Doctor Cannas Kwok

Doctor Cannas Kwok

Adjunct Appointment - School of Nursing and Midwifery,
Dean's Unit - School of Nursing and Midwifery

Senior Lecturer,
School of Nursing and Midwifery

Biography

Dr Cannas Kwok is currently the Director of Academic Program (Postgraduate) of the school. Her previous governance roles in the school include Deputy Director of Research and Academic Course Adviser (MN Professional Studies). Prior to employment at Western Sydney University in 2012, Cannas was a research fellow who has received the prestigious ‘Early Career Development Fellowship’ from the Cancer Institute NSW to continue her groundbreaking work in breast cancer research. 

Cannas has extensive track record in cancer screening and survivorship research particularly among CALD communities.  Over the years, she has published numerous articles in international peer-reviewed journals. As a recognised leader in the field, she has been invited to be an advisor for a number of breast cancer screening promotion programs in Sydney and Victoria.  

Cannas mainly teaches theoretical based units in the postgraduate program. She has supervised Bachelor of Nursing (Honours), Masters (Honours) and PhD students to completion.

This information has been contributed by Doctor Kwok.

Qualifications

  • PhD University of Sydney
  • MEd University of Sydney
  • MPH University of Wollongong
  • BHSc University of Western Sydney

Organisational Unit (School / Division)

  • Dean's Unit - School of Nursing and Midwifery
  • School of Nursing and Midwifery

Contact

Email: C.Kwok@westernsydney.edu.au
Phone: (02) 9685 9531
Mobile:
Location: EB.LG.51
Parramatta

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Teaching

Previous Teaching Areas

  • 400428 Evidence Based Health Care, 2015
  • 400428 Evidence Based Health Care, 2016
  • 400428 Evidence Based Health Care, 2017
  • 400745 Nursing for Health and Wellbeing, 2012
  • 400755 Evidence-Based Nursing 1, 2012
  • 400765 Evidence-Based Nursing 2, 2011
  • 401011 Research Principles for Nursing and Midwifery, 2014
  • 401023 Research Principles for Nursing (Advanced), 2014

