About our Centre

^{(Image courtesy of Daniela Vavrova)}

Supporting the development of education, health services, workforce development and research capacity in the Western Pacific Region

James Cook University has been involved with supporting health governance, management, and workforce development with partners throughout the Western Pacific since 2001. In 2010 the formation of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Education and Research Capacity Building was established at James Cook University, Australia and became one of the 44 worldwide centres of excellence in nursing and midwifery.  The Collaborating Centre was redesignated in 2014 and again in 2018. We will be up for designation this year 2022. Our Centre works with partners and organisations to provide excellent standards in Nursing and Midwifery Education and enhance research capacity across the pacific; developing mutually beneficial projects to strengthen capacity for professional nursing research and improve health service delivery through evidence-based research.

Key objectives of the Centre are to:

• promote and support the national, regional and international development of nursing and midwifery education, incorporating innovative tropical, rural and remote approaches to education
• establish a dialogue with other collaborating centres and stakeholders about the migration and mobility of the nursing workforce in tropical, rural and remote areas
• develop strategies to scale up the nursing workforce
• assist with the development of multi entry and exit strategies for Bachelor of Nursing (BN) programs
• contribute to the planning for improvements in education, health workforce and health services in the region
• design, implement and utilise research in nursing and midwifery on an international level
• provide technical services which are evidence based to develop and influence Nursing and Midwifery education, workforce development, health services and health policy within the western pacific region
• plan a research agenda for responses to emergencies and disaster management by health services