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Associate Professor Heather McKenzie

RN, PhD BA UNSW
Associate Dean (Teaching & Learning)

M02C - 88 Mallett Street - Building C
The University of Sydney

Telephone +61 2 9114 4078
Fax +61 2 9351 0615

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Biographical details

I am Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching) and Associate Professor at Sydney Nursing School, University of Sydney, where I was formerly Sub-Dean (Research). I am a registered nurse, and was awarded the University of New South Wales University Medal for her project exploring the experiences of women with breast cancer. My doctoral research led to an invited paper about isolation following cancer survivorship and invited contributions on cancer survivorship in two books. I have contributed several significant publications about cancer illness experience since I began research in the field in 1996. I also contribute to nursing education, through maintaining a strong focus on research, consolidating relationships with key people in clinical and academic settings, and seeking new partnerships that will enable achievement of the research aims and objectives.

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Research interests

I have a strong research background in cancer care and cancer illness experiences. Along with an extensive clinical background in community nursing, I am currently conducting research into the relationship between community nurses and Chinese-Australian cancer patients. This leading research in a little-known area is already receiving international interest. Following a conference presentation of the preliminary data, I am currently in discussion with researchers at the University of Southampton to replicate this research in the UK.

My research interests include:

  • sociology of health, illness and suffering
  • sociology of emotions
  • community nursing
  • cancer care
  • qualitative research methodology
  • social theory
  • the interface between institutions of health care and consumers
  • politics of nursing

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Teaching and supervision

I am currently supervising three postgraduate students conducting research into the illness experiences of patients and carers. I also supervise four doctoral research students, and lead the humanities and social sciences stream in the faculty’s pre-registration curriculum.

Supervision of research students

  • 2012 Doctor of Philosophy, Understanding the lives and practices of people living with and providing long-term support to people with spinal cord injuries
  • 2011 Doctor of Philosophy, A palliative approach for elderly people with declining health, living in hostel accommodation: the state of play
  • 2011 Doctor of Philosophy, Multiple Myeloma: A study of the experiences of patients and carers using grounded theory
  • 2011 Master of Nursing, The experiences of immigrant nurses working in high acuity settings, due for completion
  • 2010 Doctor of Philosophy, A palliative approach for elderly people with declining health, living in hostel accommodation: the state of play
  • 2010 Doctor of Philosophy, Multiple Myeloma: A study of the experiences of patients and carers using grounded theory
  • 2009 Doctor of Philosophy, Nurse-patient relationships and encounters in an ethnically diverse health care setting
  • 2009 Doctor of Philosophy, Lessons about the transition of new graduate nurses from tertiary education to the acute care workforce in Sydney, Australia
  • 2008 Master of Nursing (Honours), Understanding the lives and caring practices of female informal carers of men with spinal cord injury in Australia
  • 2006 Bachelor of Nursing (Honours), Health Concerns of Older Rural Women Living in the Central Western Region of New South Wales

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Selected grants

2013

  • Evaluating a shared care pathway intervention to reduce chemotherapy outpatients' unplanned presentations to hospital; White K, McKenzie H, Hayes L, Simpson J, Horvath L, Willcock S, Cox K, Fethney J; National Health and Medical Research Council/Project Grants.

2009

  • Reducing chemotherapy outpatients unplanned presentations to hospital: A nurse led pilot study; McKenzie H; Nurses and Midwives Board (NSW)/Research Grants.

2007

  • Phase One of an Innovative Care Program for Chemotherapy Outpatients; Constantinidis C, McKenzie H; Merck Sharpe and Dohme Australia Pty Ltd/Research Support.

2005

  • The effects of nursing practice on personal experiences of cancer care in rural and remote settings: an exploratory study of patient and nurse perceptions; McKenzie H; University of Sydney/Cancer Research Fund.
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Selected publications

