Senior Fellows of the Higher Education Academy
Associate Professor Lenore Adie, SFHEA, from the ACU Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education, is an Associate Professor in Teacher Education and Assessment. Her research focuses on assessment and judgement-making. She is currently leading an ARC Linkage Project (LP180100046) improving teacher assessment capability using scaled annotated exemplars of achievement standards in online moderation.
Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman, SFHEA, is a Head of Discipline in Accounting and Finance at the Peter Faber School of Business. He has received ACU Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Students Learning and has won the inaugural Executive Dean's Innovation in Assessment Practices Award. His works feature in Q1 finance journals and he is an editorial board member of select journals.
Dr Adam Burston, SFHEA, is a senior academic and research fellow. Adam has principal interest in student learning experience, technology-enhanced learning, healthcare ethics, healthcare consumer experiences and pressure injury.
Associate Professor Jane Butler, SFHEA, is Head of Discipline Physiotherapy in the School of Allied Health. She has experience in curriculum design, course review, continuing professional development, and academic leadership and a previous recipient of an ACU VC and President’s Scholarship, and a Teaching Excellence Award.
Dr Melissa Cain, SFHEA, is a senior lecturer in the National School of Education. She is Acting National Assistant Head of Discipline (Secondary Teaching) and Secondary Course Coordinator (QLD). Melissa's teaching and research centres on Creative Arts education and Inclusive Education, in particular, supporting students with sensory impairments in mainstream classrooms.
Dr Joe Campana, SFHEA, presently leads two micro-credentials in the Graduate Certificate of Higher Education offered by the Centre for Education and Innovation and was previously Lecturer in Charge for the Core Curriculum. He is part of a team of academics who provide support for course and unit reviews.
Dr Renata Cinelli, SFHEA, is a Senior Lecturer in Health, Physical Education, and Educational Psychology in the Faculty of Education and Arts. She has a passion for working interculturally, with extensive experience working in Solomon Islands and with Aboriginal Australians. Renata's outstanding contributions to teaching, learning, and leadership have been recognised through university teaching citations.
Associate Professor Georgia Clarkson, SFHEA, is the academic lead of quality enhancement in the CEI. She has a mixed disciplinary and work background in arts, teaching and paramedicine. Georgia’s work has a strong focus on inclusivity in education. She has worked in school, faculty, university and cross institutional program and project leadership roles and has led numerous teaching development grant projects in collaboration with colleagues from a broad range of disciplines.
Dr Richard College, SFHEA, is Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching) in the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy and former Head of School of Philosophy. His research focuses on the history of philosophy, phenomenology, and philosophy of religion. He advocates for high-quality teaching in the humanities that enables academics to convey their disciplinary passion to students.
Associate Professor Sharon Croxford, SFHEA, is Discipline Lead for Nutrition and Public Health. She is an award winning academic with experience in online, blended and more traditional styles of teaching as well as unit and course design, development and evaluation. Her research interests relate to changes in culinary culture with migration and its impact on health, terms used in culinary culture and nutrition, culinary competencies, and scholarship of learning and teaching.
Dr Francesca Fernandez, SFHEA, is the course coordinator for the Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Qld) and the national course coordinator for the Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours). She teaches human biology to first-year students in the School of Behavioural and Health Sciences (QLD).
Ms Marie B Fisher, SFHEA, is a lecturer in charge, academic developer responsible for teaching and mentoring, and Vice Chair of HERDSA ACT, and received an award for Contemporary Approaches to University Teaching in 2018. Her recent, multi-disciplinary international research focuses on academic resilience, teaching practice and digital wellbeing.
Dr Vanessa Fredericks, SFHEA, is a senior lecturer in academic development in the Centre for Education and Innovation and leads the Fellowship program at ACU. She has experience in curriculum design and course review, continuing professional development, academic leadership and mentoring, and a cultural studies disciplinary background.
Dr Ann-Marie Gibson, SFHEA, is currently a Lecturer in Exercise Science in the Faculty of Health Sciences based at the Strathfield and Blacktown campuses, teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate students. She joined ACU in 2021 having spent 12 years teaching at several UK HE institutions. She is currently involved in the INSPIRE programme at ACU, advocating evidence-based teaching and learning practices to enhance the student experience, with a specific focus on first year students.
Dr Sue Gledhill, SFHEA, is from the Faculty of Health Sciences. She led development of a new Master of Leadership and Management in Health Care course and is now involved in the development of other postgraduate courses designed to enhance innovative learning experiences for postgraduate students.
