International Health Humanities Network Membership

Current Position: Julie-Ann is the Creator and Co-founder of Western Health Arts and Health. 

Qualifications: RN; BN; Grad Dip in Adv Nrsg [Critical Care/Emergency Nrsg]; MN; Grad Dip in Arts; Dip in Mgt. 

Background: Julie-Ann is an Emergency and Critical Care Nurse with over 25 years experience. She has extensive experience as a clinician, educator, researcher, deployment nurse and professional representative highlights her commitment to healthcare, and her professional knowledge, experience and insights into healthcare are highly regarded. 

Further to her distinguishable clinical profile, in recent years Julie-Ann has emerged as a highly regarded expert in the filed of Arts and Health, an innovative leader and interdisciplinary researcher.

Julie-Ann is currently introducing arts based intitiatives into a major healthcare organisation, Julie-Ann represents the nexus between arts and health both professionally and academically, and provides a global perspective on contemporary and evidenced-based developments. As a Nurse Educator, Julie-Ann used the arts to develop students humanistic, observational, anlaytical and interpersonal skills. She has completed Arts studies at Academia di Firenze and the University of Melbourne, and as a University of Melbourne Gandoli Fumagali scholar she researched how the art collection at Museo del Novecento in Milan could be evaluated from a medical perspective. Julie-Ann has presented at Arts and Health Australia conferences, is a nominated member of the Creative Institute for Health Arts and Health Leadership Group (Victoria) and an Honorary member for the University of Melbourne's School of Health Sciences.

In 2014, Julie-Ann was the Creative Coordinator of Western Health's (WH) '60 Days of Art' at Footscray Hospital and undertook an ethically approved study to 'Evaluate the physiological and psychological responses of participants who attended art therapy sessions at the hospital'. Following the successes and outcomes of '60 Days of Art', in 2015 a Business Case for Western Health Arts and Health was presentedand subsequentally endorsed.

Julie-Ann's vision is to embed the arts into the hospital environment, to transform healthcare experiences for individuals, staff and the organization. In 2015 Julie-Ann created Western Health Arts and Health. The program consists of four domains: Patient Experiences, Community & Cultural Engagement, Art & Design, and Education & Wellbeing. Julie-Ann is the Co-founder and Manager of Western Health Arts and Health.