Our people

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Monash Nursing and Midwifery

Message from our Deputy Head

I am truly honoured to work alongside an exceptional team at Monash Nursing and Midwifery, where a culture of empowerment continues to enable every individual to thrive and realise their full potential within a supportive, collaborative, and intellectually vibrant environment. Throughout 2025, our collective expertise, dedication, and passion have further strengthened our global reputation as leaders in nursing and midwifery education, research and engagement. This recognition reflects the remarkable contributions of our academic and professional staff, whose commitment to excellence is matched by the strong partnerships we maintain with industry, health services, and community stakeholders. Together, we ensure our courses and research remains responsive to the evolving needs of the healthcare sector and the diverse communities we serve.

2025 has been a year of meaningful progress and continued innovation. Our team includes clinical and research leaders who are driving forward evidence-based practice, shaping national and international conversations about the future of nursing and midwifery. Their work not only advances the professions but also informs policy, enhances patient and client outcomes, and inspires the next generation of nursing and midwifery practitioners and scholars. The impact of their contributions is visible across our teaching programs, research outputs, and the strong engagement we maintain with our partners.

I am particularly proud of the way our school continues to embrace new opportunities, whether through curriculum renewal, interdisciplinary collaboration, or the integration of emerging technologies into education and research. These efforts ensure that our graduates are not only highly skilled and practice-ready but also equipped to lead in a rapidly changing healthcare landscape. Our commitment to fostering a culture of curiosity, critical thinking, and lifelong learning remains central to our mission and is reflected in the achievements of our students, alumni, and staff.

Professor Helen Rawson

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Highlights and recognition for our staff

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Dean’s Commendations for Thesis Excellence

The Monash Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Dean’s Commendations for Thesis Excellence shines a spotlight on world-class research.

In 2024, this inaugural award was presented to several worthy winners in the faculty, including Dr Verity Mak. Her PhD thesis, Investigating the Role of Quality Improvement (QI) Education Partnerships Between Higher Education and Healthcare Organisations in Australian Pre-Registration Nursing Curricula: A Mixed Methods Study, was recognised for its exceptional quality, placing Verity in the top 5 percent of Monash Medicine, Nursing and Health Science graduates.

The award is wonderful recognition for Verity's work, which is already making an impact on. improving partnerships.

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-Vice-Chancellors Excellence Awards

These are prestigious awards recognising the best submissions across the Monash, and it is wonderful to see so many Nursing and Midwifery team members from a staff of more than 20,000 across the University awarded. This is just a snippet of the great work our professional and academic staff do to provide a student-centered learning experience, and it is wonderful to have some of this work recognised.

Strategic Excellence Award

Jo Gray, Student Services Team Leader (Clinical), as a member of the Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP) Project Team.

The Commonwealth Prac Payment CPP Project Team exemplified strategic leadership, agility, and collaboration to implement a complex, first-of-its-kind government initiative supporting students on mandatory placements. Navigating evolving legislation, they co-designed a sustainable, student-centred solution through discovery, advocacy, and deep cross-functional engagement. Their work ensured equitable access, protected vulnerable cohorts, reduced faculty burden, and strengthened Monash’s reputation. Over 1,200 students were supported with $300,000 in funding in the first four weeks of applications opening. With transparency and integrity at the core, the team built trust across the University and delivered meaningful impact. They transformed complex policy into streamlined, values-driven support for student success.

Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning

Vanessa Clothier, Stream Leader, Master of Advanced Clinical Nursing, Nurse Practitioner.

In 2017, the Master of Nurse Practitioner course had just seven students and faced possible closure. By 2025, under Vanessa Clothier’s leadership, it has grown to over 120 – a 1600 percent increase. This AHPRA-approved program was revitalised through a four-pronged strategy of industry engagement, hybrid delivery, professional advocacy, and learner-centred improvement. Vanessa’s work has transformed the course into a thriving, high-quality pathway that prepares advanced nurse leaders for impactful practice.

Award for Programs that Enhance Learning

Sam Hingley and Roz Williamson as members of a team (The Power of Partnerships: Co-Designing Curriculum With Students to Enhance Planetary Health).

This interdisciplinary team embedded planetary health education (PHE) across Monash Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences curriculum through an 18-month fellowship. Co-designed with 49 students and 18 educators from 12 disciplines, the initiative developed workshops, assessments, labs, and modules now reaching 5,000+ students in Australia and Malaysia. The project has generated publications, toolkits, and international recognition, strengthening healthcare education for planetary health challenges.

2025 Monash Nursing and Midwifery Staff Awards

Our annual awards celebrate the outstanding contributions of staff whose dedication, innovation, and commitment make a meaningful difference across our organisation.

Innovation in learning and teaching award

Midwifery Undergraduate Academic Team
Anne Tremayne, Kym Davey, Bethany Carr, Alissa Fleming, Joy Kloester and Yasmin Zisin

The midwifery undergraduate academic team has played a pivotal role in advancing midwifery education through innovative curriculum integration and student engagement strategies.

  • The team has created and launched a digital portal to connect midwifery students with pregnant women for continuity of care experiences (CoCE) and the initiative has increased student access to CoCE opportunities across Victoria, overcoming participation barriers.
  • The success of the strategy has set the stage for nationwide rollout, aiming to benefit all pre-registration midwifery students in Australia.

