller
01 Jul 2022
Funded research project partnered with The Indigo Project, an online therapy practice for mental health.
Parasitic Disease Wastewater Surveillance to Inform Public Health Action in Remote Northern Queensland
Emily Grahn
Intestinal parasites are chronic, preventable infectious diseases of poverty that disproportionately affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in northern Australia. Public Health Surveillance for these diseases is time-consuming, costly, difficult and intrusive, requiring faecal and blood testing of community members. This project will validate and pilot the use of wastewater testing for the surveillance of important intestinal parasites, including strongyloidiasis, whipworm, giardiasis, and amoebic dysentery infecting people in north Queensland. The use of wastewater sampling will augment the capacity for public health surveillance by facilitating time and cost-efficient parasitic disease surveillance simultaneously in multiple communities.
Validating a culturally safe model for general practice consultations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, to assess the cultural safety of a general practitioner.
Rebecca Evans
14 Feb 2025 - 30 Jun 2026
This project seeks to validating a culturally safe model for general practice consultations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, in order to explore if the cultural safety of a general practitioner can be objectively assessed.
Competency Renewal Project
Nathan Dawes
We aim to characterise the competencies [knowledge, skills, attributes] required by public health graduates to effectively contribute to the workforce and meet existing and emergent public health needs. ● Identify and synthesise competencies required by public health graduates to address current and future public health requirements. ● Develop a preliminary framework mapping graduate competencies that may allow them to contribute to Australia's public health workforce effectively. ● Establish validity and conduct a formative evaluation of a national competency framework for public health graduates. This programme of work will be conducted over three phases. A co-design approach incorporating qualitative and quantitative methods will address the overall aim and objectives. Phase 1: Interviews: 3-4 months (aim end July 2024) Phase 2: Competency extraction: 3-4 months (aim: end November 2024) Phase 3: Modified Delphi: 4-5 months (aim: end June 2025) NB: Timelines estimates based on the plan outlined below, accounting for iterative feedback from the CAPHIA community and governance decision making as well as summer break shutdown Dec 2-24 – January 2025. Phase 1: Semi-structured interviews with public health industry experts will be conducted. Experts will include public health professionals, educators and academics, professional associations, employers working within public health organisations, government agencies, healthcare providers, and non-governmental community organisations within the field. Across all participant groups, semi-structured interviews will allow in-depth descriptions and open-ended discussions regarding the competencies required by public health graduates to effectively contribute to the workforce and meet existing and emergent public health needs. [Phase 1 - Output – Comprehensive list of contemporary skills and knowledge required by public health graduate vis a vis the perceptions of multiple stakeholders]. Phase 2: This phase will extract competencies from existing health and public health competency frameworks. A search strategy will be developed to identify relevant frameworks. A global search will then be conducted. Following extraction, a framework synthesis will guide the analysis and triangulation of the interview data and new data derived from the existing public health-related competency frameworks. Once an association between themes is determined, public health graduates' skills, knowledge and attributes will be grouped under overarching competency domains. These domains will form the preliminary framework, including individual competencies and competency descriptors. [Phase 2 – Output – A preliminary competency framework - a synthesis of new and existing competencies relevant to the public health workforce [including graduates] in 2024] Phase 3: A modified Delphi technique will be used as an accepted method of building consensus among public health experts regarding the acceptability and applicability of the preliminary competency framework. The Delphi process will involve i) recruitment and consenting of participants to the Delphi panel and ii) two rounds of consultation on the proposed competency framework. Finally, a formative framework evaluation will be conducted via focus groups with public health experts. As part of this final step, the utility of the competency framework as a contemporary best practice public health competency framework for Australasia will be assessed. [Phase 3 – Output – A validated competency framework that characterises the knowledge, skills, and application public health graduates will need to contribute effectively to the workforce and meet existing and emergent public health needs].
