Global recognition for Monash Nursing and Midwifery Research Fellow
Monash Nursing and Midwifery Deputy Director Graduate Research and FMNHS Early Career Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr Cliff Connell received a 2023 Sigma Emerging Nurse Researcher-Scholar Award in Abu Dhabi last month. The award recognises an early-career nurse researcher whose research has influenced the profession and the people it serves. Dr Connell was one of only six early-career nurse researchers globally to receive the award in 2023 for his research focussing on patient safety in the Emergency Department setting.
With more than 100,000 members worldwide, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma) is an international community of nurses, dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, teaching, learning, and service through the cultivation of communities of practice, education, and research. Sigma offers two international nurse researcher awards per year, the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame and Emerging Nurse Researcher/Scholar Award. The Sigma awards are recognised by the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), a precursor of global university rankings and have contributed to Monash University’s global world ranking.
In announcing Dr Connell’s award, Sigma President Kenneth Dion said that “These individuals are at the threshold of ground-breaking contributions to nursing research and knowledge. I am excited to witness the continuation and future impact of their important work”. Dr Connell was nominated for the award based on his research related to recognising and responding to patient deterioration, Team Emergency Assessment Measure (TEAMTM) research project and various leadership roles as a Fellow of College of Emergency Nurses Australasia. While feeling very honoured to receive the award, Cliff said “…it is so important to say that achievements like this are never possible without strong, supportive colleagues and teams”.
After nearly three decades in various nursing leadership roles as an Emergency Clinical Nurse Specialist, educator and Clinical Nurse Consultant, Dr Connell moved to academia at Monash University in 2015 where he completed his PhD in 2019. Since completing his PhD, he is leading three research projects with national and international multidisciplinary research teams focussing on patient safety which have clear practice and policy implications nationally and internationally. Dr Connell also aligns his research interests with his teaching in the Master of Advanced Clinical Nursing (Emergency Stream) at Monash Nursing and Midwifery.
About Monash University
Monash University is Australia’s largest university with more than 80,000 students. In the 60 years since its foundation, it has developed a reputation for world-leading high-impact research, quality teaching, and inspiring innovation.
With four campuses in Australia and a presence in Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia and Italy, it is one of the most internationalised Australian universities.
As a leading international medical research university with the largest medical faculty in Australia and integration with leading Australian teaching hospitals, we consistently rank in the top 50 universities worldwide for clinical, pre-clinical and health sciences.
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