Teaching Excellence Award

Palliative & End of Life Care Group
Katrina Recoche, Kaori Shimoinaba, Emma Patterson, Margaret O’Connor, Sam Hingley

This award recognises the Palliative and End of Life Care Group who successfully launched a new stream in the Master of Advanced Nursing program in 2025.  Through collaborative content development, industry engagement, and innovative delivery strategies, the team ensured relevance and authenticity in learning experiences. The stream’s inaugural unit achieved exceptional SETU ratings and attracted diverse student cohorts, earning formal recognition from the Deputy Dean and laying a strong foundation for future expansion.

Outstanding Contribution To Student Learning

Chris Scott

Chris Scott has been awarded the Innovation in Learning and Teaching Award for his innovation leading the introduction and integration of video recording into clinical skills assessments in the Bachelor of Nursing. This initiative has been successful in improving fairness, consistency, and student outcomes through SimCapture technology for clinical skills assessments.

The initiative has addressed inequity in assessment practices; ensured procedural fairness and academic rigor. The use of SimCapture has enabled review of failed attempts and informed curriculum improvements. Outcomes include improved student outcomes and assessor consistency, and has received positive feedback from staff and students.

PhD Supervision Excellence

Dr Kaori Shimoinaba

Kaori is an outstanding PhD supervisor, highly regarded by students for her thoughtful, expert and supportive supervision and by colleagues for her student-focused and collaborative approach as a supervising colleague.

Kaori meets all the criteria for this award including demonstrating enthusiasm, commitment, knowledge and understanding of the student learning processes in the conduct of thesis research. She has a demonstrated strong supervision history over the past three years, and her commitment to her research and scholarship, has an aspirational effect on the endeavours of past and current students.

Professional Excellence Award

Dr Jan Lind

In her role as Senior Executive Officer (Education Governance), Jan provides professional staff expertise to the Education Leadership Team, and MNM, driving governance excellence and efficiency through innovative processes, dedication and thoughtful approaches to challenges.

Jan is collaborative, proactive, and reliable. The nomination for this award clearly outlined Jan’s expertise in accreditation, governance and provided strong examples of Jan leading process development and improvement for efficiency and compliance.

Renowned for her collaborative approach and proactive problem-solving, Jan consistently strengthens relationships across the School and Faculty, enhances staff and student experiences, and exemplifies Monash’s Impact 2030 values.

Above & Beyond

Academic Award: Andy Macey
Professional Staff Award: Meri Angelucci

Andy is recognised for his strong leadership and voluntary contributions in advancing global health and intensive care practice. Through extensive international collaborations spanning Asia Pacific, Africa, Central Asia, Europe, and North America, Andy has delivered high-impact partnerships and outputs that strengthen clinical and research practice in resource-limited settings. His commitment to promoting Monash Nursing and Midwifery and key professional bodies, including ACCCN (Australian College of Critical Care Nurses) and ANZICS (Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Society), coupled with his passion for improving care in low- and middle-income contexts, exemplifies excellence and going above and beyond.

Meri is recognised for her outstanding commitment and strong work ethic, regularly going above and beyond in her work with MNM. Meri has been pivotal in ensuring the School is ready and responsive to the ongoing changes in HR systems, including the new Time and Attendance platform. Her work ensures sessional staff are scheduled appropriately and paid correctly. Meri is often the person who will greet new staff, make sure they have what they need and that they know where everything is, both on-campus and on-line. She is always approachable and willing to assist. Meri’s default is to say yes and she regularly takes on any challenge the School or university throws her way.  This year she willing stepped into the Executive Officer role at short notice, providing outstanding support to the Head of School office. Her reassuring calmness and can-do attitude are highly valued.

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Strengthening global health: Cambodia outreach 2025

This year, Monash Nursing and Midwifery continued its proud tradition of supporting and fundraising for charities.

Continuing our global engagement supporting and fundraising for charities Professor Julia Morphet and Associate Professor Kelli Innes travelled to Siem Reap to witness firsthand the impact of the school’s support through the Australian Charity Rice for Cambodia, in collaboration with the Shinta Mani Foundation and the Life and Hope Association.

Supporting Svay Chek Health Centre

Our school raised $503 to support Svay Chek Health Centre, which serves 8,068 people across seven villages. Initially, the funds were earmarked for a foetal doppler, an essential tool requested by the health centre staff. With careful budgeting and consultation, we were able to stretch the funds further and provide:

  • Four procedure trolleys
  • A row of chairs for the waiting room
  • Two portable blood pressure machines
  • An otoscope and ophthalmoscope
  • Thermometers
  • Surgical gowns for midwives
  • Surgical pots and forceps

These additions will significantly enhance the centre’s capacity to care for its community, which sees approximately 30 patients daily and anticipates 187 births annually. The centre also runs a robust vaccination program covering hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, polio, diphtheria, and cervical cancer prevention. Staffed by four nurses, one midwife, and one doctor, Svay Chek Health Centre plays a vital role in local healthcare delivery.

Continued partnership with Peak Sneng Health Centre

The visit also included Peak Sneng Health Centre, a long-standing partner in our outreach efforts. Serving over 10,000 people across eight villages, Peak Sneng recorded 21,487 patient presentations and 368 births in 2024 alone. With input from the centre’s staff, MNM funded:

  • An ophthalmoscope and otoscope
  • Two blood pressure cuffs
  • Two thermometers

Over the years, MNM’s support has included the provision of ‘baby kits’ containing bathing bowls, sarongs, towels, hygiene products, and knitted beanies. These kits have proven to be a powerful incentive for mothers to give birth at the centre rather than at home, contributing to a reported reduction in maternal mortality.