Fiona Newall (PhD, MN, RN, B.Sci(Nsg) completed her undergraduate nursing training at Curtin University in Western Australia. In 1998, Fiona moved to Victoria and commenced working in the field of paediatric thrombosis and anticoagulation, after having consolidated her paediatric nursing practice in the areas of oncology and intensive care. Fiona established a nurse-coordinated anticoagulation service at the Royal Children’s Hospital, the only one of its kind in Australia. She has extensive clinical research experience and has over 120 publications in peer-reviewed journals. Fiona completed her Master of Nursing (Research, 2005) and PhD (2009) at The University of Melbourne. Fiona’s Masters Thesis (Warfarin therapy in children) investigated the outcomes of warfarin in children and explored strategies to optimise the management of this medication in children. Her PhD thesis (Unfractionated heparin therapy in children) explored the pharmacokinetics and monitoring of unfractionated heparin in children. The findings of both research degrees have been translated back into practice to improve the quality of care patients requiring anticoagulant therapy receive. Fiona’s PhD was awarded the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences’ Dean’s Award for Excellence in a PhD thesis and the Judith Parker Prize for the most Meritorious PhD Thesis within the School of Nursing (2009). The findings of both research degrees have been filtered back into practice to improve the quality of care patients requiring such medications receive. For her work in the area of warfarin management, Fiona was awarded a Victorian Public Healthcare Award in 2011. Fiona is currently supervising 3 PhD students and a number of nursing students completing Masters degrees by minor theses. She has successful supervised 8 research higher degree students to completion.
In June 2011, Fiona was appointed to the position of Professor/Director of Nursing Research at the Royal Children’s Hospital. In this role, Fiona supports the nursing workforce to engage in evidence-based practice and promotes their involvement in research activities that have the potential to improve patient care and clinical outcomes. Fiona actively contributes to the organisation-wide approach to supporting and promoting inter-disciplinary clinical research on campus. In addition to her honorary appointment with The University of Melbourne, Fiona continues her affiliation with the Clinical Haematology department at the Royal Children’s Hospital and the Haematology Research Group within the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.