Professor Debra Griffiths
Professor Debra Griffiths is a registered nurse, midwife and lawyer with many years clinical experience in nursing and midwifery practice in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Professor Griffiths undertook a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws double degree and Master of Laws at Monash in the 1980s and then practiced commercial law in Melbourne. She joined the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Monash University in the 1990’s and fostered her passion to educate health professionals in relation to the law and clinical practice. Professor Griffith’s expertise in medico-legal education makes her a sought-after specialist, and she has delivered lectures and seminars to a wide range of health care practitioners and students, at state, national and international environs. Her extensive clinical background enabled an educational focus on understanding key legal principles and how they may influence professional practice to the benefit of both patient and health professional.
Professor Griffiths academic career developed throughout her time at Monash University commencing as a junior lecturer. Professor Griffiths has attracted in excess of $7 million in research funding, with projects focussing on clinical practice, including: Creating an Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) for International Registered and Enrolled Nurses for the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia; identifying factors influencing occupational violence in healthcare; examining end of life decision-making; highlighting gaps in the documentation and subsequent communication of elderly residents transferred to hospital; the establishment and evaluation of an interprofessional simulation laboratory and associated educational strategies; and national nursing standards.
During the pandemic in response to the spread of COVID-19 Professor Griffiths led the Victorian Department of Health funded, infection control and PPE training program for residential aged care workers. The program comprised practical education approaches for the aged care workforce. Throughout a nine-month period, the team delivered 324 training sessions to 3588 participants from 241 individual residential aged care facilities in metropolitan and regional Victoria, building confidence, knowledge and supporting all levels of staff in the facilities.
Professor Griffiths has published widely in peer reviewed journals on a range of topics based on her research outcomes. The textbook she jointly authored, Essentials of Law for Health Professionals, was widely utilised across Australia during two decades and several editions.
Committed to the quality of professional practice, Professor Griffiths was appointed an inaugural Director of the Nursing and Midwifery Health Program Victoria. The service established in 2006 provides assistance, advice and referral for nurses, midwives and students with drug, alcohol and mental health problems. Professor Griffiths also contributes to health care practice as an expert witness in court.
At the end of 2022, Professor Griffiths stepped down from her role as Head of School for Nursing and Midwifery. During her tenure, the discipline of nursing at Monash University rose to be ranked #1 in Victoria and #5 in the world in the highly regarded Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects. Professor Griffiths has made a significant contribution across multiple facets of Monash University and her impact and influence are greatly valued.