Rate My Professor Shanna Fealy

Shanna Fealy serves as an Adjunct Lecturer in the School of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, at the University of Newcastle. With over 15 years of experience as a Registered Nurse and Midwife, she completed her Bachelor of Nursing at the University of Western Sydney in 2001, began her midwifery career in 2005 following a Graduate Diploma in Midwifery from Charles Sturt University, and earned a Master of Midwifery Studies from the University of Newcastle in 2008. She progressed into nursing and midwifery education, holding various casual academic and clinical teaching appointments before becoming permanent teaching staff in June 2013. Fealy was integral to the development and growth of the Bachelor of Midwifery program at the University of Newcastle's Port Macquarie Campus and established research and teaching collaborations across the Mid North Coast Local Health District for the professional development of midwifery staff and students. She also serves as Clinical Midwifery Specialist at Port Macquarie Base Hospital since December 2004. In 2021, she obtained her PhD in Community Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Newcastle, with research focused on antenatal weighing and gestational weight gain.

Fealy's academic interests encompass improving maternal and infant health outcomes and the integration of immersive technologies in nursing and midwifery education. Her scholarly output includes the chapter 'The Road to Birth: Using Digital Technology to Visualise Pregnancy Anatomy' (2021), 'Pioneering the Australian Academic Electronic Medical Records (AAeMR) Program Prototype to Enhance Nursing Students' Readiness for Practice: A Cohort Study' in Clinical Simulation in Nursing (2024), 'Psychological interventions designed to reduce relocation stress for older people transitioning into permanent residential aged care: a systematic scoping review' in Aging & Mental Health (2024), 'Evaluating the implementation of the Deadly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nursing and Midwifery Mentoring (DANMM) programme: a mixed-methods pilot study conducted across four Local Health Districts in New South Wales, Australia' in BMJ Open (2025), and 'Evaluating the technical feasibility, usability, and acceptability of a three-dimensional reproductive anatomy mobile application for midwifery and medical student learning: A descriptive, cross-sectional study' in Midwifery (2026). As an early career researcher, her work influences advancements in healthcare simulation, digital education tools, and maternal health practices.