Applications to join a Policy Chapter are currently closed. Please look out for communication from ACN or check this webpage towards the end of 2020 to submit your application to join a Policy Chapter in 2021.
Policy Chapters
The Australian College of Nursing runs Policy Chapters under the expert leadership and guidance of our highly regarded Chairs and Deputy Chairs. The aim of the Chapters is to provide opportunities for nursing leaders and experts to inform change and guide future directions through collaboration.
Each Policy Chapter focuses on a specific issue and draws on the specialised skills and expertise of members of ACN and external stakeholders to work with and influence government and policy makers. In 2020 we are introducing a new Policy Chapter titled Emissions Reduction Policy Chapter which will focus on reducing our carbon footprint through nursing leadership. We welcome returning Chapter members as well as new members who bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to their Chapters in 2020. We are very proud of the work that the Policy Chapters have produced in recent years and are excited by the work being undertaken this year.
Our Policy Chapters in 2020 are:
- Ageing
The focus: Quality indicators for aged care: Looking at the current literature and practice surrounding quality indicators and recommendations for government initiatives for aged care in all settings - Chronic Disease
The focus: Nursing and multimorbidity: The role of nurses in improving care for people living with multiple chronic conditions - Emissions Reduction
The focus: Reducing our carbon footprint through nursing leadership - End of Life Care
The focus: The role of nurses in ensuring quality end of life care for older Australians - Workforce Sustainability
The focus: Examining the utilisation and support for new graduate registered nurses not within formal transition to practice programs
Joining a Policy Chapter
Policy Chapter Chairs
Professor Deborah Parker MACN
Ageing: Chair
» About me
Professor Deborah Parker is Professor of Nursing Aged Care (Dementia), Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney. Prof Parker is a nursing academic who specialises in aged care, palliative care and dementia education and research. This work has been supported by over $35 million in competitive research funds, including NHMRC grants and fellowships; philanthropic grants and government and private tenders.
Prof Parker has extensive experience in national aged care knowledge translation research and has held conjoint clinical/academic appointments in aged care and health. She is President Elect NSW Palliative Care Council, Chair of the Palliative Care Nurses Association Aged Care Special Interest Group and Board Member of Leigh Place and Carrington Care.
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Professor Lisa Whitehead MACN
Chronic Disease: Chair
» About me
Lisa’s research experience over the past 23 years has centred on improving health outcomes for people living with chronic conditions, self-management interventions and working with families to support the management of chronic conditions. Engagement with clinicians and conducting research in real world settings underpin all of her research activities with the aim to implement enduring evidence based change in practice. The majority of Lisa’s research and clinical practice has been in the primary health care setting and collaborations are always multidisciplinary. In her role as Professor of Nursing Research, at Edith Cowan University (ECU), Western Australia, Lisa leads the research group “Improving health outcomes for people living with chronic conditions”. Lisa also holds the roles of Associate Dean Research, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Director of the Centre for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Services Research, ECU and is an honorary professor of research at the University of Otago, New Zealand. Previous positions include the roles of Head of Department and Director of the Strategy to Advance Research (STAR) in nursing and allied health, a national initiative funded by the New Zealand government.
Lisa has been awarded over $5 million in research funding during her career and is currently an investigator on an $1.11 million grant to explore factors predicting regression from pre-diabetes to normal glucose regulation, funded by the Health Research Council (HRC) of New Zealand.
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Dr Frances Peart FACN
Emissions Reduction: Chair
» About me
Frances is a registered nurse with a PhD in Organisational Behaviour and nearly 30 years’ experience working in management. With a passion for creating great workplace cultures and developing leadership capability, Frances has worked in many segments of the health care industry including acute hospitals, community services and aged care. Her entrepreneurial spirit has been channelled into creating a startup in-home care service. Frances believes that life is an adventure to be enjoyed: be brave and have fun.
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Distinguished Professor Patsy Yates FACN
End Of Life Care: Chair
» About me
Distinguished Professor Patsy Yates, PhD, RN, FACN, FAAN is jointly appointed as Head, School of Nursing at Queensland University of Technology and Director for Queensland Health’s Centre for Palliative Care Research and Education (CPCRE). Distinguished Professor Yates leads a large competitively funded research program focused on developing workforce capacity in palliative care, and strengthening the nexus between research, policy and practice in palliative care.
