RN, RM, PhD, MPH, BAppSc(N), DipAppSc(NEd), FACM, SFHEA, MAICD, Churchill Fellow

Professor Fiona Bogossian is Deputy Dean, School of Health at the University of the Sunshine Coast.

Fiona is Registered Nurse and Midwife with qualifications in education, public health and epidemiology who has over 3 decades of tertiary midwifery education experience. Fiona led the establishment of midwifery as a discipline at two universities. She  has a sustained and strong track record in two areas of research concentration relating to perinatal health and health workforce education. Her research has wide impact from changing clinical and education practice to informing government policy. 

Fiona is a Fellow of the College of Midwives.  She was Sub-Editor for Women & Birth (2005-2019), Chair of Universitas 21 Deans of Nursing & Midwifery (2013-2016), Senior Education Expert for Midwifery Accreditation Committee of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (2018 - 2023). Fiona currently contributes to the National Placement Evaluation Centre as a Midwifery Lead and Core Group member.

BN, GDMid, MMid, PhD

Dr. Kath Brundell is an academic and clinical midwife with extensive leadership experience across midwifery education and practice. Kath holds an Advanced HE Senior Lecturer Fellowship and has a consolidated career in Course Coordination. Kath is an active researcher whose PhD focused on the sustainability of rural Victorian maternity services. 

Kath's research has significantly influenced Victorian health policy, directly informing the state government's maternity taskforce activity and rural maternity sustainability initiatives. Her scholarly work addresses critical workforce challenges and maternity access issues across Australia. In addition to her academic role, Kath has served as Chief Examiner for Internationally Qualified Midwives with AHPRA and the NMBA and currently chairs the International Qualified Midwife Examinations Committee. She is an active member of Safer Care Victoria's Maternity Advisory Group, contributing her expertise to government strategy development. Her extensive clinical background spans tertiary paediatric emergency nursing, hospital management, community nursing, and midwifery across tertiary, rural, and remote settings. Kath is also an executive member of the Childbirth and Parenting Educators of Australia (CAPEA). 

Kath's leadership extends to other national professional bodies, including the Australian College of Midwives, Trans-Tasman Midwifery Education Consortium, and Victorian Midwifery Academics. She currently collaborates on international research initiatives with Papua New Guinea and maintains research partnerships with organisations such as CAPEA. Kath has an unwavering commitment to advancing midwifery education and rural maternity sustainability and is a strong voice in Australian maternal healthcare.

BMidwif, BHlthSc(Hons), GradCert Midwifery Diagnostics and Prescribing, GradDipEdStud(DigitLrn), MBA(HlthServMgt), CHIA, PhD, FACM

Dr Megan Cooper is a midwife, academic, and clinical researcher whose career is anchored by a single guiding purpose: to leave the world a better place than she found it. Megan is Associate Professor and Head of Discipline (Midwifery) at The University of Queensland — roles that reflect both her scholarly leadership and her deep commitment to shaping the future of the profession. At the heart of everything Megan does is a firmly held belief that a united voice is stronger than any individual. Her work across research, education, policy, and practice is a sustained commitment to collective action in pursuit of better outcomes for midwives, for the profession, and most importantly, for the women, families, and communities they serve.

PhD, MEd, MAdP , RN/RM, SFHEA

Professor Terri Downer is the Associate Dean of Midwifery within the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. In this senior leadership role, she provides strategic direction for midwifery education, driving innovation and excellence in teaching, clinical practice, and workforce development across both the University and the broader health sector. With an international career spanning more than 35 years, Professor Downer has extensive expertise across midwifery, neonatal intensive care, IVF, and community health. Over the past two decades, her focus has centred on advancing higher education, curriculum leadership, and the preparation of future healthcare professionals. In recognition of her significant contributions to tertiary education and academic leadership, Professor Downer was awarded Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) in 2019, an international acknowledgement of excellence in higher education practice and leadership.

DipAppSci(Nsg), BN, MEd(Mgt), PhD

Jenny is a Midwife and Registered Nurse with a combined 40 years of experience. Commencing practice as a clinician she held roles in ward and senior management and from 2012-2022 she held the role of Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery of South Australia’s largest maternity service. Her passion for education and research led her to her current position as Clinical Professor of Midwifery at Adelaide University. Jenny maintains strong industry connections with midwifery and belongs to the Australian College of Midwifery. Her experience includes midwifery policy both within SA and Australia, hospital level and tertiary midwifery education and research including as Chief Investigator of grant-funded projects, supervising and mentoring midwives.

PhD, Midwife, SFHEA, CF

Professor Jenny Gamble is Professor of Midwifery at Monash University and Emeritus Professor at Griffith University. She is a leading Australian midwifery scholar with an extensive record of national leadership across policy, education, research, and clinical practice.

