MNHS top performers recognised in the Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Awards 2024
Monash Medicine Nursing and Health Science researchers and staff have been recognised in the 2024 Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Awards, with 14 winners and 16 nominees across the education, research and professional excellence categories.
Winners included Professor Danielle Mazza AM, who was recognised for Excellence in Research Engagement and Impact for her outstanding efforts in sexual and reproductive health; the Climate, Air Quality Research (CARE) Unit, who was recognised with the award for Research Team of the Year for their work in enhancing environmental and climate health assessments and tackling inequities in health risks; and Professor Chris Greening, who won Researcher of the Year in recognition of his groundbreaking discovery that ecosystems are powered by air, not sunlight as once thought. Our educators also made a particularly strong showing in the Citations for Oustanding Contribution to Student Learnings with Dr Lilani Arulkadacham, the Education In Reproductive Science team and the Gukwonderuk Indigenous Health Workforces Centre all recognised as winners.
Executive Dean of Monash Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Professor Christina Mitchell AO was also inducted onto the Monash Honour Roll in recognition of her outstanding and generous academic leadership.
Congratulations to all of our winners and nominees for this well-deserved recognition of their efforts by the wider Monash University community.
Our winners include:
Education Excellence Awards
Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning
Dr Lilani Arulkadacham
In 2020, Dr Lilani Arulkadacham embarked on a research project supported by a small grant from the Monash Education Academy (MEA). Through three meticulously planned project phases spanning almost three years, she endeavoured to understand and address the unique challenges faced by online psychology students. The systematic literature review she conducted in the first phase of her research revealed invaluable insights into the predictors of online student success, laying the groundwork for her subsequent research phases. Lilani’s research project has not only resulted in impactful research but has also catalysed innovative educational initiatives that have left a lasting impact on online student experiences within the School of Psychological Sciences and beyond.
Education In Reproductive Science
Between 2020 and 2022, Dr Nicola Rivers and Associate Professor Kiri Beilby observed a severe reduction in student motivation and engagement as measured through student evaluations (SETU) and attendance in a cohort of postgraduate science students. To address the problem, they undertook an in-depth evaluation of the student experience using the lens of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to better understand what motivated students during their studies. Their evaluation resulted in a list of recommendations that were implemented in 2023 and have since significantly improved student engagement.
Gukwonderuk Indigenous Health Workforces Centre
In its first decade since establishment, the Gukwonderuk Indigenous Health Workforces Centre has made significant strides in engaging and supporting Indigenous students through innovative programs, targeted support and strong community connections. The team’s outreach initiatives, academic support structures and workforce transition programs have contributed to improved student outcomes and greater representation of Indigenous people in healthcare fields.
Awards for Community Education Programs
Monash Rural Health Churchill (MRHC) Community-Based Placement (CBP) Program
In a regional and institutional first, the Churchill Community-Based Education Placement Program (CBP) provides nearly 4000 student placement hours to around 20 Gippsland organisations annually. Gippsland is home to ~300,000 people and experiences significant social and economic disadvantages. CBP enables first-year graduate-entry Monash medical students to ‘give back’ to these local communities. Simultaneously, students learn about non-medical factors that impact health in a tangible way, which better prepares them to be well-informed, compassionate doctors. As Sir John Monash implores our students to “…equip yourself for life, not solely for your own benefit, but for the benefit of the whole community,” CBP, led by the passionate and enthusiastic Churchill team, empowers both medical students and Gippsland communities. Operating successfully since 2008, this scalable, low-cost program is highly valued by students and locals and aligns perfectly with Monash’s Strategic Plan: Thriving Communities.
Awards for Educational Leadership
Professor Dragan Ilic
Professor Dragan Ilic is the Deputy Head of School (Education) and Director of Teaching and Learning at the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine and Head of the Medical Education Research and Quality (MERQ) unit. Professor Ilic is recognised nationally and internationally for his expertise in public health and medical and health professions education research. As an educational leader, Dragan has focused on fostering a holistic and integrated approach to academic excellence, student and staff experience and innovation, underpinned by an evidence-based approach to learning and teaching. His educational leadership has been instrumental in shaping effective organisational policies, strategies, curriculum and course design and implementation, all of which support and promote high-quality teaching and learning environments. By championing an integrated approach to academic practice, Dragan has successfully incorporated teaching, learning, research, scholarship, and administration to create a cohesive and enriching educational experience. Through these efforts, he has elevated teaching standards within the school, faculty, and university, and influenced educational practices internationally.
Awards for Industry Education Programs
TEAM Undergraduate Certificates (Together Education and Advocating Matters)
Since 2021, over $15 million of income has been generated through 3000+ students in three new Undergraduate Certificates (UGC) which respond to global challenges in mental health, aged care and disability. Industry partners recognised their workforce has various backgrounds in qualifications and skills, and is not equipped to address rapidly growing community health needs. Industry professional development offerings cannot address this gap. The UGCs are co-designed with industry, consumers and carers, and include cross-faculty teaching teams delivering to diverse student groups. They provide accessible quality education addressing the complex lives of learners engaged in the workforce across large geographical areas and service settings. These one-year courses have the potential to be delivered by any university department in partnership with any industry partner. They offer the capacity for low cost, high-volume teaching that creates immediate practice implications. The teaching content can easily be converted to other modes of education delivery.