Patsy is the immediate Past-President of Palliative Care Australia and is President-Elect of the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care. She is a Fellow of both the Australian College of Nursing and the American Academy of Nursing.
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Professor Lee Boyd MACN
Workforce Sustainability: Chair
» About me
Lee joined the Cabrini Executive as Executive Director of Nursing and Cabrini Institute in 2014. She has a clinical background in critical care and was appointed as Director of Education and Staff Development at Cabrini in 2012. She has over 20 years experience in health professional education and research. Previously, she worked at Monash University as Director of Academic Programs (Middle East) and Head of Department Community Emergency Health and Paramedic Practice.
Lee holds post graduate qualifications in Education and Critical Care from Monash University and a Masters in Tertiary Education Management from Melbourne University. Her PhD investigated health program evaluation models. She is currently studying a Masters in Business Administration and supervises six PhD students. Lee is keen to facilitate a learning and research culture within Cabrini with a focus on safety and high quality care.
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Policy Chapter Deputy Chairs
Professor Trisha Dunning AM FACN DLF
Ageing: Deputy Chair
» About me
Qualifications: RN, MEd, PhD, Graduate Certificates: Obstetrics, Infant Welfare, Paediatrics, Family Planning, Aromatherapy, Relaxation Massage. Graduate Diplomas: Health Education, Professional Writing.
Trisha is Chair in Nursing and Director Centre for Quality and Patient Safety Research Barwon Health Partnership, Deakin University, Geelong. She is a credentialed diabetes educator, a Distinguished Life Fellow of ACN and a Life Member of the Australian Diabetes Educators Association. Her research focus is older people with diabetes and diabetes palliative and end of life care. She has made a long standing professional contribution on local, national and international committees. She is widely published in books and peer-reviewed and other journals and writes short stories and poetry in her spare time.
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Ms Robyn Quinn FACN
Chronic Disease: Deputy Chair
» About me
Robyn is the General Manager of Sydney Pain Management Centre at Parramatta and Sydney Adventist Hospital a position she has held for over 20 years. Robyn initially commence as the clinical co-ordinator for the patients but after completing an MBA advanced to General Manager of the Centres.
Over this time Robyn has been closely involved with the advancement of Pain Management. Robyn was the first nurse and female to be a council Member of the Australian Pain Society, a member of the International Association of Pain Taskforce for Guidelines for Nurse Pain Curriculum.
Robyn is also closely involved in the area of Quality Management in Health and has been President of the Australian Association of Quality Healthcare for the past two years.
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Professor Odette Best MACN
Emissions Reduction: Deputy Chair
Associate Professor Melissa Bloomer FACN
End Of Life Care: Deputy Chair
» About me
Associate Professor Melissa Bloomer has been registered as a nurse for 23 years and a Fellow and Member of the Australian College of Nursing for the last nine years. Melissa holds an Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Deakin University, Melbourne.
Melissa’s research focuses on end-of-life care across the lifespan from newborns to older people; and across multiple practice settings including acute care, adult and paediatric critical care, subacute care and rehabilitation. With expertise in qualitative and mixed method research, Melissa’s program of research aims to increase awareness of the challenges associated with the end-of-life care provision in Australia. Her work has explored recognition of dying, clinician preparedness, patterns of death in public and private hospital settings, end-of-life communication and decision-making.
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Adjunct Professor Alanna Geary FACN
Workforce Sustainability: Deputy Chair
» About me
Adjunct Professor Alanna Geary is the Executive Director Nursing & Midwifery Services (EDNMS) Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital and Metro North Hospital & Health Service.
Alanna has been the EDNMS of Metro North Hospital and Health Services and Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital for the past three years but has worked in Queensland Health for 36 years. Alanna was a hospital trained nurse and midwife completing General Nursing Training 1984, Midwifery in 1988, Bachelor of Nursing in 1994 and a Masters of Health Science in 2001. Alanna is a member of the Australian College of Nursing, Australian Institute of Company Directors and Board member of the RBWH Foundation. She was recently elected to be the Deputy Chair of the Queensland Executive Directors of Nursing and Midwifery Forum.
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