Roianne West (Kalkadunga Djkunde)
Professor of Nursing | Susan Wakil School of Nursing & Midwifery | Sydney Nursing School | University of Sydney | Australia
Professor Roianne West (BNurs, MMHNurs, PhD, PFHEA) is a proud descendant of the Kalkadunga and Djkunke Peoples of Queensland, a mother, and a grandmother. She is a trailblazing nurse academic, leader, and researcher with over 30 years of experience in Aboriginal health. As the first Aboriginal Professor of Nursing in Queensland and one of the first nationally, Professor West has made significant contributions to advancing Indigenous health and nursing education. Her work builds on a rich family legacy of Aboriginal nurses and healers spanning four generations.
Professor West’s pioneering achievements include the development of an Aboriginal Australian Nursing Theory and a model of excellence to increase the number of Aboriginal nurses nationally. Her leadership roles have ranged from being the Inaugural Nursing Director of Indigenous Health at the Townsville Hospital and Health Service to the Inaugural Dean of First Peoples’ Health at Griffith University.
In 2020, Professor West was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM), where she established key initiatives such as the Muliyan Indigenist Health and Cultural Safety Education Research Consortium and the Murra Mullangari: Introduction to Cultural Safety and Cultural Humility E-learning program for nurses.
Professor West is recognized internationally for her research and advocacy, with a strong focus on increasing Aboriginal nursing and midwifery student completion rates in higher education, which she sees as vital to improving health outcomes for Indigenous peoples. Her work is deeply grounded in person-centred care and Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing, aligning with the values of the Person-centred Practice International Community of Practice (PCP-ICoP). Through her leadership, Professor West continues to elevate the importance of cultural safety and person-centredness in healthcare, ensuring that Indigenous knowledges and strengths are embedded in all aspects of nursing and midwifery education and practice.