Rate My Professor Derek Collings Hughes

Derek Collings-Hughes serves as a Lecturer in Paramedicine at Curtin University's Curtin School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, where he also holds the position of Discipline Lead for Paramedicine. A registered paramedic with experience beginning in New Zealand and continuing in Western Australia, he commenced his academic journey at Curtin as a sessional lecturer during his honours year. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Paramedicine from Curtin University between 2016 and 2019, followed by a Bachelor of Paramedicine (Honours) from Monash University from 2020 to 2021. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in the Prehospital, Resuscitation and Emergency Care Research Unit (PRECRU) at Curtin University, supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship. Collings-Hughes is a Member of the Australian College of Paramedicine (MACPara) and actively engages in teaching, student events such as open days, HealthFest, and professional development activities including podcast hosting and webinars.

His research specializations encompass paramedicine professionalism, awareness and use of professional codes of conduct, and the epidemiology and prehospital management of water-based medical emergencies and injuries. His PhD thesis, titled "The Prehospital Response to, and Management of, Water-Based Injuries and Medical Events in Western Australia," investigates the types, locations, and responder challenges of water-based incidents in the state to enhance multi-agency emergency preparedness and contribute to drowning epidemiology literature. Notable publications include "Drowning in research? A scoping review of the emergency response to medical emergencies occurring in water-based environments" published in Australasian Emergency Care in 2025 with co-authors Ashlea Smith and Stephen Ball; "Paramedic use and understanding of their professional code of conduct" in Nursing Ethics in 2023 with Ruth Townsend and Brett Williams; "Professional codes of conduct: A scoping review" in 2022; and a chapter "The impact of professional culture on paramedics" in Fundamentals of Paramedic Practice: A Systems Approach in 2024. Collings-Hughes presented at ACPIC 2022 on paramedic code awareness, co-hosts research discussions for the Australasian College of Paramedicine, and serves on its 2025 Research Committee, advancing paramedicine scholarship and clinical practice.