Prof Lee Stewart ~ Dean, College of Healthcare Sciences

 As a health professional for four decades, my passion long has been the contribution that health professionals make to the health and wellbeing of their communities.  Working in public hospitals, private hospitals and community health services in Queensland and New South Wales, as a clinical nurse, midwife, educator, and leader/manager, I’ve had the opportunity to experience the expanding role that health professionals have had and will continue to have in supporting people to achieve their health outcomes.  At James Cook University over the past fourteen years, I’ve had the chance to work with terrific colleagues as we prepare the health professionals of the future, engage in research that makes a difference to communities, and negotiate best practice with our clinical partners.  My major research interest is about the link between effective leadership/management, the conditions in which health professionals undertake their work, and client safety.  I had the opportunity to advise the Fiji Ministry of Health for four years as they introduced a clinical governance/risk management system across Fiji’s Health System and to subsequently undertake research into the effectiveness of that system, particularly concerning health leadership and client safety.  As Dean of the College of Healthcare Sciences I have the privilege of leading an amazing team of people focused upon making a significant contribution to life in the tropics worldwide.  Studying for most of my working life, I hold a Diploma in Teaching Nursing, a Bachelor of Health Science (Nursing), a Postgraduate Certificate of Education, a Masters of Dispute Resolution, and a PhD and am also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. 

Interests

Research

• Nursing and Midwifery Leadership Clinical Governance Health Workforce Dispute Resolution in Health Care settings

Experience

• 2014 to present - Dean, College of Healthcare Sciences, James Cook University (Cairns)
• 2011 to 2014 - Head of School of Nursing, Midwifery & Nutrition, James Cook University (Townsville)
• 2009 to 2011 - Senior Lecturer, International Directors, Deputy Director, World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre, SNMN, James Cook University (Townsville)
• 2004 to 2009 - Clinical Governance Advisor to the Fiji Ministry of Health, Fiji Ministry of Health (Suva, Fiji Islands)
• 2008 - Acting Senior Lecturer, Acting Deputy Head of School, SNMN, James Cook Univeristy (Townsville)
• 2003 to 2005 - Lecturer, Acting Academic Advisor, SNMN, James Cook University (Townsville)
• 1994 to 2003 - Member of the panel of Mediators, Dispute Resolution Services, Queensland Government (Townsville)
• 1997 to 2002 - Nursing Director, Perio operative & Critical Care Division, Institute of Surgery, Townsville Health Service Districtf, Townsville Health Service District (Townsville)
• 1982 to 1997 - Nurse educator, Townsville Health Service District (Townsville)
• 1981 to 1982 - Community Nurse, Bluecare (Brisbane)
• 1979 to 1981 - Surgical Nurse, Townsville General Hospital (Townsville)
• 1978 to 1979 - Midwife, Crown Street Women's Hospital (Sydney)
• 1976 to 1978 - Student Midwife/Midwife, Mater Mother's Hospital (Brisbane)
• 1975 to 1976 - General Nurse, Mater Private Hospital (Brisbane)

Research Disciplines

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing (4504)
• Midwifery (4204)
• Nursing (4205)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health (2103)
• Provision of health and support services (2003)

Awards

• 2011 - Vice Chancellor's Award for Excellence
• 2008 - Australian Learning & Teaching Council Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning
• 2008 - James Cook University Inclusive Practice Award, in recognition of exceptional support for students with disabilities

Memberships

• 2013 - Member Midwifery Accreditation Committee, Australian Nursing & Midwifery Accreditation Council
• 2013 - Member, Expert Advisory Group, Review of Midwifery Accreditation Standards, Australian Nursing & Midwifery Accreditation Council
• 2012 - Member Australian College of Nursing

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• West R, Foster K, Stewart L and Usher K (2016) Creating walking tracks to success: a narrative analysis of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nursing students' stories of success. Collegian, 23 (4). pp. 349-354
• Gau Y, Buettner P, Usher K and Stewart L (2014) Development and validation of an instrument to measure the burden experienced by community health volunteers. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 23 (19-20). pp. 2740-2747
• West R, Usher K, Foster K and Stewart L (2014) Academic staff perceptions of factors underlying program completion by Australian Indigenous nursing students. Qualitative Report, 19 (Article 24). pp. 1-19
• Gau Y, Buettner P, Usher K and Stewart L (2013) Burden experienced by community health volunteers in Taiwan: a survey. BMC Public Health, 13 (1). pp. 1-8
• Gau Y, Usher K, Stewart L and Buettner P (2013) Burden experienced by community health volunteers in Taiwan: a qualitative study. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 19 (1). pp. 74-80
• Usher K, West C, MacManus M, Waqa S, Stewart L, Henry R, Lindsay D, Conaglen J, Hall J, McAuliffe M and Redman-MacLaren M (2013) Motivations to nurse: an exploration of what motivates students in Pacific Island countries to enter nursing. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 19 (5). pp. 447-454
• West R, Usher K, Buettner P, Foster K and Stewart L (2013) Indigenous Australians' participation in pre-registration tertiary nursing courses: a mixed methods study. Contemporary Nurse, 46 (1). pp. 123-134
• Mitchell B, Gardner A and Stewart L (2012) The epidemiology of Staphylacococcus aureus bacteraemia in Tasmania. Healthcare Infection, 17 (3). pp. 98-103
• Stewart L, Holmes C and Usher K (2012) Reclaiming caring in nursing leadership: a deconstruction of leadership using a Habermasian lens. Collegian, 19 (4). pp. 223-229
• West R, Stewart L, Foster K and Usher K (2012) Through a critical lens: indigenist research and the Dadirri method. Qualitative Health Research, 22 (11). pp. 1582-1590
• West C, Buettner P, Stewart L, Foster K and Usher K (2012) Resilience in families with a member with chronic pain: a mixed methods study. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 21 (23-24). pp. 3532-3545
• West C, Usher K, Foster K and Stewart L (2012) Chronic pain and the family: the experience of the partners of people living with chronic pain. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 21 (23-24). pp. 3352-3360

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 27+ research outputs authored by Prof Lee Stewart from 2006 onwards.

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.