An evaluation of resilience in medical students on rural rotations
Jane Harte
12 Jan 2025 - 17 Dec 2027
Resilience, defined as the ability to adapt and recover from stress, adversity, and challenges, is an essential attribute for medical students and professionals (Fletcher & Sarkar, 2013). It serves as a critical factor in sustaining mental well-being, maintaining academic performance, and preventing burnout in the demanding context of medical training (McKinley et al., 2019; Tempski et al., 2015). The pathway to becoming a doctor is marked by a significant academic workload, emotional challenges, and high expectations, all of which contribute to heightened stress levels (Dyrbye et al., 2014). Rural clinical rotations are integral to many medical training programs, and offer students unique learning experiences and exposure to a diverse patient population. often present distinct challenges, such as isolation from peer support and limited resources, which can influence students' mental health and overall resilience (McGrail et al., 2017). While these experiences can enhance clinical skills and encourage a commitment to rural practice (Sen Gupta et al., 2013), they may also place additional stress on students that can impact their resilience (Wearne & Baker, 2012). Previous studies have suggested that rural experiences can contribute positively to resilience by fostering adaptability, independence, and confidence - qualities that contribute to a doctor's ability to manage complex situations effectively (Smith et al., 2018). However, the intensity and unfamiliarity of rural placements can also heighten emotional and psychological stress (Johnson & Wright, 2021). While some students thrive in these environments, others may experience heightened stress that challenges their coping mechanisms (MacLeod et al., 2021). Understanding these varied outcomes is essential for developing strategies to support medical students and ensure their well-being throughout their training. Measurement of resilience in medical education research has often relied on validated tools such as the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). The CD-RISC has been widely used due to its comprehensive assessment of resilience, covering aspects like perseverance, confidence under pressure, and adaptability (Connor & Davidson, 2003; Campbell-Sills & Stein, 2007). This study aims to investigate the impact of rural clinical rotations on the resilience of medical students at James Cook University across different training stages (2nd, 4th, and 6th years). Such insights are invaluable for shaping medical curricula that promote psychological resilience, enhance academic performance, and support retention in rural healthcare practices. By identifying how resilience changes throughout these rotations, medical schools can tailor interventions that strengthen students' coping mechanisms, ultimately contributing to their long-term professional and personal development. Objectives • To measure and compare the levels of resilience in 2nd, 4th, and 6th-year medical students before and after their rural clinical rotations. • To assess any correlations between changes in resilience and year of study or demographic variables (e.g., age, gender, prior rural experience).
Title: MDANZ Professionalism Working Group
Reseracher: Jane Harte (Associate Dean, Students)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2020
End Date: 01 Jan 2022
Title: MDANZ Student Support Committee
Reseracher: Jane Harte (Associate Dean, Students)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2020
End Date: 01 Jan 2025
Title: MDANZ Inherent Requirements Working Group
Reseracher: Jane Harte (Associate Dean, Students)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2019
End Date: 01 Jan 2021
Title: ACEM Rural, Regional and Remote Committee
Reseracher: Jane Harte (Associate Dean, Students)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2019
End Date: 01 Jan 2023
Title: ACEM Workforce Planning Committee
Reseracher: Jane Harte (Associate Dean, Students)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2024
End Date: 01 Jan 2025
Title: Defence and Department of Veterans' Affairs Human Research Ethics Committee
Reseracher: Jane Harte (Associate Dean, Students)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2015
End Date: 01 Jan 2025
Title: JCU Behaviour Risk Group
Reseracher: Jane Harte (Associate Dean, Students)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2021
End Date: 01 Jan 2025
Title: CMD Allocations Panel
Reseracher: Jane Harte (Associate Dean, Students)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2019
End Date: 01 Jan 2025
Title: CMD Foundation Studies Committee
Reseracher: Jane Harte (Associate Dean, Students)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2019
End Date: 01 Jan 2025
Title: CMD Clinical Studies Committee
Reseracher: Jane Harte (Associate Dean, Students)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2019
End Date: 01 Jan 2025