Rate My Professor Catherine Hungerford

Catherine Hungerford is an Associate Professor of Nursing (Mental Health) in the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Sciences at Central Queensland University, where she serves as Head of Course for the Master of Nurse Practitioner. Previously, she has held positions as Head of College (Nursing and Midwifery), Head of School, and leadership roles at institutions including Charles Sturt University, University of Canberra, Federation University, and Victoria University. A registered nurse, credentialed mental health nurse, and endorsed nurse practitioner with extensive clinical experience in state-run health services, private hospitals, frontline management, project management, area management, sole practice, and consultancy with the Australian Public Service including Open Arms - Veterans & Families Counselling, she holds a PhD (University of Queensland, 2004), Master of Nursing (Mental Health – Nurse Practitioner) (University of Queensland), Master of Letters (University of New England), Graduate Diploma of Education (Charles Sturt University), Bachelor of Health Science (Nursing) (Charles Sturt University), Bachelor of Arts (University of New England), and Bachelor of Counselling Studies (Charles Sturt University).

Her research specializations encompass mental health nursing, mental health recovery, scope of practice of mental health nurses, nursing philosophy, nurse practitioner education, mental health nursing education, and health services and systems including mental health services and rural and remote health services. A Fellow of the Australian College of Mental Health Nursing (FACMHN), she led the development of the first Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Scope of Practice of Mental Health Nurses (2013) and chaired its Accreditation Committee, overseeing national accreditation of postgraduate mental health nursing programs. She is a member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. Hungerford is the lead author of the nationally prescribed textbook Mental Health Care: An Introduction for Health Professionals (5th edition) and has authored or co-authored over 100 journal articles and editorials. Key publications include "Boredom in the workplace: Reasons, impact, and solutions" (2016, Issues in Mental Health Nursing), "A unified call to action from Australian nursing and midwifery leaders: ensuring that Black lives matter" (2020, Contemporary Nurse), "Trauma-informed care and the research literature: How can the mental health nurse take the lead to support women who have survived sexual assault?" (2015, Issues in Mental Health Nursing), and "Autism, discrimination and masking: Disrupting a recipe for trauma" (2023, Issues in Mental Health Nursing). Her contributions have advanced recovery-oriented practices, nurse education, leadership, and policy in mental health nursing.