Rate My Professor Cathryn Josif

Dr. Cathryn Josif serves as Senior Lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle Campus. Her academic qualifications encompass a Diploma of Nursing from Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, a Bachelor of Nursing from Edith Cowan University, a Graduate Certificate in Child & Family Health from Curtin University, a Graduate Diploma of Midwifery from Charles Darwin University, and a PhD from the University of Sydney. She also holds the Bob & June Prickett Churchill Fellowship awarded in 2016. With over 30 years of experience in regional and remote healthcare settings across Australia, Josif has worked as a Registered Nurse, Remote Area Nurse, Child Health Nurse, manager, midwife, and researcher, with a strong emphasis on supporting Aboriginal health and wellbeing across the lifespan. Previously, she served as Assistant Dean and Coordinator of the Nursing Program at the Broome campus.

Josif's research employs mixed-methods and participatory action research to improve health services for remote-dwelling Aboriginal communities, focusing on maternal and infant health, family carer wellbeing, and dementia services. Her PhD thesis, 'It's not a perfect system,' explored maternal and infant health service reforms for remote Aboriginal women and infants in the Northern Territory's Top End. She contributed to the 1+1 = A Healthy Start to Life project, recognized in the NHMRC '10 of the Best' in 2014, and another project in 2022. Key publications include her lead-authored papers: 'The quality of health services provided to remote dwelling aboriginal infants in the top end of northern Australia following health system changes: a qualitative analysis' (BMC Paediatrics, 2017), 'No more strangers: investigating the experiences of women, midwives, and others during the establishment of a new model of maternity care for remote dwelling Aboriginal women in Northern Australia' (Midwifery, 2013), and contributions to 'Strong Carers, Strong Communities: a cluster randomised controlled trial to improve wellbeing of family carers of older people in remote Aboriginal communities' (Rural and Remote Health, 2021), 'Improving Aboriginal maternal and infant health services in the 'Top End' of Australia' (BMC Health Services Research, 2014). She teaches Aboriginal Health, Rural & Remote Health, and Global Health, has co-supervised a Masters student to completion, and currently supervises PhD and Masters research projects. Josif has delivered conference presentations, including at the 16th National Rural Health Conference (2022) and CRANAplus Conference (2018), contributing to advancements in remote health policy and practice.