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Book Chapters

  • Foster, K., McKenzie, H. (2012). Educational approaches and activities to enhance emotional intelligence. In John Hurley & Paul Linsley (Eds.), Emotional Intelligence in Health and Social Care, (pp. 127-150). London, United Kingdom: Radcliffe Publishing Ltd.
  • McKenzie, H. (2012). Pain and Personal Experiences of Cancer: A complex intersection. In Heather Mckenzie, John Quinter and Gillian Bendelow (Eds.), At the Edge of Being: The Aporia of Pain, (pp. 113-124). London, United Kingdom: Inter-Disciplinary Press.
  • McKenzie, H. (2010). Pain and Personal Experiences of Cancer: A Complex Intersection. In Jane Fernandez (Eds.), Making Sense of Pain: Critical and Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Oxford, United Kingdom: Inter-Disciplinary Press.
  • McKenzie, H., Boughton, M., Hayes, L., Forsyth, S. (2008). Explaining the Complexities and Value of Nursing Practice and Knowledge. In Morley I & Crouch M (Eds.), Knowledge as Value: Illumination through Critical Prisms, (pp. 209-222). Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi.
  • McKenzie, H. (2004). Personal And Collecive Fears Of Death: A Complex Intersection For Cancer Survivors. In Not known (Eds.), Making sense of dying and death, (pp. 107-124). Amsterdam: Nicholson Museum, University of Sydney.

Journals

  • McKenzie, H., Hardy, J., Fisher, M., Lewis, M., Kingston, J. (2011). Extending Experiental Learning: Showcasing a Nursing 'Clinical Home' Model. Synergy, (31), 19-23.
  • McKenzie, H., Hayes, L., White, K., Cox, K., Fethney, J., Boughton, M., River, J. (2010). Chemotherapy outpatients' unplanned presentations to hospital: a retrospective study. Supportive Care in Cancer, 10.1007/s00520-010-0913-y, 1-7.
  • McKenzie, H. (2009). International virtual research seminar on cancer research. Interview by Judith Kingston. Australian Nursing Journal, 16(11), 56.
  • McKenzie, H., Boughton, M., Hayes, L., Forsyth, S., Davies, M., Underwood, E., McVey, P. (2007). A sense of security for cancer patients at home: the role of community nurses. Health and Social Care in the Community, 15(4), 352-359.
  • Forsyth, S., McKenzie, H. (2006). A comparative analysis of contemporary nurses' discontents. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 56(2), 209-216.
  • Crouch, M., McKenzie, H. (2006). The logic of small samples in interview-based qualitative research. Social Science Information, 45(4), 483-499.
  • McKenzie, H., Crouch, M. (2004). Discordant Feelings In The Lifeworld Of Cancer Survivors. Health, 8(2), 139-157.
  • McKenzie, H. (2002). The turn to inwardness and cancer survivorship. Health Sociology Review, 11(1-2), 71-78.

Conferences

  • McVey, P., McKenzie, H., White, K. (2009). A palliative approach for people with declining health living in hostel accommodation: Age care staff experiences. 8th National Conference of Emerging Researchers in Ageing 2009, Australia: Monash University.
  • McVey, P., McKenzie, H., White, K. (2009). Making connections: if nursing homes are the new 'hospices', what are hostels?. Palliative Care 2009: 10th Australian Palliative Care Conference & 8th Asia Pacific Hospice Conference APCC/APHC 2009, Australia: Palliative Care Australia.
  • Shipman, F., Solamain, S., Bishop, J., White, K., Nattress, K., Davidson, M., McKenzie, H. (2007). Rural Cancer Nursing Education Pilot. 10th Cancer Nurses Society of Australia Congress, on line: National Cancer Institute.
  • McKenzie, H., Boughton, M., Hayes, L., Forsyth, S. (2007). Struggling to Articulate the Value of its Knowledge Base: The Crisis in Contempory Nursing. 1st Global Conference on The Value of Knowledge (2007), Oxford, UK: Inter-Disciplinary Press.
  • McKenzie, H., Crouch, M. (2002). Discordant feelings under cancer's spectre of danger. XV World Congress of Sociology, : British Medical Journal Publishing Group.
  • McKenzie, H., Crouch, M. (2002). The logic of small samples in qualitative research. XV World Congress of Sociology, : British Medical Journal Publishing Group.
  • McKenzie, H. (2002). Uncertainty in the shadow of a cancer diagnosis. In Sickness and in Health: Ethics-Power-Practice 2002.
  • McKenzie, H. (2001). Inwardness: An enduring 'self' concept. TASA 2001 Conference, Sydney: The Australian Sociological Association (TASA).

2012

  • Foster, K., McKenzie, H. (2012). Educational approaches and activities to enhance emotional intelligence. In John Hurley & Paul Linsley (Eds.), Emotional Intelligence in Health and Social Care, (pp. 127-150). London, United Kingdom: Radcliffe Publishing Ltd.
  • McKenzie, H. (2012). Pain and Personal Experiences of Cancer: A complex intersection. In Heather Mckenzie, John Quinter and Gillian Bendelow (Eds.), At the Edge of Being: The Aporia of Pain, (pp. 113-124). London, United Kingdom: Inter-Disciplinary Press.

