Professor Lesley Wilkes

Biography

Professor Lesley Wilkes is a Professor of Nursing at the Clinical Nursing Research Unit (Joint appointment with the School of Nursing and Midwifery, UWS and the Sydney West Area Health Service) as well as the Dean of Research Studies at UWS. Professor Wilkes has contributed significantly to the growth and enhancement of nursing research in Australia. She has successfully led a number of research projects including NHMRC and ARC Linkage grants. She has expertise in both qualitative and quantitative research methods and has undertaken a number of studies related to nursing issues. In addition, she has supervised and is currently supervising a number of Masters and PhD students. Professor Wilkes is one of the UWS top researchers for 2004-2006 triennium in the top 40 by publication and in the top 20 by higher degree research student completions. She is a prolifically active researcher and has a high track record of successful research grants. Her research has received high community recognition nationally and internationally through extensive media coverage showcasing her research expertise in areas such as organisational violence, family and community health, prostate cancer, and child-to-mother violence, through both radio and television networks. She is one of the most prolific publishers of nursing research in Australia.

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Areas of Research / Teaching Expertise

  • Chronic & complex care
  • Palliative care
  • Dementia care
  • Adolescent health
  • Family and community health
  • Violence in the context of work and family life
  • Nursing workforce issues
  • Women’s health
  • Leadership issues
  • Qualitative and quantitative research methods

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Grants / Current Projects

2009-2011
Violence in the hospital setting: Testing predictive validity of a violence assessment tool for nurses.
Funding: ARC linkage grant with SWAHS.
Researchers: D. Jackson, L. Luck, L. Wilkes & S. Clark.

2007-2010
Care of clients with chronic and complex conditions: Role of the community nurse in the multidisciplinary team.
Funding: ARC linkage grant.
Researchers: J. Cioffi, L. Wilkes, B. Warne, S. Mohan, K. Harrison.

2006-2009
Model of care: A family focussed approach to promote child protection.
Funding: ARC linkage grant.
Researchers: D. Jackson, L. Wilkes, J. Hutchins.

2006-2009
Surviving and thriving in the face of workplace adversity: An intervention to develop personal resilience in nurses and midwives.
Funding: ARC linkage grant.
Researchers: D. Jackson, L. Wilkes, M. Vickers, M. Clarke & M. Drum.

2006
Determining best practice for management of the confused older person in acute care setting.
Funding: UWS Partnership Grant.

2005-2006
Defining pastoral care and its value for older people.
Funding: UWS Partnership Grant.

2005-2007
Full-time workers caring for children with chronic illness: A national study.
Funding: ARC Linkage Grant.

2005
Investigation into the communication which takes place between chemo-nurses and patients during periods of drug administration.
Funding: Nurses Registration Board, Category 5 Scholarship.

2003-2006
Bullying in the workplace: A study of Australian nurses.
Funding: ARC Linkage Grant.

A study of the prevalence, experience and nature of child-to-mother violence in a high-risk geographical area.
Funding: ARC Linkage Grant.

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Awards and Recognition

2007: Wilkes is one of UWS top researchers for 2004-2006 triennium, in the top 40 by publication and in the top 20 by higher degree research student completions

AM Kellett Medal for First Place in NSW Nurses Registration Board Examination, April, 1969

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Selected Publications

2011

Wilkes, L. & Jackson D. (2011). "Trends in publication of research papers by Australian-based nurses." Collegian 18(3), 125-130.

Peters, K., Luck, L., Hutchinson, M., Wilkes, L., Andrew, S., & Jackson, D. (2011). The emotional sequelae of whistleblowing: Findings from a qualitative study. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 20(19-20), 2907-2914. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2011.03718.x

Peters, K., Luck, L., Hutchinson, M., Wilkes, L., Andrew, S., & Jackson, D. (2011). The emotional sequelae of whistleblowing: Findings from a qualitative study. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 20(19-20), 2907-2914. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2011.03718.x

 Elmir, R., Schmied, V., Jackson, D., & Wilkes, L. (2011), Interviewing people about potentially sensitive topics. Nurse Researcher, 19(1), 12-16.

George, A., Vickers, M., Wilkes, L., & Barton, B. (2011). Financial implications of working full time and caring for a child with a chronic illness. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 36(3), 131-140.

Wilkes, L., Peters, K., Weaver, R., & Jackson, D. (2011). Nurses involved in whistleblowing incidents: Sequelae for their families. Collegian, 18(3), 101-106.

Wilkes, L., Cioffi, J., Fleming, A., & LeMiere, J. (2011). Defining pastoral care for older people in residential care. Contemporary Nurse, 37(2), 213-221.

Hayman, B., Wilkes, L., & Jackson D. (in press). Reciprocity during data collection: Negotiating cooperative research relationships through story-sharing with lesbian mothers. Nurse Researcher.

Hayman, B., Wilkes, L., & Jackson D. (in press). Journaling as a method of data collection: Identifying the challenges and reflections of useful strategies. Nurse Researcher.

McDonald, G., Jackson, D., Wilkes, L., & Vickers, M. (in press). A work-based educational intervention to support personal resilience in nurses and midwives. Nurse Education Today.

