Portrait of Associate Professor Catherine Hungerford

Associate Professor Catherine Hungerford

BA, BHlthSc, BCounsStuds, GradDipEd, MLitt, MN (MH-NursPract), PhD, FACMHN

Associate Professor of Nursing (Mental Health)

School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Sciences


About Me

Catherine Hungerford is a registered nurse, credentialed mental health nurse, and endorsed nurse practitioner. She has extensive professional experience in diverse academic, policy, and clinical settings, with a focus on leadership. She has worked for state-run health services, a private hospital, various universities, government and non-government organisations, community-managed organisations, and as a sole practitioner. Currently, Catherine is Associate Professor of Nursing (Mental Health) and Head of Course for the Master of Nurse Practitioner in the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Sciences. Her roles include leading and mentoring early- and mid-career academics, developing curricula and achieving accreditation, implementing courses and evaluating outcomes, and esearching and writing on leadership, management, and clinical practice. 

Catherine has published extensively, authoring or co-authoring over 100 journal articles and editorials. She is the lead author of Mental Health Care: An introduction for health professionals (5th edition), a textbook prescribed nationally in vocational and tertiary institutions. She is also a member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Mental Health Nursing

Catherine is a Fellow of the Australian College of Mental Health Nursing (ACMHN). She led the development of the first ACMHN Scope of Practice of Mental Health Nurses in Australia (2013); and is currently the Chair of the ACMHN Accreditation Committee, which oversees the accreditation of postgraduate programs in mental health nursing nationally. 

General

Background

Catherine's work in the university sector has and continues to involve leadership and management (including executive roles), teaching, scholarship, curriculum design, and research. She has taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses, written extensively on related professional and education matters, and led and/or supported the development of four undergraduate and six postgraduate courses, including accreditation. Over the years, her roles in various universities have included Head of Course (various), Head of College (Nursing and Midwifery), and Head of School (leading and managing multiple disciplines and campuses). 

In research, Catherine has led and supported large, funded studies on mental health recovery and nurse practitioner models of care. She has also supervised students enrolled in higher degrees to completion.

 

Universities Studied At

Catherine studied at the University of New England, Charles Sturt University, and the University of Queensland. She completed her PhD at the University of Queensland. 

Universities Worked At

Catherine has worked at various universities, including Central Queensland University, Charles Sturt University, Federation University, the University of Canberra, and Victoria University (Online) 

Professional Experience

In practice-based settings, Catherine has extensive experience working clinically as a registered nurse, mental health nurse, and nurse practitioner; and also as a front-line manager, project manager, and area manager. 

Consultancy Work

Catherine undertook consultancy work with the Australian Public Service in 2020-2021, including Open Arms - Veterans & Families Counselling, undertaking reviews in preparation for the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. 

Research Supervision

Accreditation

I am currently accredited for supervision in the following:

  • 4205 Nursing
  • 4203 Health services and systems
  • 4299 Other health sciences

Current Capacity

I am currently unavailable to supervise more research candidates

Research Interests

Education

Specialist Studies in Education - Education Assessment and Evaluation
Tertiary education. Health education. Nursing education. Nurse practitioner education. Mental health nursing education.

Health Sciences

Health services and systems - Mental health services
Mental health nursing. Mental health recovery. Scope of practice of mental health nurses. Nursing philosophy.

Health Sciences

Health services and systems - Rural and remote health services
Nursing. Nurse Practitioner. Nurse prescribing. Models of care.

Publications

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Teaching

Higher Education

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Vocational Education and Training

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