Jon Adams is an Adjunct Professor in Public Health at UTS. Jon's core position is Chair Professor of Primary Health Care Science, Dept of Rehabilitation Science, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), Hong Kong (July 2026 - ongoing). Please see Jon's PolyU website profile for up-to-date achievements, awards and outputs Chair Prof Jon Adams PolyU Scholars Hub profile

Jon's research program spans over 30 years across a vast range of health and health care topics, including: primary health care; traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM); community-based care and self-care for those with a range of chronic illnesses (especially cardiovascular disease, stroke, affective disorders and dementia); practices, behaviours and initiatives to promote, facilitate and improve quality of life, wellbeing and prevention; healthy ageing; women's health; rural and remote health issues; cancer and palliative care; healthy cities and urban design; indigenous health; and the health of priority and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) populations, amongst others.

As Adjunct Professor, Jon provides ongoing collaboration input and expertise in both methodology and substantive health research topics with UTS colleagues on several research publications, projects and other research activities. Jon also continues to provide supervisory input for PhD students at UTS. 

Rebecca Addo is a Research Fellow at CHERE (Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation).

Her interest in the field of health economics began when she started working as a hospital nurse in Ghana.

“I realised that there were a lot of things we needed to work with on the ward that we didn’t have resources for,” Dr Addo said.

“There were also conditions that could be prevented before they got to hospital.”

This prompted her to complete her Master of Public Health degree from the University of Ghana, before coming to UTS in 2015 to complete a PhD in health economics.

Her PhD thesis focused on assessing the feasibility of a developing country (Ghana), constrained with human and data resources, to conduct and use Health Technology Assessment (HTA) for health decision making. Her thesis found that it was feasible for Ghana to conduct and use HTA in their health system when the identified barriers and challenges such as limited human and data capacity and lack of knowledge of HTA. The thesis also highlighted that limited data for HTA in Ghana, meant relying on international data in the short to medium term, however, these data need to be transformed to be context-specific before they are suitable for use in an economic evaluation.

Currently, Rebecca’s main research interests include, priority setting in health, HTA, and the application of HTA methods to health care decisions in developing countries and development and measurement of health outcomes.

She has skills in mixed research methods including economic modelling, systematic literature reviews, and stakeholder engagements through qualitative research methods.

In her current position, Rebecca is part of the Economic Evaluation team that critically appraises economic evaluations for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) and Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC). Rebecca conducts health technology assessment for the MSAC and other external bodies such as the Singapore Agency for Care Effectiveness. Rebecca also works with the Quality of Life team on the development and psychometric testing of health outcome measures such as EQ-5D-5L and its bolt-on descriptors. Her work in this area involves working with researchers internationally, in the UK and Ghana. In addition to research work, Rebecca teaches health economics subjects offered in the university.

“Companies submit data on a new drug, and we evaluate what has been presented for the Department of Health,” she said.

“We look at the data so see if the drug does what it does, models, the safety and effectiveness of the drug, whether the government should fund it and how much it will cost the government in the first six years.”

Previously, Rebecca has worked as a general nurse and as a lecturer in nursing and public health institutions located in Ghana, and as a tutor in health economics at UTS, Australia. Rebecca also has experience in teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students in public health, health economics, and nursing both in Ghana and Australia.

Professor Agar is Director of the Centre for Improving Palliative, Aged and Chronic Care through Clinical Research and Translation, NHMRC Investigator Fellow (leadership 1) and Professor of Palliative Medicine, University of Technology Sydney, I am privileged to lead a team of >30 researchers who conduct interdisciplinary collaborative research in partnership with consumers to optimise care for those with cancer and chronic illness. I am in active clinical practice as a senior palliative care physician, and research lead for South West Sydney Local Health District Palliative Care Service.

I graduated in Medicine with honours from the University of Adelaide and obtained Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 2004 in Palliative Medicine. I hold a Master of Palliative Care and my doctorate was awarded in the area of delirium in advanced illness. I hold significant clinical, leadership, policy and research roles with expertise recognised nationally and internationally in palliative care, cancer supportive care, delirium and clinical trials. Professor Agar was  President of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine from 2017-2019, and Chair, Palliative Care Australia Board 2020-2025.. She is on the Boards of the Australasian Delirium Association and European Delirium Association.

