Nursing4595476

Dr Shanna Fealy

PhD Community Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, Ma Midwifery, Grad Dip Midwifery, Grad Cert Diabetes Education, Ba Nursing.

Dr Fealy is an Early Career Researcher (ECR), Registered Nurse and Midwife, and Senior Lecturer at Charles Sturt University. With over 20 years of clinical experience across regional Australia, she brings a strong practice-informed perspective to her research, specialising in nursing, midwifery, and digital health innovation.

Her current research focuses on improving health outcomes for older adults transitioning to residential aged care, alongside mentoring initiatives to support the retention and growth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives and promote culturally safe care. Her work is characterised by cross-institutional and interdisciplinary collaboration, integrating expertise across broad health disciplines, technology, and education. She also contributes to Higher Degree Research (HDR) supervision, supporting the development of emerging researchers. Since 2023, she has secured over $2.0 million in competitive external research funding, including a major NHMRC grant exceeding $1.7 million awarded in 2026. Dr Fealy has authored over 45 peer-reviewed publications, predominantly in Q1 journals, with her work designed to have real-world impact.

A key feature of Dr Fealy’s teaching is the integration of technology to enhance learning. She incorporates a range of digital tools and approaches, including extended reality (XR), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality, to support the development of clinical knowledge and skills. These technologies are used to facilitate interactive, immersive learning experiences, particularly for complex anatomical, physiological, and emergent clinical situations.

Her contributions to teaching are further reflected in her scholarship, particularly in the integration of immersive technologies into nursing and midwifery education. Her work in this area, including a highly cited publication in Nurse Education Today, has contributed to international discussions on the future of healthcare education and has been referenced in World Health Organization policy documents.

Dr Fealy’s research is focused on improving health outcomes across the lifespan through innovative, interdisciplinary approaches to nursing, midwifery, and public health. Her work spans aged care transitions, workforce development, and culturally safe care, with a strong emphasis on co-designed, technology-enabled interventions. She leads and collaborates on cross-institutional research addressing health inequities, including access to services in regional and rural contexts and the integration of digital innovations into healthcare and education. Dr Fealy has secured over $2.0 million in competitive external grant funding since 2023, including a major NHMRC-funded project exceeding $1.7 million in 2026, and currently leads the Ian Potter Foundation Funded ON-TRAC project focused on supporting the mental health of older adults transitioning to residential aged care. Shanna has a Scopus H-Index of 11 (current as of May 2026) with an increasing publication record of over 45 peer-reviewed articles, with demonstrated impact on national and international policy and clinical guidelines.

Dr Fealy is a AHPRA Registered Midwife and Registered Nurse and is a member of the Australian Association of Gerontologists (AAG). Internally Shanna is part of the Charles Sturt University Aging Well Research Group and Ageing Well in Regional and Rural Australia Research Group.