Rate My Professor Johanna Westbrook

Professor Johanna Westbrook, FAHMS, FTSE, FAIDH, FACMI, FIAHSI, is Director of the Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science with Distinction from Cumberland College of Health Sciences, a Graduate Diploma in Applied Epidemiology from the NSW Ministry of Health, a Master of Health Administration from the University of New South Wales, and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Sydney. Internationally recognised for evaluating the effects of information and communication technologies in health care, her research has advanced understanding of clinical information systems' impacts on patient safety, workflow, and health outcomes. She led the development of the Work Observation Method by Activity Timing (WOMBAT) software, utilised in over 20 countries and cited in more than 80 published studies, with WOMBAT Version 3.0 available on the Apple Store. Her highly applied work has informed policy, practice, and IT system designs, including presentations to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety on ICT contributions to quality improvement.

With over 600 publications and more than $80 million in competitive research grants, Professor Westbrook's key contributions encompass longitudinal evaluations of electronic medication management systems in paediatrics, studies on interruptions and multitasking in clinical environments, antibiotic use trends in aged care, and unprofessional behaviours among hospital staff. Notable recent publications include 'Characteristics and risk factors of medication incidents across stages of medication management in residential aged care: a longitudinal cohort study of 5700 reported incidents' (2026, Drug Safety) and 'A 360-degree view of unprofessional behaviours between nurses and between nurses and medical colleagues' (2026, Journal of Nursing Management). She received the NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Investigator Award in Health Services Research (2019), Research Australia National Health Services Researcher Award (2022), and was named Australian ICT Professional of the Year (2014) and national research leader in medical informatics (2019). Her leadership extends to Co-Director of Harvard Medical School's Safety, Quality and Informatics Leadership program, Chair of the Australian Digital Health Agency's Digital Health Safety and Quality Governance Committee (2017-2019), Treasurer of the International Medical Informatics Association (2017-2020), and various NHMRC panels and advisory boards.