My research and teaching have won numerous awards, including an Australian Learning & Teaching Council Citation, an Australian Award for University teaching, the European Association for Palliative Care Early Career Researcher Award, NSW Premiers award for innovation in clinical trials, NSW Premiers Award for Outstanding Cancer Research Cancer Control, NSW Health Award  and The Maeve Leonard Award (European Delirium Association).

Professor Agar is an experienced clinical researcher and trialist, with specific interests in the impacts of advanced illness on the brain. delirium, care of older people with cancer and symptom management in cancer and advanced illness. Professor Agar leads one of the largest programs of clinical research and clinical trials nationally in these areas, with sustained competitive funding including category 1 funding.

I have extensive and sustained experience as an undergraduate, postgraduate and vocational teacher and I am passionate about building capacity and skills in the next generation of educators and researchers. IMPACCT is proud to offer a contemporary and forward-thinking postgraduate program in palliative care to ensure interdisciplinary graduates equipped to meet the exponential needs of the Australian population in palliative care. I have supervised several doctoral candidates to completion who have quickly progressed to hold senior roles and secure independent funding. Internationally I have facilitated growth in the region through the Lien Collaborative for Palliative Carer and the National Cancer Grid Quality Improvement program in India.

Dr Tamer Al-ghraiybah is a dedicated nurse academic and researcher with expertise in nursing-sensitive indicators, patient safety, quality of care, nursing-sensitive patient outcomes, and healthcare risk management. With a background in clinical and non-clinical management, Tamer brings a strong clinical and research foundation to his work in nursing education and patient safety research.

Currently, Dr Al-ghraiybah is a nurse lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), where he plays an integral role in teaching, research, and service. His research focuses on understanding how nursing structures and processes impact patient outcomes, particularly in areas such as, but not limited to, patient mortality, hospital-acquired infections, hospital-acquired pressure injuries, patient falls, medication errors, missed care, and workforce management. His work is guided by the Donabedian model, providing a structured approach to evaluating healthcare quality.

Dr. Al-ghraiybah has a growing international research profile and is preparing to supervise master's students in 2025 through an WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing and Midwifery and Health Development between UTS Faculty of Health and Fiji National University. His commitment to capacity building and researcher development aligns with his passion for strengthening the nursing workforce and advancing healthcare quality through evidence-based practice.

Before transitioning into academia, Dr Al-ghraiybah worked extensively in intensive care units (ICU, CCU, PICU) and in healthcare risk management. This frontline experience informs his research and teaching, ensuring a strong link between clinical realities and academic scholarship.

Through his teaching and research, Dr Al-ghraiybah is committed to improving nursing education, supporting evidence-based policymaking, and enhancing patient safety strategies. He strives to be a transformative educator, an innovative researcher, and a strong advocate for nursing workforce development and healthcare improvement.

I am an Adjunct Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney in the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

I hold the position of Senior Lecturer at the Australian Catholic University in the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine, North Sydney Campus. I am currently the National Curriculum Lead for first year in the Bachelor of Nursing. 

I am a Registered Nurse with over 25 years of clinical experience specialising in regional hospital and emergency nursing. Since 2012 I have been working as an academic with research, governance and learning and teaching expertise. My areas of interest include nursing education, empathy research and education, planetary health research and education, person-centred practice in healthcare and education, values, professional values and curriculum development.

Australian Financial Review Teaching and Learning Excellence - Finalists 2025

The 'The Virtual Empathy Museum' was a finalist in the AFR Teaching and Learning Excellence awards.

UTS Faculty of Health Deans award for Innovation in Learning and Teaching - Winner 2024

I was the winner of the UTS Faculty of Health Deans award for Innovation in Learning and Teaching  for the creation of Empathy and Compassion in Nursing Practice subject. This subject sits in third year in the Bachelor of Nursing and brings together industry leaders and nursing specialists to facilitate empathic and person-centred learning for graduating students.

UTS Vice Chancellors Learning Innovation and Enhancement Award - Winner 2024 

I was part of the team who were awarded the UTS Vice Chancellors Learning Innovation and Enhancement Award for our work developing 'The Virtual Empathy Museum' to support healthcare student’s empathy skills, an open access educational resource.

