Dean, Rural and Remote Health
College of Medicine and Public Health
Robyn is a PhD prepared Nurse with a distinguished record of achievement in the health service and University sectors, influencing nursing, midwifery, and health care more broadly across a range of roles and responsibilities nationally and internationally. Her leadership, teaching and research spans acute care, primary health care and public and population health. She has expertise in remote and Indigenous health care delivery, teaching and research; health care in low resource settings; health workforce design and innovation; and health professional regulation. With a long history of interprofessional collaboration for curriculum development, implementation and review, Robyn has led nursing, midwifery and medical workforce development projects in rural and remote Australia, and Indonesia. Her most recent work is underpinned by a commitment to improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and her active role in supporting the work of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.
PhD University of Melbourne, 2009
Master of Educational Studies, Monash University, 1998
Bachelor of Educational Studies, Monash University, 1996
Post-basic Certificate in Anaesthesia &
Recovery Room Nursing, 1989
Certificate Registered General Nurse, 1987
Robyn has a long association with Flinders University, having previously held the Deputy Director position from 2008 – 2012 at the Centre for Remote Health in Alice Springs, a joint centre of Flinders University and Charles Darwin University. During this time she also played a leadership role in working with the Northern Territory and Australian governments to establish the Northern Territory Medical Program.
Robyn has recently taken up a leadership position in Nursing within the Flinders College of Nursing and Health Science after holding senior positions in the Northern Territory Department of Health for the last 7 years. These roles included the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer; Executive Director: Clinical Support, Education and Public Health; and senior policy advisor nursing and midwifery education and research. Most recently Robyn held a joint position with Menzies School of Health Research teaching, researching and supervising research students within the public health education program while also being employed as the Executive Director Clinical Innovation & Research at Top End Health Service where she developed the clinical research agenda, established the research governance office, and led the clinical trials enhancement project for the Northern Territory. Robyn has represented the Northern Territory on Health Principal committees and working groups, played a role in legislative change, and chaired the National Rural Health Alliance education grants committee for a number of years.
Health Policy, Health workforce, Remote and Indigenous Health, Health Services clinical trials, quality and innovation, Leadership, Cultural diversity in health and Cross-cultural communication, curriculum design and education, Research methods, Postcolonial theory
Robyn's work in the Northern Territory and remote health has focused on public and population health, health policy, equity of access to healthcare, improving health professional practice and implementing and evaluating education programs specific to improving primary health care delivery to remote and Indigenous Australians. Her previous work internationally has given her significant understanding of delivering and evaluating health care in resource poor settings and the links between poverty and health in marginalized and once-colonized indigenous populations.