Publications

Journal Articles

  • O'Reilly, K., Wilson, N., Kwok, C. and Peters, K. (2023), 'An exploration of women's sexual and reproductive health following traumatic brain injury', Journal of Clinical Nursing, vol 32, no 5-6 , pp 901 - 911.
  • Violi, D., Lewis, P., Kwok, C. and Wilson, N. (2023), 'Becoming a non-resident father : marginalised through distress, disadvantage and disempowerment', Health Promotion Journal of Australia, vol 34, no 4 , pp 714 - 722.
  • Kwok, C., Lee, M. and Lee, C. (2022), 'The role of education in breast cancer beliefs and screening practices among Korean women : a quantitative study', Journal of Transcultural Nursing, vol 33, no 3 , pp 287 - 296.
  • Kwok, C. and Lee, C. (2022), 'Assessment of the validity and reliability of the Vietnamese version of the Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Questionnaire', Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing, vol 9, no 1 , pp 69 - 74.
  • Power, R., Ussher, J., Hawkey, A., Missiakos, O., Perz, J., Ogunsiji, O., Zonjic, N., Kwok, C., McBride, K. and Monteiro, M. (2022), 'Co-designed, culturally tailored cervical screening education with migrant and refugee women in Australia : a feasibility study', BMC Women's Health, vol 22 .
  • Violi , D., Kwok, C., Lewis, P. and Wilson, N. (2022), 'Nonresident fathers' voice : marginalized disempowered and silenced', American Journal of Men's Health, vol 16, no 4 .
  • O'Reilly, K., Wilson, N., Kwok, C. and Peters, K. (2021), 'Women's tenacity following traumatic brain injury : qualitative insights', Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol 77, no 4 , pp 1934 - 1944.
  • Fong, D., Wong, J., Choi , E., Lam, K. and Kwok, C. (2021), 'The English and Chinese language versions of the Short Form 12-item Health Survey are equivalent', Health and Quality Life Outcomes, vol 19, no 1 .
  • Kwok, C., Lee, M. and Lee, C. (2020), 'Breast cancer perceptions and screening behaviours among Korean women in Australia', Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, vol 22 , pp 126 - 133.
  • Sharif Nia, H., Behmanesh, F., Kwok, C., Firouzbakht, M., Ebadi, A. and Nikpour, M. (2020), 'Breast cancer screening beliefs questionnaire : psychometric properties of the Persian version', BMC Women's Health, vol 20, no 1 .
  • Alananzeh, I., Levesque, J., Kwok, C., Salamonson, Y. and Everett, B. (2019), 'The unmet supportive care needs of Arab Australian and Arab Jordanian cancer survivors : an international comparative survey', Cancer Nursing, vol 42, no 3 , pp 51 - 60.
  • Alananzeh, I., Kwok, C., Ramjan, L., Levesque, J. and Everett, B. (2019), 'Information needs of Arab cancer survivors and caregivers : a mixed methods study', Collegian, vol 26, no 1 , pp 40 - 48.
  • Mackey, S., Kwok, C., Anderson, J., Hatcher, D., Laver, S., Dickson, C. and Stewart, L. (2018), 'Australian student nurse's knowledge of and attitudes toward primary health care : a cross-sectional study', Nurse Education Today, vol 60 , pp 127 - 132.
  • Lam, M., Kwok, C. and Lee, M. (2018), 'Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of routine breast cancer screening practices among migrant-Australian women', Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, vol 42, no 1 , pp 98 - 103.
  • O'Reilly, K., Peters, K., Wilson, N. and Kwok, C. (2018), 'Use of pragmatism to explore women's experiences of traumatic brain injury : a kaleidoscopic view of the world', Nurse Researcher, vol 25, no 4 , pp 21 - 25.
  • Alananzeh, I., Ramjan, L., Kwok, C., Levesque, J. and Everett, B. (2018), 'Arab-migrant cancer survivors' experiences of using health-care interpreters : a qualitative study', Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing, vol 5, no 4 , pp 399 - 407.
  • Bao, Y., Kwok, C. and Lee, C. (2018), 'Breast cancer screening behaviors among Chinese women in Mainland China', Nursing and Health Sciences, vol 20, no 4 , pp 445 - 451.
  • Kwok, C., Koo, F. and Koo, F. (2017), 'Participation in treatment decision-making among Chinese-Australian women with breast cancer', Supportive Care in Cancer, vol 25, no 3 , pp 957 - 963.
  • Bao, Y., Kwok, C. and Lee, C. (2017), 'Psychometric properties of the Modified Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Questionnaire among mainland Chinese women', European Journal of Oncology Nursing, vol 28 , pp 35 - 40.
  • Ogunsiji, O., Kwok, C. and Lee, C. (2017), 'Breast cancer screening practices of African migrant women in Australia : a descriptive cross-sectional study', BMC Women's Health, vol 17, no 1 .
  • Kwok, C., Lee, M. and Lee, C. (2017), 'Validation of the Korean version of the breast cancer screening beliefs questionnaire', Cancer Nursing, vol 40, no 4 , pp 1 - 8.
  • O'Reilly, K., Wilson, N., Kwok, C. and Peters, K. (2017), 'FIT 4 PURPOSE : designing and distributing the Women with Traumatic Brain Injury Survey', Journal of the Australasian Rehabilitation Nurses Association, vol 20, no 3 , pp 8 - 13.
  • Kwok, C., Ogunsiji, O. and Lee, C. (2016), 'Validation of the breast cancer screening beliefs questionnaire among African Australian women', BMC Public Health, vol 16 , pp 1 - 9.
  • Kwok, C., Endrawes, G. and Lee, C. (2016), 'Breast cancer screening beliefs questionnaire : psychometric properties assessment of the Arabic version', European Journal of Oncology Nursing, vol 20 , pp 42 - 48.
  • Pillay, R., Alexander, S., Hatcher, D., Mackey, S., Shahid, S., Holden, L. and Kwok, C. (2016), 'Factors influencing cancer treatment decision-making by indigenous peoples : a systematic review', Psycho-Oncology, vol 25, no 2 , pp 131 - 141.
  • Alananzeh, I., Levesque, J., Kwok, C. and Everett, B. (2016), 'Integrative review of the supportive care needs of Arab people affected by cancer', Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing, vol 3, no 2 , pp 148 - 156.