Co-lead - Empathy Initiative Research Group 

Member - Planetary Health Collaborative for Nurses and Midwives

Member - Australian College of Nursing (MACN)

Member - Person-centred Practice International Community of Practice (PCP-ICoP) 

Member - Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Xi Omicron at-Large Chapter)  

Dr Jessica Appleton is a registered nurse, senior lecturer and early career researcher. Child and family health and well-being have been part of her clinical practice and research since becoming a registered nurse. Jessica has clinical, teaching and research expertise in the child and family health specialty and paediatric nursing specialty. Jessica has research experience in mixed methods research with training and experience in qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. 

Jessica held a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship role with EPOCH-Translate CRE at The University of Sydney and continues as an affiliate with EPOCH-Translate CRE and Honorary Lecturer at The University of Sydney. In this role, Jessica explored how health promotion interventions (which prevent obesity and related chronic diseases) can be implemented into routine early childhood services. Using implementation science frameworks this project will provide an understanding of how interventions achieve adoption and integration in primary health care systems to reach the general and priority populations.

This postdoctoral work built on her PhD work which explored infant formula feeding in the context of rapid weight gain in infancy (a risk factor for later overweight or obesity). Her PhD identified a gap in evidence around knowledge of infant formula feeding particularly the information and advice, or lack thereof, provided by nurses, midwives and other health professionals to parents feeding with infant formula. Her PhD was a mixed methods research design and involved secondary analysis of a longitudinal infant feeding cohort and qualitative interviews with parents about their infant feeding experience. 

Jessica is a coordination committee member for EPOCH-Connect Community of Practice which aims so support research students and EMCRs from diverse disciplines and research institutes to connect and collaborate on activities to improve child health in the early years. https://earlychildhoodobesity.com/about-us/epoch-connection-community-of-practice/

Since her PhD Jessica worked as the Research Manager (2020-2022) at Tresillian Family Care Centres - Australia’s largest early parenting service. She has been and continues to be involved in a number of research projects in the areas of infant health, parenting, parental mental health, child and family health nursing and health service evaluation.

I’m a Research Fellow at University of Technology Syndey’s Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation (CHERE). I am a member of the health technology assessment team that evaluates submissions made to the Australian Government to reimburse new medicines and medical devices through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS). These evaluations play a crucial role in assisting the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee in making informed decisions. My research broadly focuses on health technology assessment and its application to inform policy and clinical decision-making. I have a keen interest in estimating the comparative cost-effectiveness of health care interventions, employing both trial-based and modelled approaches.

Daniel has a strong track record of influential publications in leading journals in economics and successful research funding applications both in Australia and overseas. His research has appeared in leading general interest economics journals, including the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Journal: Economic Policy and the European Economic Review, and top field journals, such as the Journal of Health Economics, the Journal of Public Economics and the Journal of Applied Econometrics. He is a named investigator in three recent (2022, 2024, 2025) successful Discovery grants from the Australian Research Council and has attracted approximately $7m in research grants over his career. Daniel is currently an associate editor of the Journal of Health Economics and the European Journal of Health Economics, both leading field journals in health economics, and has more than ten years of experience in teaching applied econometric methods on all academic levels. Daniel was recently awarded the Vice-chancellor’s Mid-Career Researcher Award for Career Excellence from Deakin University and a science award from the German Health Economics Association. 

Daniel is an expert on economic modelling, causal inference, and policy evaluation on a wide range of topics relating to health and social care functionality. He recently led an ARC Discovery grant on physician preferences for medical innovations to explore the effects of technological diffusion, substitution and adoption of new medical technology on quality of care. Daniel is currently leading a project funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health, Disability, and Ageing to understand the causal link between government spending on health and productivity and is a co-lead on a Digital Health CRC commissioned project evaluating the impact of an AI enabled virtual care model in aged care.

Dr Carmen Axisa currently works as the Course Director Postgraduate Nursing and is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney (UTS). 

Carmen completed her PhD at Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney in 2021 and the focus of her doctoral work was physician mental health and wellbeing. Thesis title: Doctors’ Wellbeing: A study of Burnout and Psychological Distress in Australian Physician Trainees.  She received a Research Training Fellowship from the NSW Institute of Psychiatry and has presented research findings at national and international conferences and meetings.

