Professor Deborah Kirk
Professor, Nursing and Head of Discipline
Campus
Biography
Professor Deborah Kirk is a professor of Nursing, Head of Discipline, and an endorsed nurse practitioner, with extensive experience across clinical practice, nursing education, leadership and health research. Deborah’s work is grounded in a strong commitment to improving health outcomes, advancing evidence‑based nursing practice and supporting wellbeing across diverse populations.
Drawing on her background as a nurse practitioner, her research expertise includes cancer and cancer survivorship, chronic conditions and mobile applications. Deborah has a strong track record of collaborative research and higher degree supervision, working with national and international partners to generate evidence that informs clinical practice, policy and education. She is especially committed to research that amplifies patient and clinician voices and supports meaningful translation into practice.
As an academic and clinical leader, Deborah is deeply invested in building supportive and inclusive environments across health and university settings. She is known for her collegial approach to leadership, mentoring early‑career academics and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. Her teaching and supervision emphasise critical thinking, compassionate care and the integration of research with clinical practice.
Deborah’s broader professional interests include kindness in leadership through her servant leadership style, staff wellbeing and strengthening the future nursing workforce in Australia and internationally.
More about Deborah
- Publications
Factors associated with employment outcomes in cancer survivors: a systematic scoping review spanning a decade of international research
- Journals
- DOI reference: 10.1007/s00520-025-10011-z
The Nurse's Role in Curative-to-Palliative Transitions in Advanced Cancer: A Theory Synthesis Using Turner's Method
- Journals
- DOI reference: 10.1111/jan.17088
Efficacy of Multimodal Psychological Interventions on Pain After Surgery in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review
- Journals
- DOI reference: 10.1200/OP-25-00081
Interventions, programmes and resources that address culturally and linguistically diverse consumer and carers cancer information needs: a mixed methods systematic review
- Journals
- DOI reference: 10.1186/s12885-025-13931-5