  • Kwok, C., Pillay, R. and Lee, C. (2016), 'Psychometric properties of the breast cancer screening beliefs questionnaire among women of Indian ethnicity living in Australia', Cancer Nursing, vol 39, no 4 , pp 24 - 31.
  • Kwok, C. and Lim, C. (2016), 'Evaluation of a culturally tailored education to promote breast and cervical cancer screening among Chinese-Australian women', Journal of Cancer Education, vol 31, no 3 , pp 595 - 601.
  • Kwok, C., Endrawes, G. and Lee, C. (2016), 'Cultural beliefs and attitudes about breast cancer and screening practices among Arabic women in Australia', Cancer Nursing, vol 39, no 5 , pp 367 - 374.
  • Kwok, C. (2016), 'Conducting cancer research among culturally and linguistically diverse groups in Australia : a reflection on challenges and strategies', AIMS Public Health, vol 3, no 3 , pp 460 - 469.
  • Lim, C., Ng, R., Cheng, N., Cigolini, M., Kwok, C. and Brennan, F. (2016), 'Advance care planning for haemodialysis patients (Intervention Review)', Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, vol 2016, no 7 .
  • McKenzie, H., Kwok, C., Tsang, H. and Moreau, E. (2015), 'Community nursing care of Chinese-Australian cancer patients : a qualitative study', Cancer Nursing, vol 38, no 4 , pp 53 - 60.
  • Levesque, J., Girgis, A., Koczwara, B., Kwok, C., Singh-Carlson, S. and Lambert, S. (2015), 'Integrative review of the supportive care needs of Asian and Caucasian women with breast cancer', Current Breast Cancer Reports, vol 7, no 3 , pp 127 - 142.
  • Kwok, C., Pillay, R. and Lee, F. (2015), 'Breast cancer knowledge, attitudes and screening behaviors among Indian-Australian women', European Journal of Oncology Nursing, vol 19, no 6 , pp 701 - 706.
  • Kwok, C. and Fong, D. (2014), 'Breast cancer screening practices among Hong Kong Chinese women', Cancer Nursing, vol 37, no 1 , pp 59 - 65.
  • Kwok, C. and White, K. (2014), 'Perceived information needs and social support of Chinese-Australian breast cancer survivors', Supportive Care in Cancer, vol 22, no 10 , pp 2651 - 2659.
  • Koo, F., Kwok, C., White, K., D'Abrew, N. and Roylhouse, J. (2012), 'Strategies for piloting a breast health promotion program in the Chinese-Australian population', Preventing Chronic Diseases, vol 9, no 1 .
  • Kwok, C., Fethney, J. and White, K. (2012), 'Mammographic screening practices among Chinese-Australian women', Journal of Nursing Scholarship, vol 44, no 1 , pp 11 - 18.
  • Kwok, C., Fethney, J. and White, K. (2012), 'Breast cancer screening practices among Chinese-Australian women', European Journal of Oncology Nursing, vol 16, no 3 , pp 247 - 252.
  • Kwok, C., Fethney, J. and White, K. (2012), 'Confirmatory factor analysis of the Chinese Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Questionnaire', Cancer Nursing, vol 35, no 6 , pp 429 - 437.
  • Fong, D., Kwok, C. and White, K. (2012), 'Psychometric properties of the Chinese Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs questionnaire', European Journal of Oncology Nursing, vol 16, no 5 , pp 505 - 511.
  • Kwok, C. and White, K. (2011), 'Cultural and linguistic isolation: the breast cancer experience of Chinese-Australian women - a qualitative study', Contemporary Nurse, vol 39, no 1 , pp 85 - 94.
  • Kwok, C., White, K. and Roylhouse, K. (2011), 'Chinese-Australian women's knowledge, facilitators and barriers related to cervical cancer screening: A qualitative study', Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, vol 13, no 6 , pp 1076 - 1083.
  • Kwok, C., Koo, F., D'Abrew, N., White, K. and Roylhouse, K. (2011), 'East meets West: A brief report of a culturally sensitive breast health education program for Chinese-Australian women', Journal of Cancer Education, vol 26, no 3 , pp 540 - 546.
  • Kwok, C. and Ho, M. (2011), 'Development and evaluation of a culturally sensitive support group programme for Chinese-Australian women with breast cancer: a pilot study', European Journal of Cancer Care, vol 20, no 6 , pp 795 - 802.
  • Kwok, C., Fethney, J. and White, K. (2010), 'Chinese breast cancer screening beliefs questionnaire : development and psychometric testing with Chinese-Australian women', Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol 66, no 1 , pp 191 - 200.
  • Kwok, C. and White, K. (2010), 'Using qualitative inquiry to explore the breast cancer experience of Chinese-Australian women: reflections on the issues and challenges of data collection and analysis', Qualitative Health Research, vol 9, no 4 , pp 363 - 363.
  • Kwok, C. and Sullivan, G. (2007), 'Health seeking behaviours among Chinese-Australian women: implication for health promotion programs', Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health and Illness, vol 11, no 3 , pp 401 - 415.
  • Kwok, C. and Sullivan, G. (2007), 'The concepts of health and preventive health practices of Chinese-Australian women in relation to cancer screening', Journal of Transcultural Nursing, vol 18, no 2 , pp 118 - 126.
  • Kwok, C., Sullivan, G. and Cant, R. (2006), 'The role of culture in breast health practices among Chinese-Australian women', Patient Education and Counseling, vol 64, no 1-3 , pp 268 - 276.
  • Kwok, C. and Sullivan, G. (2006), 'Chinese-Australian women's beliefs about cancer: Implications for health promotion', Cancer Nursing, vol 29, no 5 , pp 14 - 21.
  • Kwok, C. and Sullivan, G. (2006), 'The influence of traditional Chinese beliefs on cancer screening behaviours among Chinese-Australian women', Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol 54, no 6 , pp 691 - 699.
  • Kwok, C., Cant, R. and Sullivan, G. (2005), 'Factors associated with mammographic decisions of Chinese-Australian women', Health Education Research, vol 20, no 6 , pp 739 - 747.