Edenborough, M., Wilkes, L., Jackson, D., & Mannix, J. (2011). Development and validation of the child-to-mother violence scale. Nurse Researcher, 18(2), 52-66.

O'Reilly, R., Luck, L., Wilkes, L., & Jackson, D. (2011). Child protection workers: What they do. International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches, 5(1), 122-138.

2010

Elmir, R., Schmied, V., Wilkes, L., & Jackson, D. (2010). Women’s perceptions and experiences of traumatic birth: A meta-ethnography. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 66(10), 2142-2153.

Hutchinson, M., Vickers, M. H., Jackson, D., & Wilkes, L. (2010). Bullying as circuits of power: An Australian nursing perspective. Administrative, Theory and Praxis, 32(1), 25-47.

Hutchinson, M., Wilkes, L., Jackson, D., & Vickers, M. H. (2010). Integrating individual, work group and organizational factors: Testing a multidimensional model of bullying in the nursing workplace. Journal of Nursing Management, 18(2), 173-181.

Jackson, D., Peters, K., Andrew, S., Edenborough, M., Halcomb, E., Luck, L., Salamonson, Y., & Wilkes L. (2010). Understanding whistleblowing: Qualitative insights from nurse whistleblowers. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 66(10), 2194-2201.

O'Reilly, R., Wilkes, L., Luck, L., & Jackson, D. (2010). The efficacy of family support and family preservation services on reducing child abuse and neglect: What the literature reveals. Journal of Child Health Care, 14(1), 82-94.

Wilkes, L., Mohan, S., Luck, L., & Jackson, D. (2010). Development of a violence tool in the emergency hospital setting. Nurse Researcher, 17(4), 70-82.

Vallido, T., Wilkes, L., Carter, B., & Jackson, D. (2010). Mothering disrupted by illness: A narrative synthesis of qualitative research. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 66(7), 1435-1445.

2009

Hutchinson, M., Vickers, M. H., Wilkes, L., & Jackson, D. (2009). “The worse you behave, the more you seem, to be rewarded”: Bullying in nursing as organizational corruption. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 21(3), 213-229.

Mannix, J., Wilkes, L., & Luck, L. (2009). Key stakeholders in clinical learning and teaching in Bachelor of Nursing programs: A discussion paper. Advances in Contemporary Nursing, 32(1-2), 59-68.

O'Baugh, J., Wilkes, L. M., Sneesby, K., & George, A. (2009). Investigation into the communication that takes place between nurses and patients during chemotherapy. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 27(4), 396-414.

2008

Parris, M. A., Vickers, M. H., & Wilkes, L. (2008). Friendships under strain: The work-personal life integration of middle managers. Community, Work & Family, 11(4), 405-418.

Beale, B., Wilkes, L., Power, B., & Beale, R. (2008). Aunties and Uncles Co-operative Family Project: The experiences of children, volunteers and parents. Child: Care, Health and Development, 34(2), 173-179.

Edenborough, M., Jackson, D., Mannix, J., & Wilkes, L. M. (2008). Living in the red zone: The experience of child-to-mother violence. Child & Family Social Work, 13(4), 464-473.

George, A., Vickers, M. H., Wilkes, L., & Barton, B. (2008). Working and caring for a child with chronic illness: Barriers in achieving work-family balance. Journal of Management and Organization, 14(1), 59-72.

George, A., Vickers, M. H., Wilkes, L., & Barton, B. (2008). Working and caring for a child with chronic illness: Challenges in maintaining employment. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 20(3), 165-176.

Hayman, B., Wilkes, L., & Cioffi, J. (2008). Change process during redesign of a model of nursing practice in a surgical ward. Journal of Nursing Management, 16(3), 257-265.

Hutchinson, M., Jackson, D., Wilkes, L., & Vickers, M. H. (2008). A new model of bullying in the nursing workplace: Organizational characteristics as critical antecedents. Advances in Nursing Science, 31(2), e60-e71.

Hutchinson, M., Wilkes, L., Vickers, M., & Jackson, D. (2008). The development and validation of a bullying inventory for the nursing workplace. Nurse Researcher, 15(2), 19-29.

Mohan, S., Wilkes, L., & Jackson, D. (2008). Lifestyle of Asian Indians with coronary heart disease: The Australian context. Collegian, 15(3), 115-121.

O'Baugh, J., Wilkes, L. M., Luke, S., & George, A. (2008). Positive attitude in cancer: The nurse's perspective. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 14(2), 109-114.

Parris, M. A., Vickers, M. H., & Wilkes, L. (2008). Caught in the middle: Organizational impediments to middle managers' work-life balance. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 20(2), 101-117.

Wilkes, L., Cioffi, J., Warne, B., Harrison, K., & Vonu-Boriceanu, O. (2008). Clients with chronic and complex conditions: Their experiences of community nursing services. Journal of Nursing and Healthcare of Chronic Illness, 17(7B), 160-168.

Wilkes, L., Jackson, D., & Vallido, T. (2008). The experiences of family members placing a relative into residential care: The move. Geriaction, 26(2), 5-13.