Awards for Innovation in Learning and Teaching
NUR1112 & NUR1114 Integrated Teaching Team
The innovative integration of distinct nursing and bioscience units into a single unit each semester has transformed the educational experience for first-year nursing and midwifery students at Monash University. Analysis of this integration shows compelling evidence of improved student academic performance and reduced attrition. This teaching approach has significantly enhanced the clinical preparedness of Monash graduate nurses, as noted by past students and clinical education leaders around Victoria. Educators worldwide have been motivated to implement a comparable curriculum transformation, highlighting the extensive impact of this approach. This integrated curriculum, resulting from an interdisciplinary collaboration of nursing and bioscience academics, fosters a deeper understanding of the practical relevance of fundamental bioscience in clinical nursing practice and addresses long-standing challenges in nursing and midwifery student engagement, performance, and retention. This transformative strategy exemplifies a commitment to educational innovation, leadership, and scholarship in enhancing learning and teaching experiences within the higher education landscape.
Awards for Programs that Enhance Learning
Monash Nursing and Midwifery ICU team
Healthcare services face unprecedented intensive care unit (ICU) nursing shortages. Adequate staffing with qualified ICU nurses is associated with reduced mortality and hospital acquired infections, and also lowers hospital costs, improves family satisfaction and reduces burnout and attrition. In collaboration with healthcare partners, the Monash Nursing and Midwifery (MNM) ICU team addresses this challenge by delivering a program that graduates more qualified ICU nurses to provide high-quality, patient-centred care. The team achieved a six-fold growth in enrolments and a four-fold increase in clinical partnerships with major Victorian healthcare services since 2019. Educational innovations, including hybrid content delivery, have broadened geographic participation in healthcare services. Tertiary clinical placements were brokered for Bairnsdale Health regional students, demonstrating a commitment to equity and inclusiveness; improving access, participation and outcomes for students from regional centres. Prompted by feedback on dissatisfaction with current clinical assessment expectations, a tool was co-designed with healthcare partners to better translate theory into practice, ensuring students meet professional standards and provide safe, quality, patient-centred care. COVID-19’s impact on course delivery was evaluated, and the feasibility of regional students completing clinical placements in major metropolitan ICUs was explored, highlighting a commitment to advancing the ICU nursing discipline through education and research collaborations.
Awards for Teaching Excellence
Dr Chantal Hoppe
Dr Chantal Hoppe thrives in evolving landscapes. Her experience pioneering large-classroom active learning showcases her adaptability and leadership. She crafts engaging, future-focused, authentic learning experiences that have inspired students and colleagues. Chantal has led her team by example in the development and implementation of authentic assessments across diverse curricula. This has transformed multiple units, making the learning experience more engaging, relevant, and reflective of real-world scenarios. She has led in the development and strategic implementation of innovative approaches like competency hurdles in labs (ensuring skill mastery and engagement), science communication projects, assessment for learning strategies, and oral viva examinations across Biomedical Science and Science majors. Through her innovative teaching strategies and commitment to student success, Chantal is at the forefront of education scholarship.
Research Excellence Awards
Awards for Excellence in Research Engagement and Impact
Professor Danielle Mazza AM
Professor Danielle Mazza AM FAHMS is Head of the Department of General Practice and Director of the SPHERE NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Sexual and Reproductive Health for Women in Primary Care. Through Professor Mazza’s leadership, SPHERE’s research and advocacy have informed changes in policy and clinical practice aimed at improving access to sexual and reproductive health services for women in Australia. These include the introduction of telehealth for accessing medical abortion, deregulation of medical abortion and federal government funding for initiatives that support primary care professionals to provide long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) and medical abortion services.
Research Team of the Year
Climate, Air Quality Research (CARE) Unit
The Climate, Air Quality Research (CARE) Unit has led groundbreaking studies to enhance environmental and climate health assessments, tackling inequities in health risks through innovative technology, novel methods, and big data. They initiated the largest multinational study on environmental health impacts and pioneered the use of machine learning to assess global air pollution. CARE Unit was the first to estimate global daily PM2.5 levels and wildfire smoke dispersion, featured on Nature’s cover. Their research on heat adaptation revealed human adaptability to local climates and emphasised the severe impact of extreme weather and air pollution on vulnerable populations.
Researcher of the Year Award
Professor Chris Greening
Professor Chris Greening has redefined how life exists. He’s discovered many ecosystems are powered by air, not sunlight as once thought, through hidden activities of microorganisms. He has translated these findings to improve health and sustainability, including through transdisciplinary programs such as SAEF: Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future. An outstandingly productive researcher, over the last two years, he has published 27 papers in top journals such as Nature and Cell, received the Prime Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year, and collaborated with over 100 laboratories worldwide. Also an empowering and inclusive leader, he has mentored multiple researchers to independence.
Professional Awards
Awards for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Professor Ellie Fossey
Professor Ellie Fossey, as Chair of Monash’s Disability Project Group, has been instrumental in developing the Disability and Accessibility Action Plan (DAAP) 2024-2030. The role of leading this work was taken on a volunteer position, requiring considerable time and dedication beyond her already busy role at the University as Head of the Department of Occupational Therapy. Her leadership has driven significant progress in disability inclusion and accessibility and has seen a wide range of academic experts, as well as lived and living experience experts, develop an impactful Action Plan. The DAAP, set for formal launch in October 2024, is setting Monash on a path to becoming a leader in disability inclusion and accessibility.
Awards for Health, Safety and Wellbeing
SPAHC Mask Fit Project
Protection of healthcare workers and students when performing aerosol‐generating procedures is paramount to the sustainability of a healthy workforce during pandemics. A non‐inferiority randomised controlled trial was conducted to test the efficacy of using an education and qualitative mask‐fit approach to reduce the financial and logistical burdens on the University and its affiliate clinical partners. This study confirmed that quantitative mask fit testing remains the gold standard, despite the resources used, to meet required safety control standards.
Find out more about the winners and nominees 2024 Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Awards