Dr Holly Northam OAM
Dr Holly Northam OAM, PhD, M CritCare Nurse, RN, RM, Churchill Fellow
Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Public Health, Faculty of Health at the University of Canberra, Australia.
Holly is currently on outside study leave as Inaugural International Visiting Fellow at Dalhousie University Restorative Research Innovation and Education Lab, researching with the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives and Whanganui Health District Board, New Zealand.
Holly brings over 33 years of clinical experience to her research and teaching practice. Holly has a strong social justice focus that is underpinned by her professional identity as a nurse and midwife. Her PhD study, ’Hope for a peaceful death and organ donation’ identified that more must be done to alleviate suffering caused by communication failures in healthcare. Holly played an instrumental role in setting up and running the ACT Organ and Tissue Donation Service and has been recognised for her expertise in this specialisation.
Holly’s research and teaching approaches are framed using the lens of hope and restorative practice to identify and support vulnerable people in health settings. Funded by University of Canberra Collaborative Indigenous Research Initiative Holly led a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers (guided by Aboriginal Elders with Holly as CI) to identify restorative practices in healthcare to close the gap on inequitable Indigenous healthcare outcomes.
The work of this team centred on the University of Canberra Hospital and Whanganui Hospital in New Zealand. The work explores the idea that culture leads practice, and by privleging vulnerable voices it is possible to improve healthcare outcomes including performance measures such as clinical indicators, patient and staff satisfaction, staff retention and the budget 'bottom line'. Authentic voice of the most vulnerable voice in health care systems clearly heard throughout those systems are seen as pivotal to improved outcomes.
This work also informs a cardiac rehabilitation program provided for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women as a research project seeking to create a culturally safe program in an out of hospital environment.
In a related area of consumer vulnerability, bereaved families of organ donors are working with a team of academic leaders led by Holly to explore a closed online community of donor's and recipients, and the impacts of their relationships.
Other research work that she is currently engaged in includes working with Elders and using Yarning Circles as a restorative practice in teaching health students about contemporary issues related to Indigenous healthcare.
Several other projects relating to end-of-life care, critical care nursing practices and neuro intensive care are also underway in Holly's research portfolio.
Holly works with healthcare consumers, vulnerable communities, professionals and academics that are alert to recognising and responding to healthcare inequity. Holly is honoured to work with the ACT Restorative Practice Community, part of an International Learning Community of Restorative Practice. Holly is an active advocate working in leadership roles on several NGOs that seek to address healthcare inequity and elevate the voices of vulnerable people.
Since moving to academe Holly has been awarded more than $360,000 in research grants and published more than 16 peer reviewed publications in quality journals as well as PhD thesis in the past 5 years.
In 2019 Holly was recognised for her instrumental role in setting up and running the ACT Organ and Tissue Donation Service and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia
Roles
Previously Discipline Lead Nursing
Elected staff representative on the University of Canberra Council, Academic Board and other university leadership roles including curriculum development, course development, convening and teaching.
University and Council of Deans of Nurses and Midwives rep on CATSINaM
Leadership role in Indigenising curriculum and university reconciliation work using restorative practices.
Convenor of the Canberra Restorative Community
Director on the boards of 2 NGO’s