Two nurses at work

Facts & figures

Our research

  • 12th globally for nursing (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022)
  • $9.5M in research income over past five years
  • 1,510 publications in past five years
  • 14,624 generated citations in past five years
  • 2 average category normalised citation impact (CNCI) in past five years
  • 55 Higher degree by research (HDR) students currently enrolled
  • 57 Higher degree by research (HDR) students graduated over past five years
Research_

Research at Sydney Nursing School

Improving the patient experience and impacting health policy
We are committed to the vital role that nurses play throughout a person’s life, and strive to create research that improves patient experience with an impact on health policy.

Research highlights

  • MRFF Grant for Quality Improvement in Cardiac Rehabilitation
    Professor Robyn Gallagher has been awarded over $800k for her research project ‘Identifying and addressing barriers and enablers to implementing best-practice cardiac rehabilitation: the Quality Improvement in Cardiac Rehabilitation (QUICR) Cluster-Randomised Controlled Trial’

  • Models of Care to Improve the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Acute Care
    Professor Kate Curtis has been awarded $2.8 million to lead a project aimed at addressing emergency department overcrowding and improve patient outcomes, by studying an innovative model of care to enable earlier decisions, delivery of care and detection of clinical deterioration by frontline emergency department clinicians.
  • Improving the lives of people living with dementia
    A partnership led by the University of Sydney has received  $1.2m in funding to improve the independence, health and wellbeing of people living with dementia in residential aged care.

 

Our research

Our work is closely aligned with the research activities of the faculty, conducted across the following major areas:

  • cancer
  • immunology and infection
  • lifespan and ageing
  • mental health and neuroscience
  • obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular and chronic disease.

Other research areas

Our research into sleep and sleep disorders aims to measure the impact of these disorders, as well as the effectiveness of treatments and health system activity related to sleep.

Initiatives

  • Insomnia phenotypes: what are the differences between individuals with insomnia and those without.
  • Sleep and sleep disorder research, including sleep apnoea.

Researchers

Nurses play a vital role in evaluating and treating acutely ill or severely injured people, as well as managing the social and emotional costs associated with their care. 

Our research focuses on identifying common causes of major injuries, the appropriate care of acutely ill people and people with long-term disabilities, and any associated costs.

Working collaboratively with clinicians, clients and their families, we aim to conduct meaningful research that can be translated into health policy and practice.

Initiatives
  • Assessing the cost-effectiveness of reducing the cost and harm associated with rib fractures in older people.
  • Factors impacting risk of heart attack.
  • Translational research into child presentations in regional NSW emergency departments.
Researchers

Nutrition and dietetics includes the study of the food that people eat and its effects on wellbeing and on prevention and management of disease.

Dietary intake assessment

We have extensive experience in assessing and monitoring food and nutrient consumption of the population, including core foods groups (meat, fruit, vegetables, dairy products, grains, water), discretionary foods (fast foods, sugary beverages), portion sizes consumed, energy density of diets, diet quality and nutritional adequacy.

Nutritional epidemiology across the lifecycle

We have special interests in the diets of young adults and the elderly and is conducting two cohort studies.

Young adults gain the most weight of any age group that will lead to obesity and chronic disease. The elderly are the growing demographic and good nutrition may be the key to longevity.

Use of new technologies in nutrition

We are actively involved in collaborative research designing Smartphone applications and on-line tools for monitoring dietary intakes.

The efficacy and cost efficacy of phone coaching, text messaging, apps and social media to deliver individualised nutrition and lifestyle interventions for young adults, prevention of diabetes and for people with type 2 diabetes are active areas of research.

Centres, institutes and groups

We lead research in cancer and supportive care with a focus on improving the experience for those impacted by a cancer diagnosis.  To achieve this we work with cancer, haematology, and palliative care nurses in the Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) and across NSW to support their research in this area.  In addition, we work directly with those impacted by cancer, both patients and family, to develop new approaches to reduce the impact of cancer and its treatment. 

Partly funded by SLHD, we are a consortium of Sydney Nursing School and Daffodil Centre researchers, bringing together the school's strength in cancer, haematology, and palliative care research with centres of excellence in clinical cancer care.

Our research is conducted under four themes:

  • supportive care
  • psychosocial and quality of life
  • models of health care delivery
  • improving research capacity and skills for cancer and palliative care nurses and clinical trial nurses.

Key staff

  • Professor Kate White, CCRU Director and Professor of Cancer Nursing
  • Associate Professor Claudia Rutherford
  • Clinical Associate Professor Merran Findley
  • Clinical Associate Professor Tracy King 

I-HARP is a unique model of care, funded by the Australian government, that aims to help older people with dementia remain healthy and independent in their own homes.

The program combines a range of proven health care strategies into a comprehensive intervention delivered at home. I-HARP clinicians work closely with the person with dementia and their carer to provide client-directed and client-centred care and support. 

Learn more about I-HARP

StepUp for Dementia Research is a research participation and engagement service, a “one-stop shop” that connects individuals – both with and without dementia – with researchers conducting studies into dementia prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care and cure. We make it easier for the brightest minds in research to connect with people willing to donate their time. StepUp for Dementia Research is the flagship initiative of a program called Connect Dementia Research Australia (CDR-A). 

StepUp for Dementia Research is now live. Sign up at our website.

For more information, contact stepup.research@sydney.edu.au

Key staff
Collaborators
  • University College of London (Professor Martin Rossor and Adam Smith, Programs Manager)
  • University of Exeter (Associate Professor Piers Kotting)

Early implementation of StepUp for Dementia Research is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health.