Carmen previously worked as Medical Education Officer for the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) where she led the implementation of the RACP’s education program known as the Physician Readiness for Expert Practice program in NSW and ACT.

In 2007 Carmen completed a Master’s Degree in Clinical Nursing with majors in Cardiothoracic and Education. She has extensive clinical and education expertise in cardiopulmonary transplant and cardiac medical devices at St. Vincent’s Hospital Sydney, including the development and implementation of a remote discharge program for LVAD (left ventricular assist devices) heart failure patients.

 
Carmen has peer reviewed book chapters and journal articles. Carmen’s publications cover the topics of physician mental health and wellbeing, physician psychiatric morbidity and burnout, cardiopulmonary transplantation, ventricular assist devices, learning analytics and classroom simulation.

Yenny Bae is a Data Scientist at the Graduate School of Health at University of Technology Sydney. She has expertise in Python programming, deep learning, and computer vision, with a focus on applications in the medical field. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Physics and Statistics from the University of Auckland, completed teacher training, and previously worked as a Physics teacher in New Zealand. She later completed her Master's degree in Science in Analytics at Georgia Institute of Technology. Her current projects involve developing computer vision models for medical applications, including segmentation and classification, for diseases such as glaucoma.

Professor Phoebe Bailey is Director of Studies, leading the design and delivery of UTS’s first undergraduate and graduate diploma psychology programs. Recruited to UTS in 2021 to establish these programs from the ground up, she has overseen the development of the curriculum, team, and supporting infrastructure required to deliver psychology education at scale. The graduate diploma programs launched in 2022, followed by a staged roll-out of the undergraduate programs commencing in 2024.

Prior to joining UTS, Phoebe spent a decade at Western Sydney University, where she served as Director of Academic Programs in Psychology and, briefly, Acting Deputy Dean (Academic) in the School of Social Sciences and Psychology. She worked in investment banking for seven years before entering academia.

Alongside her academic leadership role, Phoebe maintains an active research program. Funded by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project grant, she is investigating decisional isolation among solo agers in Australia. This follows two earlier ARC Discovery Projects investigating how older Australians use advice, and the role of trust in the financial exploitation of older adults. Phoebe has published more than 60 peer-reviewed journal articles and five book chapters. She is Consulting Editor at Psychology and Aging and The Journals of Gerontology: Psychology Sciences, and was Associate Editor at Cognition and Emotion for four years.

Professor Kathleen Baird, PhD, SFHEA, GAICD
Head of School, Nursing and Midwifery 

Professor Kathleen Baird is an internationally recognised leader in midwifery, currently serving as Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Technology Sydney. With an extensive clinical and academic career spanning the United Kingdom and Australia, she brings visionary leadership to education, research, and advocacy in women’s health.

A passionate advocate for woman-centred care, Professor Baird has built a distinguished reputation in midwifery education, championing innovation, excellence in teaching, and the integration of research into clinical practice. Her principal research focus is family and domestic violence, with a specific interest in how social and structural vulnerabilities—especially within Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities—shape health outcomes. Professor Baird’s expertise in Intimate Partner and Family Violence has been acknowledged through high-profile appointments, including Deputy Chair of the Queensland Death and Homicide Review Board and a long-standing member of the Queensland Domestic and Family Violence Implementation Council (2016–2023).

She currently holds prominent national leadership roles, including:

• Chair, Midwifery Advisory Committee, Council of Deans Nursing and Midwifery (CDNM)
• Executive Member, CDNM
• Board Member and Reviewer, Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC)
• Executive Member, SPHERE Clinical Academic Group for Women, Children and Newborns
• Executive Member, Australasian Nursing and Midwifery Clinical Trials Network
• Co-Assistant Secretary-General, Global Network of WHO Collaborating Centres for Nursing and Midwifery

Her influence extends across policy and education, having worked in collaboration with the UK Home Office, the Department of Health (UK), the Queensland Government, the Royal College of Midwives, and the Australian College of Midwives. She also chaired the Australian Midwifery Accreditation Committee from 2019 to 2023. As a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Professor Baird is committed to shaping the next generation of midwives and nurses. Her leadership is underpinned by a deep belief in the power of research-informed practice to improve outcomes for women, babies, and families across all contexts of care.