Dr Amanda Gutierrez, SFHEA, is from the Faculty of Education and the Arts and is passionate about the benefits of partnerships for strengthening work-integrated learning experiences. She also has a background in literacy, specifically critical and digital literacy, and researches in both the partnership/work-integrated learning and literacy spaces.
Ms Peta Harbour, SFHEA, is the Deputy Head of School, School of Nursing, Midwifery, and Paramedicine (ACT). Peta is passionate and experienced in academic leadership, and innovative and engaging adult education. She has teaching experience from multiple education providers and has received various teaching citations and awards.
Associate Professor Diane Jacobs, SFHEA, is National Course Coordinator, Speech Pathology and Associate Deputy Head of School, School of Allied Health, Melbourne campus. Diane is the chair of the SoAH Learning and Teaching committee and a member of the Faculty Learning and Teaching Standing committee. Diane has taught at three Australian universities as well as in Vietnam and has contributed to the ACU Speech Pathology program since its inception. She has been the recipient (with peers) of a number of Faculty and ACU learning and teaching grants and in 2017 was awarded both a Faculty citation and an ACU Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning. Diane is an advocate of the research – practice nexus with a passion for ensuring that speech pathology students are well-prepared for workforce entry. She is a university accreditor with Speech Pathology Australia.
Dr Santha James, SFHEA, is a senior lecturer from the Faculty of Health Sciences. She has teaching experience from Australian and overseas universities, and has received various awards, citations, and teaching/learning grants. She helped develop the Biomedical Science course and dual degrees at ACU and served as the National Course Coordinator from 2015-2019.
Dr Mellita Jones, SFHEA, is a senior lecturer in science teacher education in the Faculty of Education and Arts. Her outstanding contribution to student learning has been recognised through faculty and federal government awards. She has a passion for the relationship between education and social justice and has worked extensively in the Solomon Islands.
Professor Thomas Lange, SFHEA, is a leading authority in the human resource management, organisational behaviour and transformational leadership research arena. He is Editor-in-Chief of Evidence-based HRM and Associate Editor of the International Journal of Manpower. His works feature in several elite journals such as the Journal of Vocational Behavior, Human Resource Management, and The Leadership Quarterly.
Ms Sandra Leathwick, SFHEA, is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Health Sciences for undergraduate and postgraduate students. She is a previous Master of Clinical Nursing Course Coordinator. She played an integral role in the development, facilitation, and evaluation of the COVID4NURSES program (MOOC). Her research interests focus broadly on equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Dr Isabelle Lys, SFHEA, is a teaching-focused bioscience senior lecturer in the School of Behavioural and Health Sciences (QLD). She is interested in professional development of staff in pedagogy of science teaching and learning at universities. She has taught at both national and international universities and received various teaching and learning grants, citations, and awards.
Dr John Mahoney, SFHEA, is a senior lecturer in exercise and sport science in the Faculty of Health Sciences. John has been involved in a number of learning and teaching projects that focus on using the best available evidence to inform practices. He's developed programs for teaching academics that encourage evidence use and initiatives for students that promote engagement.
Dr Jason McFarland, SFHEA, is a lecturer in liturgical studies with the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy. Jason was a Teaching Fellow at Catholic University of America and a TEFL Trainer for the US Peace Corps in China, and he is now a leader in the design and delivery of units and courses in liturgy and sacraments at ACU.
Dr Hemant Mehta, SFHEA, is the lecturer in charge of biomedical science units in pharmacology, pathophysiology, anatomy and physiology. He is a peer reviewer for the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health and is on the review panel for Pearson International Publishers, where he checks and contributes to replacement content of health science textbooks.
Dr Kunle Ola, SFHEA, a senior lecturer and Discipline Leader, Thomas More Law School (Brisbane). Recipient of several excellence awards in learning and teaching. Course Coordinator, Graduate Diploma in Australian Migration Law and Practice where he leads the development and curriculum design of the program. He teaches and researches in contract, company law and intellectual property law.
Dr John Oldroyd, SFHEA, is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Behavioural and Health Sciences. He is the Master of Public Health co-ordinator and teaches into the postgraduate public health programme.
Associate Professor Alison Owens, SFHEA, is a Senior Lecturer at ACU Centre for Education and Innovation. She has over twenty-years’ experience in teaching and researching education in University contexts. Alison is the recipient of multiple internal and external research grants and publishes widely on education topics. Her fields of interest are the SoTL and Creative Arts.
