Dr Narelle Biedermann is currently a Senior Lecturer in the College of Healthcare Sciences at James Cook University. As part of her role, she is the Course Coordinator for the Master of Nursing (JCU Online) and Academic Lead: Blended Learning. She has previously held an appointment as Director of Research at James Cook University, Clinical Coordinator at Federation University, as well as serving in the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps and Royal Australian Army Medical Corps. She was also an analyst for the Centre for Army Lessons, where her role was to explore the human experience of contemporary military operations, and document and disseminate an analysis of these experiences to wider Army.

She has authored several publications on her findings from her PhD, as well as presented the stories of the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps in Vietnam to Australian and international audiences.

Professor Birks is the Head of Nursing, Midwifery and Nutrition at James Cook University. Her professional goal is to enhance the quality and experience of tertiary education for students and educators through leadership, research and innovation Professor Birks’ publications include seven textbooks, along with around 100 peer reviewed publications and book chapters.

Professor Birks has extensive experience and expertise in educational administration, teaching and curriculum design and development in local, international, military and civilian environments. She is active on numerous expert advisory panels and is also a recipient of the Australian Defence Medal.