2011

  • McKenzie, H., Hardy, J., Fisher, M., Lewis, M., Kingston, J. (2011). Extending Experiental Learning: Showcasing a Nursing 'Clinical Home' Model. Synergy, (31), 19-23.

2010

  • McKenzie, H., Hayes, L., White, K., Cox, K., Fethney, J., Boughton, M., River, J. (2010). Chemotherapy outpatients' unplanned presentations to hospital: a retrospective study. Supportive Care in Cancer, 10.1007/s00520-010-0913-y, 1-7.
  • McKenzie, H. (2010). Pain and Personal Experiences of Cancer: A Complex Intersection. In Jane Fernandez (Eds.), Making Sense of Pain: Critical and Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Oxford, United Kingdom: Inter-Disciplinary Press.

2009

  • McVey, P., McKenzie, H., White, K. (2009). A palliative approach for people with declining health living in hostel accommodation: Age care staff experiences. 8th National Conference of Emerging Researchers in Ageing 2009, Australia: Monash University.
  • McKenzie, H. (2009). International virtual research seminar on cancer research. Interview by Judith Kingston. Australian Nursing Journal, 16(11), 56.
  • McVey, P., McKenzie, H., White, K. (2009). Making connections: if nursing homes are the new 'hospices', what are hostels?. Palliative Care 2009: 10th Australian Palliative Care Conference & 8th Asia Pacific Hospice Conference APCC/APHC 2009, Australia: Palliative Care Australia.

2008

  • McKenzie, H., Boughton, M., Hayes, L., Forsyth, S. (2008). Explaining the Complexities and Value of Nursing Practice and Knowledge. In Morley I & Crouch M (Eds.), Knowledge as Value: Illumination through Critical Prisms, (pp. 209-222). Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi.

2007

  • McKenzie, H., Boughton, M., Hayes, L., Forsyth, S., Davies, M., Underwood, E., McVey, P. (2007). A sense of security for cancer patients at home: the role of community nurses. Health and Social Care in the Community, 15(4), 352-359.
  • Shipman, F., Solamain, S., Bishop, J., White, K., Nattress, K., Davidson, M., McKenzie, H. (2007). Rural Cancer Nursing Education Pilot. 10th Cancer Nurses Society of Australia Congress, on line: National Cancer Institute.
  • McKenzie, H., Boughton, M., Hayes, L., Forsyth, S. (2007). Struggling to Articulate the Value of its Knowledge Base: The Crisis in Contempory Nursing. 1st Global Conference on The Value of Knowledge (2007), Oxford, UK: Inter-Disciplinary Press.

2006

  • Forsyth, S., McKenzie, H. (2006). A comparative analysis of contemporary nurses' discontents. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 56(2), 209-216.
  • Crouch, M., McKenzie, H. (2006). The logic of small samples in interview-based qualitative research. Social Science Information, 45(4), 483-499.

2004

  • McKenzie, H., Crouch, M. (2004). Discordant Feelings In The Lifeworld Of Cancer Survivors. Health, 8(2), 139-157.
  • McKenzie, H. (2004). Personal And Collecive Fears Of Death: A Complex Intersection For Cancer Survivors. In Not known (Eds.), Making sense of dying and death, (pp. 107-124). Amsterdam: Nicholson Museum, University of Sydney.

2002

  • McKenzie, H., Crouch, M. (2002). Discordant feelings under cancer's spectre of danger. XV World Congress of Sociology, : British Medical Journal Publishing Group.
  • McKenzie, H., Crouch, M. (2002). The logic of small samples in qualitative research. XV World Congress of Sociology, : British Medical Journal Publishing Group.
  • McKenzie, H. (2002). The turn to inwardness and cancer survivorship. Health Sociology Review, 11(1-2), 71-78.
  • McKenzie, H. (2002). Uncertainty in the shadow of a cancer diagnosis. In Sickness and in Health: Ethics-Power-Practice 2002.

2001

  • McKenzie, H. (2001). Inwardness: An enduring 'self' concept. TASA 2001 Conference, Sydney: The Australian Sociological Association (TASA).
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PhD and master's project opportunities

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