Dr Kazem Razaghi, SFHEA, is an academic lecturer at in the Discipline of Nursing, North Sydney campus. Kazem has been teaching in the tertiary environment for 16 years, prior to which he taught in the clinical health environments for about 7 years. He has designed, written, and implemented several modules for different units in undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Kazem has been leading, engaged in and disseminated several scholarly research on diverse topics. Kazem has completed a PhD in social and behavioural sciences in health at The University of Sydney and has publications in peer reviewed journals.
Dr Zoltan Rusznak, SFHEA, is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Head of Discipline (Science). He has numerous publications in the field of neuroscience, 30 years of university teaching experience, and developed the curriculum of numerous units discussing physiology and pathophysiology.
Dr David Salisbury, SFHEA, his current role is a Learning Technologist for the Centre for Education and Innovation (CEI). He is the Lead Advisor for the Professional Development programs offered by the CEI. In addition David is co-administrator for the Intelliboard Analytics program, Feedback Fruits Group and Peer Evaluation and the Mahara ePortfolio programs.
Associate Professor Tracey Sanders, SFHEA, is the State Head of the School of Education, Queensland. With a career spanning both the School of Arts and Humanities and the School of Education, she has received numerous awards in teaching excellence and community engagement, and a citation. She was part of the transition from McAuley College to ACU in Queensland as well as Drama Director for the ACU Canonisation team.
Dr Gillian Schroeter, SFHEA, had been mentoring, mentors for years without realising the impact she was having upon students, and those, they in turn mentored. The HEA process enabled her to better understand how she was affecting the careers and learning of academic staff, undergraduate teachers, post-graduate teachers and their students. The impact of her work is far reaching, including into the professional sector.
Dr Bianca Share, SFHEA, is a lecturer in exercise and sport science, and the exercise science practicum coordinator in the School of Behavioural and Health Sciences (VIC). She teaches physiology, nutrition, and exercise testing and prescription to undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Dr Jodi Sita, SFHEA, is the Learning and Teaching Coordinator in the Faculty of Health Sciences and member of the School of Behavioural and Health Sciences. She is passionate about developing people, be it the professional development of staff or the development of students in a unit or across their degree. Her approach and philosophy are strongly influenced by a Heutagogical approach to learning that promotes the principles of learner agency, self-efficacy, capability and reflection with the goal of fostering life-long learners who are well-prepared for the complexities and dynamics of today & tomorrow's world.
Dr Jemima Spathis, SFHEA, is a senior lecturer in exercise science at the School of Health and Behavioural Sciences. Jemima has been involved in several teaching and learning grants which focus on evidence to inform teaching practice. She is particularly interested in developing students practical and professional skills through experiential and work-integrated learning opportunities.
Dr Jackie Stevens, SFHEA, is a teaching-focused science lecturer in the School of Behavioural and Health Sciences (VIC). She has publications in the field of protein chemistry, and a passion for community engagement and safe laboratory practices. She teaches first year human biology and mentors aspiring scientists in the Honours program.
Dr Vicki Thorpe, SFHEA, is a lecturer from the Faculty of Education and the Arts, and a course advisor for Primary education students. Vicki is passionate about preparing students for professional experience placements in early childhood, primary and secondary settings. Her teaching and research focuses on curriculum, pedagogy and assessment.
Dr Dan van den Hoek, SFHEA, is a lecturer and the National Professional Practice Lead for Exercise Physiology in the School of Behavioural and Health Sciences (Qld). Dan links his passion for community engagement with work-integrated learning to enhance community and student outcomes through mutually beneficial programs focused on positive youth development and best-practice methods for work-integrated learning.
Ms Penny Wheeler, SFHEA, is an academic developer in the Centre for Education and Innovation implementing graduate attributes and a curriculum of skills for impact across the university. Her teaching areas include higher education, technologies for learning, and language and linguistics.
Professor Anthony Whitty, SFHEA, is Director of the Centre for Education and Innovation, and the former Associate Dean (Learning, Teaching and Professional Experiences) in the Faculty of Health Sciences. A recipient of the Australian Awards for University Teaching (AAUT) Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, Anthony has also actively managed his faculty’s successful Future in Youth Project in Timor Leste.
Dr Doug Whyte, SFHEA, is a senior lecturer and exercise science course coordinator in the School of Behavioural and Health Sciences. He teaches physiology and research methods across a variety of undergraduate, honours and postgraduate programs.
Dr Cecilia Yeboah, SFHEA, has been working in Higher Education for 15 years and is a full-time lecturer in Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences. This role includes teaching, coordination, and leadership responsibilities. Teaching various year levels including postgraduate, undergraduate and interprofessional units. Cecilia's discipline teaching background includes medical, renal gerontology and palliative care nursing in addition to healthcare ethics and Indigenous health. Cecilia's research background is society, culture and health.
