Professor Pauline Nugent

ACU professor among the nation's best

Professor Pauline Nugent, Dean of Health Sciences at ACU, has been named a finalist in the Telstra Business Women's Awards in the Community and Government sector.

A mother of two, Professor Nugent joined the University's Melbourne Campus in 2007 and rapidly championed major changes - increasing the number of courses, research activities and employees in the Faculty of Health Sciences.

Professor Nugent also established the National Centre for Clinical Outcomes Research, a collaborative research centre linking ACU with other universities and healthcare providers in Australia and overseas. The Centre is aimed at improving clinical outcomes for patients and clients and has received more than $1.4 million in funding from industry.

Professor Nugent was nominated by her 27-year-old daughter for this year's Telstra award, and said it was both a surprise and an honour.

"Being nominated by my daughter was a thrill but even more so to simply be a finalist," she said. "During my career I have considered it important to establish effective education and research collaborations between universities and the health industry to improve patient outcomes and service delivery."

Professor Nugent said it was these collaborations, along with building strong teams, which were the reason for her success at ACU.

Winners of the Telstra Business Women's Awards will be announced on 6 October.