Conference Papers

  • Kwok, C. (2006), 'Traditional Chinese health promotion and cancer screening practices among older Chinese women', The Australian Sociology Association TASA Conference Proceedings, .

Current Projects

Title: The effectiveness of a co-designed and culturally adapted dementia support program for Chinese-Australian carer [Via Dementia Australia]
Funder:
  • Australian Association of Gerontology
Western Researchers: Lisa Wong, Rita Chang and Cannas Kwok
Years: 2023-08-23 - 2025-02-25
ID: P00028861

Previous Projects

Title: Cross-cultural assessment of the SF-12 health survey
Funder:
  • University of Hong Kong
Western Researchers: Cannas Kwok
Years: 2013-06-01 - 2015-05-31
ID: P00021685
Title: Chinese Cancer Screening Project
Funder:
  • Cancer Council Victoria
Western Researchers: Cannas Kwok
Years: 2015-01-01 - 2015-01-31
ID: P00024644
Title: Healthy and Happy Life in Sydney - A community partnership program for promoting cancer awareness and screening practices among Chinese and African Australians
Funder:
  • Cancer Institute NSW
Western Researchers: Cannas Kwok and Olayide Ogunsiji
Years: 2012-05-30 - 2013-07-30
ID: P00020934

Media

Title: Breast cancer screening and cultural barriers
Description: Why some women are missing early detection
Title: Cultural battle over breast cancer
Description: A doctor aims to transform Chinese beliefs
Title: Death by stigma
Description: The cancer myths that kill Asians

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