Debra Jackson - Southern Cross University

Alumnus of the Year, Professor Debra Jackson AO

Professor Debra Jackson AO, a distinguished nurse scientist and scholar who was the first nurse – and is still the only one – appointed to a Principal Fellowship of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)-funded Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.

The University award is in recognition of sustained contribution to generating knowledge to enhance the care of National Health Service (NHS) patients in the United Kingdom.

Professor Jackson said it was an honour to be recognised amongst such a diverse range of leaders and innovators emerging from the University.

“One thing Southern Cross prepared me well for was this idea that a good career doesn't just happen, that you do have to plan it and continue in an ongoing education and continual learning so they're all challenges that we have to fit into our lives as professionals. Even when I moved to Sydney I continued to study at Southern Cross online because it is very important to be a lifelong learner.”

There's such a lot about nursing that we still don't know very much about and I guess I'm

naturally quite a nosy person so I always want to know why things are as they are and that's really

what led me into research. People have a lot of stereotypes about nurses and what they do and a

lot of my work is focused on developing that next generation of nurses and also helping to

facilitate the discovery of knowledge that will improve nursing practice and that will improve

outcomes for patients. It was a great period of my life being there at Southern Cross University

I remember a time of real support for learning encouragement - to be curious and encouragement

to question but also great memories. When I started to work as a nurse it really struck

me that some people have more equitable care than others. I started to worry about that and to try

to understand why is it that some people get sick and get health problems that shouldn't happen. The

highlights of my career are often around student achievements - every time a PhD student finishes

and you see how that's changed their life and how their confidence grows and how they've found their

voice that's a wonderful highlight for me. Nursing is just such a great career choice, you work with

people in the best and the worst times of their life, you get to see real human courage on a daily

basis. I obviously was honoured to get the Officer of Order of Australia in 2019 for distinguished

service to medical education and I was greatly honoured with that. I hope that my research

and my body of work will help every person so that regardless of their social background the

colour of their skin, they get the same sort of healthcare and the same equity of care.

2020 Alumni Impact Award Recipients

Alumnus of the Year, Professor Debra Jackson AO

Debra is a distinguished nurse scientist and scholar. She was the first nurse – and is still today the only nurse – appointed to a Principal fellowship of the NIHR-funded Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, awarded in recognition of sustained contribution to generating knowledge to enhance the care of NHS patients in the United Kingdom.

Learn more about Debra

Young Alumnus of the Year, Nikita Austin

Nikita is a speech pathologist who is passionate about working with rural, regional and indigenous communities to improve access to healthcare. She has created an Indigenous-friendly communication board for Speech Pathology Australia.

Learn more about Nikita

Nikita Austin - Young Alumnus of the Year

International Alumnus of the Year, Mong Marma

Kyasingmong (Mong) is from the remote village of Dongnala in Bangladesh. As a Legal and Justice Studies graduate, Mong has worked in countries around the world to protect the rights of indigenous communities, at-risk human rights lawyers and defenders, and civilians impacted by ceasefire-related violence.

Learn more about Mong

Mong Marma - International Alumnus of the Year

Community Impact Alumnus of the Year, Aula Sakinah Muntasyarah

Aula is a champion of agroforestry and community programs that solve environmental problems while creating revenue streams. She has worked with young farmers in West Lombok to increase their knowledge of sustainable agroforestry systems including soil management.

Learn more about Aula