Professor Gamble has played a central role in Australia’s maternity reform agenda, serving as both National and Queensland President of the Australian College of Midwives and contributing through multiple ministerial appointments. A long standing advocate for advancing the profession, she pioneered new professional structures for midwives, including becoming the first midwife in Queensland to secure hospital visiting and admitting rights (1992).

Her research focuses on continuity of midwifery care across public and private sectors. She has published more than 200 peer reviewed papers, with an H index of 57, and is widely recognised for her expertise in maternity policy development and analysis. She currently leads the Monash University team reviewing the Midwife Standards for Practice for Ahpra (2026–27) and was the lead consultant for Queensland Health’s Normal Birth Strategy. Her policy work also includes analyses of hospital accreditation and national maternity and midwifery frameworks.

Throughout her career, Professor Gamble has worked in close partnership with maternity consumer advocates. Notably, she co designed and implemented the Logan Together Community Maternal and Child Health Hubs, improving access and outcomes for women and babies in a socially disadvantaged region of Southeast Queensland.

A committed leader in transformative midwifery education, Professor Gamble developed and implemented an innovative Bachelor of Midwifery curriculum that received the 2017 Australian Award for University Teaching (Program Award). She also received the AAUT Award for Teaching Excellence that year. She has published extensively on midwifery education and led high performing academic teams to deliver high quality, high demand online postgraduate programs and ANMAC accredited courses. She founded and served as inaugural Chair of the Trans Tasman Midwifery Education Consortium.

RN RM MProfEd&Tng

Nicole (Nicki) Hartney is an experienced midwifery academic committed to the design and delivery of engaging, contemporary education. As Discipline Head of Midwifery Programs at Deakin University, Nicki provides strategic leadership across multiple campuses in Victoria, guiding program development and ensuring the delivery of high-quality, practice-focused midwifery education.

Nicki is committed to curriculum innovation and evaluation, with a focus on preparing a skilled, compassionate midwifery workforce to meet the evolving needs of healthcare.

Currently undertaking a Professional Doctorate in Midwifery, Nicki also holds a Master of Professional Education and Training from Deakin University and is a registered nurse and midwife. Nicki’s contributions to education have been recognised through a teaching excellence award and fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

RM RN MSc PhD

Rosemarie is an Associate Professor of Midwifery at Charles Darwin University (CDU). She is the Head of Discipline for Midwifery at CDU and is based on the Sydney campus. She has worked in Ireland, the UK and Australia as a registered midwife and nurse. Rosemarie has long-term expertise as an academic, engaged in curriculum development, academic governance, and program co-ordination. Her teaching and research interests include midwifery, child and family health, women’s health, evidence-based practice, primary healthcare, blended learning, and the University first year experience. Rosemarie holds a Master of Science from The University of Manchester and a PhD in Public Health from the University of Technology Sydney. Her PhD was a mixed-methods study and investigated having a baby through egg donation in Australia.

Jayne Lawrence in a Lecturer in Midwifery in the School of Nursing, Paramedicine and Healthcare Sciences at Charles Sturt University. Jayne is a proud Wiradjuri woman. She has experince in clincal midwifery, hospital and university based midwifery education and curriculum design. Her research has focussed on First Nations health and wellbeing, rural health, Aged care, practice enhancement, interprofessional collaboration and the health workforce.  Jayne has several publications and has co-authored a number of book chapters. Jayne provides cultural considerations and adaptation for co-design research projects with First Nations communities.

Lois McKellar is Professor and Head of Midwifery at the Australian Catholic University. An experienced midwife and academic, she is committed to translational research that informs both clinical practice and midwifery education. Her research focuses on the development of evidence-based strategies to improve women’s wellbeing through co-design approaches. She is dedicated to excellence in midwifery education and contributes to midwifery education research, including co-leading a national Delphi study to identify priorities for Australian midwifery education. Lois has provided international consultancy to the International Confederation of Midwives and the World Health Organization, contributing to the development of a Bachelor of Midwifery program in India. Lois is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Fellow of the Governor’s Leadership Foundation.

Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Newnham is Associate Professor of Midwifery at Flinders University and Fellow of the Australian College of Midwives. For 25 years, her clinical practice, teaching and research has focused on seeking social justice solutions for humanising birth, through the development of four research streams: ethics, technology, environment and practice. 

Research findings have been translated into policy and practice changes. Related work includes exploring the role of bioethics in obstetric violence and developing care ethics theory for relational midwifery practice. She has published widely in these areas and been an invited speaker at conferences and events in Europe, the US, the UK and Australia. A firm believer that transdisciplinary research is key to solving global problems, she is a founding member of the Global Birth Environment Design Network (international), co-convenor of the Humanising Birth Research Network (Australia) and member of the Quality Maternal Newborn Health Research Alliance (international).