Rate My Professor Shirley Harris

Shirley Harris serves as a part-time Senior Lecturer in the Department of Nursing at the University of Otago, Christchurch, within the Division of Health Sciences. She earned her Master of Health Sciences with Distinction (MHealSc) from the University of Otago and a Bachelor of Nursing (BN) from Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT). In addition to her academic position at the Centre for Postgraduate Nursing Studies, Harris maintains an active clinical practice as a Nurse Practitioner at Allenton Medical Centre in Ashburton, works casually as a nurse at Ashburton Hospital, and volunteers as a Paramedic with St John Ambulance Services. Her extensive clinical background includes emergency care, surgical nursing, acute medical services, primary health, and palliative care. Her Master's thesis examined the experiences and monitoring of people living with chronic non-malignant pain, and she commenced a PhD in 2014 focused on her research interests.

Harris's research specializations center on respiratory health, particularly Long-Term Oxygen Therapy (LTOT) in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), self-management strategies for long-term conditions, and innovative interventions to enhance symptom management in COPD. She has been involved in developing the symptom management component for the randomized controlled trial pilot study 'Life balance: A feasibility study' for community-based older adults with chronic disease. As a supervisor, she has guided numerous postgraduate students in Master of Health Sciences and Master of Advanced Nursing Practice theses on topics including patient recovery after spontaneous aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage, early palliative care in malignancy, challenges faced by Asian immigrants in managing chronic conditions, and monitoring glycated haemoglobin in diabetes patients. Key publications co-authored by Harris include: "Investigating the feasibility of an 8-week mindful breathing programme on breathlessness and self-efficacy in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: An open-label study" (2025, Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 11:56); "The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities' mental health care needs and experiences of mental health services: An integrative review of qualitative studies" (2020, Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 28(4):578-589); "Using intervention mapping to design a self-management programme for older people with chronic conditions" (2019, Nursing Inquiry, 26(1):e12265); "Life-balance self-management programme for community-based older adults living with chronic disease: A feasibility study" (2016, European Journal for Person Centered Healthcare, 4(3):459-466); and contributions to proceedings on psychological insulin resistance in Pacific Islands clients (2019).