Dr Jacqui Young, SFHEA, is the National Course Coordinator, Discipline of Nursing (undergraduate programs), School of Nursing, Midwifery, & Paramedicine. Jacqui is an experienced academic with a love of learning and teaching in nursing. She has extensive experience in curriculum design, course review, accreditation, and the use of innovative and engaging learning experiences. Her research interests include collaborative online international learning and nurse-led care in primary health care.
Mrs Mandy El Ali, SFHEA, is a Senior lecturer in the SoNMP in Melbourne. Mandy’s portfolio oversees professional practice at a national level. With more than 20 years of experience in academic and clinical settings, Mandy teaches in both undergraduate and post graduate units. She is the Course Coordinator of the Master of Clinical Nursing and co-lead the development and implementation of the COVID4NURSES program funded by Safer Care Vic. Mandy’s research is focused on ethical nursing practices particularly with children and her teaching philosophy is student-centred with a life learning approach.
Dr Kieran Flanagan, SFHEA, is senior lecturer in Speech Pathology, Course Coordinator (Speech Pathology, QLD) and Deputy Head of School of Allied Health Brisbane Campus. Kieran has experience teaching students from entry to university through to postgraduate studies. His recent teaching work has focused on curriculum design and development, professional practice education and the adoption of technology to assist teaching and learning.
Dr Kerrie Basclain, SFHEA, is the National Professional Practicum Coordinator and lecturer in undergraduate Exercise Science, based at Strathfield and Blacktown campuses. Kerrie has been involved in the leadership of staff and development of the practicum units since 2009 with a passion for facilitating meaningful work integrated learning experiences for students, as adult learners, to apply their university learning into application in the professional world.
Dr Chrissy Monteleone, SFHEA, is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education and Arts, and the Deputy Head of the School of Education in NSW. As a leader in teacher education, Chrissy’s my primary goal is to prepare students to become exemplary, classroom-ready teachers. Chrissy’s expertise spans early childhood and primary mathematics, gifted education, and partnership development.
Dr Vikki Pollard, SFHEA, is a Lecturer in the Centre for Education and Innovation at ACU. She previously worked on the leadership team for ACU Online with a focus on Professional Learning for academics and is currently teaching into the Graduate Certificate of Higher Education. She has worked across the higher education sector in Melbourne for fifteen years. Her research focus is reflective practice and teaching and learning.
Dr Christian Pitcher, SFHEA, is a senior lecturer in Clinical Exercise Physiology in the School of Behavioural and Health Sciences. Christian is a significant contributor to teaching and learning in the Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology’s capstone professional experience units. Christian has also served in teaching leadership and course governance roles including Head of Discipline, Course Coordinator, and National Professional Practice Lead. He has experience in curriculum design, course review and accreditation, and design and delivery of work integrated learning initiatives.
Dr Trajce Cvetkovski, SFHEA, is Course Co-ordinator and Senior Lecturer in Occupational Health and Safety Management, PFBS, Faculty of Law and Business. He is a practising academic whose teaching interests include WHS law, principles of WHS/OHS, wellbeing and psychosocial risk. He has practised as an industrial relations lawyer since 1996. Trajce has provided strategic legal advice concerning physical and psychosocial hazards and risks, and has prosecuted several complex matters including heat exhaustion, bullying, and reckless conduct. His research interests include sentencing inconsistencies under harmonised legislation, the misrepresentation of OHS and wellbeing in popular culture, and costs associated with achieving compliance. He contributes to the AIHS Ethics and Professional Practice chapter, and is co-founder of the globally successful WhyWork Podcast.
Dr Melanie Barlow, SFHEA, is a registered nurse, specialising in intensive care. Her current role is senior lecturer and the national academic lead for specialised learning environments and simulation at Australian Catholic University. Since 2011, she has focused on designing and delivering simulation programs. Melanie has held such positions such as the Director of Simulation in a large health service and was previously Chair of the national healthcare simulation body, the Australian Society for Simulation in Healthcare (ASSH). In 2019, she completed an international fellowship in simulation with the Center for Medical Simulation, Boston, USA. She currently sits on the Regional Interest Group for the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation in Healthcare (INACSL). As part of her PhD, Melanie used simulation as a test bed for studying behaviour. Her research explores how healthcare professionals receive messages in the speaking up context and how this can be enhanced to improve interprofessional communication and ultimately patient safety.
