About & CV

For the last three years, Ruth has been a Vice Chancellor’s Research Fellow at RMIT University based in the School of Art. She has undertaken many research and translation projects, such as animations that guide Emergency department staff in working with people who present in a mental health crisis and cartoons representing the experiences of social isolation and using technology for culturally diverse older people. She has also brought her nursing expertise and networks in conversation with art students and staff through “The Nurses and Midwives Art Exchange” which saw nurses and midwives work with art students on a collaborative exhibition. The project received an RMIT award for exemplary Teaching and Learning in 2023. One of Ruth’s professional joys is working in interdisciplinary ways and as an exceptional networker with extensive networks across the sector. Ruth’s time as a VC Fellow has also resulted in a unique capacity to translate and link themes and issues across both arts and creative industries.

Prior to her Fellowship at RMIT, Ruth was the academic co-convenor of The Data, Systems, and Society Research Network (DSSRN), a collaborative research network across the University of Melbourne (2018-2019). There, she organised two symposia, one on Equity and big data and a second on making unstructured data structured. Before this, Ruth was the Stream Leader of Research, Policy and Evaluation at the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health (CEH) at North Richmond Community Health (2015-2018). 

Ruth has extensive experience as a researcher and academic in New Zealand and Australia. Ruth moved to Australia with her partner to take up a Senior Lecturer in Nursing role at Monash University, Berwick (2013-2016), where she was the course co-ordinator and campus lead. She taught the Mental health clinical practice unit and the Contexts of health care unit in Year 2 and the Education unit in third year. She also developed a new unit on Diversity in healthcare. Ruth was the Chief Examiner and co-ordinator of Contemporary nursing in context in the Master of Nursing Practice.

While working at AUT University, Auckland (2005-2012), Ruth coordinated the Centre for Asian and Migrant Health Research for six years, and was the Programme leader for the Bachelor of Health Science (Health Promotion). She taught and led two first-year papers: Health Assessment in Nursing and Primary Health Care. She also developed a new stream within the Master of Health Science: Advanced Nursing Practice, Mental Health. At Unitec (1998-2004) Ruth developed and taught the National Certificate in Mental Health Support Work and taught research and communication papers in the Bachelor of Nursing. She also taught Supervision in the Master of Health Science and in the Graduate Diploma of Higher Education in the School of Education. Prior to working in education, she was a clinician in mental health and perinatal mental health.

Ruth’s clinical and educational experience in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia in nursing and health education have equipped her with skills for facilitating institutional change and the translation of aspirational values to the complexities of health service delivery. She has extensive skills and experience in relation to clinical governance, risk and quality. In 2008, she was appointed by the New Zealand Ministry of Health as a Board member of Counties Manukau District Health Board, which funds health and disability services to over half a million people in Auckland’s southern and eastern suburbs, with an annual budget of almost 2 billion dollars. She was also appointed to the Community and Public Health Advisory Committee, the Hospital Advisory Committee, the Maori Advisory Committee, and the Pacific Health Advisory Committee, and Counties Manukau DHB Mental Health and Addiction Network Committee. Ruth was the Deputy Chair of the West Auckland Living Skills Homes Trust Inc (WALSH Trust), a charitable trust which provides community based mental health support, and residential services, supporting people’s recovery, supported living, training, and employment services. Ruth was also an Inaugural Board member Auckland Regional Migrant Services Trust (ARMS), now known as Belong Aotearoa. This entity was founded in 2003 to support migrants and refugees who have settled in Auckland. In those roles she contributed to quality audits, service reviews and strategic planning, participating in detailed and challenging conversations with the executive team about financial priorities and operational requirements, risk management and compliance.

Ruth’s other appointments have focused on government relations – as a board member of Asia New Zealand Foundation, a registered charitable entity and New Zealand’s leading authority on Asia, providing experiences and resources to help New Zealanders build their knowledge, skills and confidence to thrive in Asia. The board of trustees are drawn from business, community, academic and leadership backgrounds with an annual budget of $5 million. Ruth was an Inaugural member of the of the Lottery Community Sector Research Committee (2008-June 2011).