Wilkes, L., Jackson, D., & Vallido, T. (2008). Placing a relative into a nursing home: Family members’ experiences after the move. A review of the literature. Geriaction, 26(1), 24-29.

Wilkes, L. M., & Mohan, S. (2008). Nurses in the clinical area: Relevance of a PhD. Collegian, 15(4), 135-141.

2007

O’Baugh, J., Wilkes, L.M., Vaughan, K., & O'Donohue, R. (2007). The role and scope of the clinical nurse consultant in Wentworth Area Health Service, New South Wales, Australia. Journal of Nursing Management, 15(1), 12-21.

Jackson, D., Wilkes, L., & McDonald, G. (2007). "If I was in my daughter’s body I'd be feeling devastated": Women’s experiences of mothering an overweight or obese child. Journal of Child Health Care, 11(1), 29-39.

Ogunsiji, O., Wilkes, L., & Jackson, D. (2007). Female genital mutilation: Origin, beliefs, prevalence and implications for health care workers caring for immigrant women in Australia. Contemporary Nurse, 25(1-2), 22-30.

Cioffi, J. M., Fleming, A., Wilkes, L., Sinfield, M., & Le Miere, J. (2007). The effect of environmental change on residents with Dementia: The perceptions of relatives and staff. Dementia, 6(2), 215-231.

Endrawes, G., O’Brien, L., & Wilkes, L. (2007). Mental illness and Egyptian families. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 16(3), 178-187.

Endrawes, G., O’Brien, L., & Wilkes, L. (2007). Egyptian families caring for a relative with mental illness: A hermeneutic study. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 16(6), 431-440.

Cioffi, J., Wilkes, L., Warne, B., Harrison, K., & Vonu-Boriceanu, O. (2007). Community nursing care for clients with chronic and complex conditions. Collegian, 14(4), 21-25.

Conference Presentations

2011

Blythe, S., Jackson, D., Halcomb, E., & Wilkes, L. (2011, April 27 - 30, 2011). Seeking recognition: long-term female foster carers claiming motherhood. Paper presented at the Sixth Australian International Conference on Motherhood: Mothers at the Margins, Brisbane, Australia.

Blythe, S., Jackson, D., Halcomb, E., & Wilkes, L. (2011, July 22, 2011). Seeking recognition: long-term female foster carers claiming motherhood. Paper presented at the Conference on Mothering: challenges, change and hope, Sydney, Australia.

Hayman, B., Wilkes, L., Jackson, D., & Halcomb, E. (2011, April 1-3). Healthcare services and institutionalized homophobia: experiences and safety strategies of lesbian parents. Paper presented at the Women's Health 2011: The 19th Annual Congress, Washington DC, USA.

Hayman, B., Wilkes, L., Jackson, D., & Halcomb, E. (2011, April 27-30). Lesbian mothers choosing and negotiating maternity services: what are the priorities. Paper presented at the Sixth Australian International Conference on Motherhood: Mothers at the Margins, Brisbane, Australia.

Conference Papers Published in Proceedings (2006-2007)

George, A., Vickers, M.H., Wilkes, L., & Barton, B. (2007). Building resilience in working parents of children with chronic illness. Proceedings of the Fifteenth Annual International Conference of the Association of Employment Practices and Principles (AEPP), Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 4-6 October, 2007.

George, A., Vickers, M., & Wilkes, L.M. (2006). Working and caring for a child with chronic illness: Workplace concerns. 20th ANZAM Conference, Capricorn Coast, Qld, 6-9 December 2006.

Hutchinson, M., Vickers, M.H., Jackson, D., & Wilkes, L. (2006). "The worse you behave, the more you seem to be rewarded!": Bullying in nursing as organizational corruption. ASPROS 11: Asia Pacific Researchers in Organisation Studies 11th International Colloquium, pages 447-487, Melbourne RMIT Informit e-Library series. Melbourne, Australia, 4-7 December 2006.

Muneshwar, S., Vickers, M., Wilkes, L.M., & Fallon, W. (2006). Understanding bullying in commercial kitchens: An insider’s view. Inaugural New Zealand International Hospitality Management Conference 2006, Hamilton, New Zealand

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Optional

Engagement Interests

Member - Publication Review Panels for Refereed Journals

  • Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing
  • Contemporary Nurse, Churchill Livingstone, Melbourne
  • Research in Science Education, Monash University, Victoria
  • Cancer Forum, Australian Cancer Society, NSW
  • Collegian, Royal College of Nursing, Australia
  • The Medical Journal of Australia, The Australasian Medical Company Ltd, North Sydney, NSW.

Member - Editorial Board

  • Invited international member of Editorial Board, 1995 for three years to Holistic Nursing Practice Journal, Aspen Publishing Incorporate, Maryland, USA
  • Collegian

Membership of Professional Bodies

  • Australian Association of Palliative Care Nurses
  • Royal College of Nursing Australia (Fellow)
  • COSA
  • Cancer Nurses Society, Australia
  • National Tertiary Education Industry Union
  • NSW College of Nursing, Elected to Council February 1991-February 1993
  • College of Nursing (Fellow)

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