Rate My Professor Pam Nichols

Dr Pam Nichols is a Lecturer in the Curtin School of Nursing within the Faculty of Health Sciences at Curtin University. Holding a PhD, BSc (Hons), and BA, she has built a distinguished career centered on dementia care and education. Prior to her current role, Nichols worked for 10 years at Alzheimer’s WA, where she held positions in education, developing and delivering training programs for hospital staff focused on person-centred care for patients with dementia. She also led social support groups for carers, families, and friends of individuals living with dementia, informed by her personal experience supporting her sister as the primary carer for their mother following a dementia diagnosis in 2000 while living in Tasmania.

As a Dementia and Ageing Researcher in the enAble Institute, Nichols contributes to the Curtin Ageing Research Network and supervises Masters and PhD students on dementia-related topics, including the experiences of migrant care workers from culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Her research aims to improve care for people with dementia in hospitals, educate carers and families on best practices, and address psychosocial support, individualized care, and challenges within multicultural aged care workforces. She collaborates with Alzheimer’s WA, the Dementia Behaviour Advisory Service, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, and Murdoch University. Nichols was acknowledged as a sub-editor on the World Health Organization's report on Global Dementia. Key publications include "Migrant Care Workers’ Perceptions of Their Working Conditions in Australian Residential Aged Care Facilities" (2023), "Investigating the Impacts of Acculturation Stress on Migrant Care Workers in Australian Residential Aged Care Facilities" (2020), "Enhancing students’ preparedness to care for older people: A mixed methods analysis" (2020), "A Scoping Review of Dementia Care Experiences in Migrant Aged Care Workforce" (2020), "Development and pilot testing of the 'focus on the person' form: Supporting care transitions for people with dementia" (2017), and "Understanding and improving communication processes in an increasingly multicultural aged care workforce" (2015). Her work has been cited more than 700 times.