Carol Grech

Professor, University of South Australia
Professor Carol Grech commenced her academic career with the University of South Australia in 1990 as a Lecturer in Nursing. Her academic appointment followed a distinguished clinical career at Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) where she trained as a Registered Nurse earning a gold medal for academic performance before moving into critical care nursing at Calvary North Adelaide Hospital, Royal Adelaide Hospital, and the Lyell McEwin Hospital. In 2004 she was awarded a PhD, which led to an extensive research portfolio in patient safety and professional practice standards.

In 2012, Professor Grech was appointed Head of School: Nursing and Midwifery at UniSA. In this role she introduced a range of pedagogical innovations including embedding inquiry-based learning into all accredited curricula to stimulate students’ active engagement in learning. She re-conceived the approach to students’ clinical skills development through the design and implementation of a unique simulated hospital and health service (HHHS) to support students’ practice-based learning and readiness for clinical practicums. These innovations continue to be embedded in nursing and midwifery curricula in UniSA Clinical and Health Sciences (CHS) and provide a platform for further strengthening interprofessional learning. Professor Grech also implemented a strategy to ensure that nursing and midwifery research reflected academic staff expertise and industry need. In 2015 and 2018 Nursing research at UniSA was consecutively ranked well above world class in the Excellence in Research Australia ratings.

In 2019, Carol was appointed as the Pro Vice Chancellor: Student Engagement and Equity where she provided outstanding leadership in the development, implementation and continuous improvement of the University’s student engagement and wellbeing portfolio including championing pathways for students from non-traditional backgrounds.

Professor Grech is highly regarded within the national and international nursing community. She served on a number of professional groups, committees and boards including the Australia and New Zealand Council of Deans Nursing and Midwifery; the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority (Teaching, Training and Research); Health Workforce Australia (Productivity and Retention Standing Committee); Health Workforce Australia (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Health Curriculum Framework Working Group); and the Clinical Training Advisory Council (SA Health). She has also served as a reviewer for the New Zealand Health Research Council, has been a panel member for Professional Standards Committees and provided expert opinions in medico-legal cases.

Carol is an active member of the Australian College of Critical Care Nurses (ACCCN). She is a long-standing member of the National ACCCN Education Advisory Panel, was Editor of the Australian Critical Care journal (the highest ranked critical care nursing journal in the world by impact factor); and was the National Chairperson of the College’s Credentialing and Standards Committee. In 2020 Carol was awarded Life Membership of the College for service to practice, education and research in her specialist field of critical care nursing.

In recognition of her distinguished service to the University of South Australia, Professor Grech was conferred the honorary title Emeritus Professor on her retirement in 2021. This title recognises those eminent scholars who have demonstrated:

- an international reputation, and professional peer recognition, for research and scholarship;

- a significant track record of team leadership and capacity building in research or teaching;

- participation in University management and/or governance;

- service contributions to a discipline, a profession, the University and the wider community.

While having retired from UniSA in 2021, Carol remains professionally active. She is a member of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) Nurse Practitioner Accreditation Committee; a Board member of the Rosemary Bryant Foundation; an Editorial Board member of the Australian Critical Care journal and is a Council member of the RAH Registered Nurses’ Association.