Cathy Daniel

Associate Professor Cathy Daniel serves as interim Head of the Department of Nursing in the Melbourne School of Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne, where she holds both clinical and academic roles. A credentialed mental health nurse with over 30 years of experience, she is a Consultation Liaison Psychiatry Nurse at The Royal Melbourne Hospital. Her academic background includes a PhD from the University of Melbourne completed in 2015, which explored the risk of violence in emergency department settings, a Master of Nursing, Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing (Mental Health), Bachelor of Psychological Nursing, Graduate Certificate in University Teaching, and Credentialed Mental Health Nurse qualification. Previously, she coordinated postgraduate mental health nursing programs at the University.

Daniel's research specializations encompass mental health nursing practice development, violence risk screening and management in emergency departments, adaptation and implementation of the Safewards model in emergency and acute care settings, responses to mental health deterioration, prevalence of illicit substance use among emergency patients, and reduction of coercive and restrictive interventions. Key publications include 'Safewards in Three Emergency Departments: Evaluation of the adaptation and impact of the Safewards Model in Emergency Departments' (with Marie Gerdtz), 'Use of the Safewards Model in healthcare services: a mixed-method scoping review' (2020), 'Prevalence of illicit substance use among patients presenting to the emergency department' (2020), 'A survey of emergency department nurses and attendees: causes and management of aggression and violence' (2023), 'Feasibility and need for violence risk screening at triage', and 'Characteristics and clinical outcomes for mental health patients admitted to a behavioural assessment unit' (2020). Her work has influenced safer care practices by evaluating interventions to minimize aggression and restraint in healthcare. Daniel is Vice-President and a Board Director of the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses, chairing the Scientific Committee for its 2025 International Conference.

Professional Email: daniel.c@unimelb.edu.au