Dr Raechel Damarell

Senior Lecturer (Teaching and Research)

College of Nursing and Health Sciences

+61 8 7221 8887

raechel.damarell@flinders.edu.au

Health Sciences

GPO Box 2100, ADELAIDE, SA, 5001

I am a Senior Lecturer in Palliative and End of Life Care at Flinders University, where I contribute to postgraduate programs in palliative care. My teaching draws on more than two decades of experience supporting clinicians and health professions students to build capability in research literacy, critical appraisal and evidence-based practice, informed by an earlier career as a health librarian. I design and coordinate learning experiences that strengthen clinicians' confidence in using evidence critically to inform person-centred care.

My research focuses on how clinicians make decisions when caring for people with complex and life‑limiting illness, particularly when evidence is limited or uncertain. My PhD was the first Australian study to explore how general practitioners balance evidence‑based and patient‑centred approaches in the context of multimorbidity and life‑limiting conditions. I continue to investigate clinical reasoning, evidence use and workforce capability across palliative care, primary care and aged care.

I have contributed to national palliative care and aged care initiatives for more than 15 years through roles with the Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying (RePaDD), CareSearch, palliAGED and Aged Care Research & Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA). This work includes developing evidence‑informed resources, digital learning materials and practical tools that support clinicians across specialist, generalist and aged care settings. I also supervise PhD and postgraduate students in palliative care and clinical education.

I am an active member of RePaDD and the Primary Care Collaborative Cancer Clinical Trials Group (PC4), and collaborate widely with clinicians, researchers and services to strengthen the evidence base for end‑of‑life and aged care.

Qualifications

BA, AMusA, Grad Dip Info Stud, PhD

Honours, awards and grants

2024 Vice-Chancellor's Award for Research Impact and Engagement (Research Team). Awarded to CareSearch

2021 DVCR Best Higher Degree by Research Student Publication. Awarded for General practitioner strategies for managing patients with multimorbidity: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative research.

2020 Anne Harrison Award (ALIA Health Libraries Australia). An eDelphi study on search filter development.

2019 Caring Futures Institute Publications Award for Best Systematic Review, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University

2017 Vice President and Dean Award for Research (all other researchers), College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University

2016 Anne Harrison Award (ALIA Health Libraries Australia). A scoping review of topic search filters.

Teaching interests

Evidence synthesis, knowledge translation, evidence-based practice, health professions education, palliative care, aged care, multimorbidity, primary care.

Topic coordinator

HLED9108 Research Skills in Clinical Education - Evidence Synthesis

Topic lecturer

HLED9113A Research Project in Clinical Education

PALL8432 Introduction to the Study of End-of-Life and Palliative Care

Professional engagement

Member, Research Centre in Palliative Care, Death and Dying, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University
Member, PC4 Early Career Researcher Network
Member, National Advisory Group, Palliative Care Education & Training Collaborative
Bibliography editor, Progress in Palliative Care

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Phone

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Sturt Rd, Bedford Park
South Australia 5042

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