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Significant Awards & Achievements

Pioneering Innovation

In 2007 Jacqui Guy received a Carrick Citation for her achievements over many years with off-shore student learning opportunities in Vanuatu. This initiative has been extended to involve students and staff from the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the Melbourne campus. Jacqui’s Citation read: “Pioneering an innovative model of experiential learning for nursing students in partnership with a healthcare system in a developing country.”

Innovative Educational Spaces and Places

Also in 2007, the Nursing Laboratory at MacKillop Campus was chosen as one of the innovative educational spaces and places visited by the Carrick Institute participants and guests. Peta Drury was also invited by Carrick to present the Virtual Health Environment at a seminar relating to “Places and Spaces for Learning.″

Clinical Excellence

Professor Sandy Middleton was appointed to the Clinical Council of the Clinical Excellence Commission (CEC) and has been involved in the Hand Hygiene Project and other CEC Projects. In addition, Professor Middleton was invited to represent nursing on the Australian Council Healthcare Standards Research Advisory Panel and was appointed as a member of Grant Review Panel 5e for the National Health and Medical Research Council for the next three years.

United Nations

Professor T. McDonald from the School of Nursing (NSW & ACT) was a consultant in the United Nations.

Health sciences student wins 3MT final

Melbourne's Dallas Brooks Centre hosted some strong competition last week as six research students from Australian Catholic University (ACU) battled it out in the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) final. First place went to Bianca Share, a PhD student from the University's Melbourne Campus. She received the $1000 prize and will go on to represent ACU at the 2011 Australia and New Zealand 3MT Competition at The University of Western Australia on 29 September, 2011.

Bianca impressed the judges with an informative and engaging delivery of her thesis - on cardiovascular health in young women - within the specified time of just three minutes. "I was the runner-up in last year's competition behind a very deserving recipient so it was great to compete again this year and come out on top," she said. "It's empowering to know that people believe my study is worthwhile." "I'm very excited about representing ACU at the finals in Perth. The competition presents a great opportunity to witness some of the amazing research being conducted within Australia and New Zealand."

Bianca said she enjoyed the challenge of writing a three-minute script and producing a single power point slide to capture the essence of her two-and-a-half year research experience. "The competition itself gave me the opportunity to showcase my study to the broader community and enabled me to network with like-minded individuals within my field of research."

Bianca is due to complete her thesis by the end of 2012, and hopes to pursue a career as an academic within the field of cardiovascular health. Carmel Seibold, Dean of Graduate Studies, said the presentations were of an exceptionally high standard, and all participants were a credit to the University.