Welcome

The Faculty of Health Sciences was formed in 1992 from the Schools of Nursing (now Nursing and Midwifery) and Medicine. The Heads of the two Schools are designated Deans, and are also Deputy Heads of Faculty. The Faculty has approximately 3500 students, 150 academic staff and 300 research and general staff.

The Faculty aims for the highest standards of academic excellence and has a reputation for achievement and innovation in teaching, research and professional practice. The Faculty offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in medicine, nursing, midwifery and a variety of allied health disciplines. The Faculty also offers higher degrees by research (MSc, MD, PhD, DSc) across the full range of disciplines represented within the Faculty.

The Faculty has an exceptionally strong research profile and is recognised nationally and internationally for its research in the areas of medical and clinical sciences, nursing and midwifery, and aboriginal health. These strengths are characterised by strong partnerships with affiliated health care institutions and industry, research outcomes of direct benefit to practice or with industry value and commercialisation outcomes, and a high level of participation in national mechanisms for peer review of research and development of research policy and practice.

The Faculty places a particularly strong emphasis on rural and remote health in its teaching programs and is widely acknowledged as a leader in this field. It has significant links with the Northern Territory in a number of spheres of activity and has established Clinical Schools or Departments of Rural Health in locations as diverse as Darwin and Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, the Riverland and South East regions of South Australia, and South Western region of Victoria. It is a major distance education provider in health-related programs, particularly in nursing and public health, and is innovative in its use of modern technologies to enhance its teaching through flexible delivery.

In summary, the Faculty is characterised by:

• the predominantly professional nature of its course offerings;
• the emphasis given to clinical and/or field experience as an integral part of the learning experience in almost all programs;
• its leadership nationally in delivery of clinically-relevant curricula in health;
• excellence in rural and remote health education and research, including indigenous health;
• strong linkages with several teaching hospitals and health authorities, resulting in enhancement of its teaching and research programs;
• its commitment to the value of distance education and flexible learning as a means of making its programs available to a wider national and international audience;
• the diversity of its postgraduate coursework programs, especially those offered in response to demand from industry and professions;
• its long established strength in research;
• its commitment to postgraduate education by research as a major contribution to education and research vitality;
• the existence within its ranks of a number of relatively new, or emerging disciplines with burgeoning academic achievement.

Roy Goldie
Executive Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences