Dr Colleen Johnston-Devin is a Senior Lecturer in Nursing at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Colleen has extensive clinical and research experience encompassing varied settings within universities, hospitals, aged care facilities, and the community across metropolitan, regional and rural Australia, with this experience informing her academic work.
Colleen has built extensive networks, which she incorporates into her research and teaching practice to ensure clinical relevancy and currency of information. Her strong community, industry and consumer links are reflected in the diverse interdisciplinary research teams she leads and the translation of her research findings into practice. She has been invited to present both nationally and internationally.
Colleen is known for her expertise in chronic health conditions, particularly persistent pain, self-management, and lived experience of persistent pain. She has also researched and published on the scholarship of learning, person-centred care and research methods. Colleen's peer-reviewed publications, book chapter/s and international conference presentations focus on chronic pain, gerontology, and models of care in the Emergency Department.
Professional memberships
- GCAP
- ARCS
- Australasian Nursing and Midwifery Clinical Trials Network
- Australian College of Nursing
- Australian Hospitals and Healthcare Association
- Australian Pain Society
- Chronic Pain Australia
- International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP)
- IASP Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Special Interest Group (CRPS SIG)
- IASP Education Special Interest Group
- International Research Consortium for CRPS
- International Institute for Qualitative Methodology
- Pain Nurses Australia
- Queensland Statewide Persistent Pain Management Clinical Network
- Queensland Persistent Pain Management Steering Committee
Awards and fellowships
- Pain Nurses Australia Scholarship to attend Australian Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting, Hobart (2022)
- Australian Pain Society ECR Bursary to attend Australian Pain Society and New Zealand Pain Society Conjoint Annual Scientific Meeting, Sydney (2018)
- Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship (2017)
- Queensland Premiers Award (Project team award for Care Coordination through Emergency Department, Residential Aged Care and primary Health Collaboration (CEDRiC) project) (2017)
- Finalist Three Minute Thesis competition. University of the Sunshine Coast (2016)
- Occupational Therapy Australia Qld/NT Division, Postgraduate Student Award (2016)
Professional social media
Research grants
| Grant / project name | Investigators | Funding body and AUD$ value | Year(s) | Focus of research grant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expert to Novice: Evaluation of a Nurse Educator Internship Program | Dr Lorraine Thompson, Dr Colleen Johnston-Devin, Ms Judith Gonzalez and Ms Annette Faithfull-Byrne | A$15,945 Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service (SCHHS) |
2024 | Uncover the experiences of nurses who have transitioned from working as a clinician to working in a nurse educator role within a hospital setting. |
| ‘Mental Health Impacts of Horse Riding on Children and Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum: Experiences and Perceptions of Parents and Service Providers’. | Professor Michelle Cleary, Associate Professor Loyola McLean, Associate Professor Ctherine Hungerford, Dr Colleen Johnston-Devin, Dr Deependra Kaji Thapa, Dr Sancia West | A$16 361.94 CQ University Internal Research Grants Round 2. |
2023 | To understand the potential mental health impacts of horse riding on autistic children and adolescents, as perceived and experienced by their parents, carers, and horse-riding service providers. |
| ‘Our Recovery – A consumer-led, evidence-based online program to optimise pain self-management in the community’ | Professor Toby Newton-John, Ms Angie Clerc-Hawke, Professor Steven Kamper, Professor Donald Nease, Ms Joletta Belton, Associate Professor Anne Grunseit, Dr Hemakumar Devan, Dr Colleen Johnston-Devin, Dr Bronwyn Lennox Thompson and Associate Professor Kris Rogers | A$591 639.40 MRFF Consumer-Led Research |
2022 | To develop and conduct preliminary testing on a low-cost, community-led strategy that builds self-efficacy in Australians with chronic pain to gain control over their health and improve quality of life. |
| 'Meeting the needs of people living with complex regional pain syndrome: Defining the problem'. | Dr Colleen Johnston-Devin, Professor Michelle Cleary, Dr Katrina Lane-Krebs, Associate Professor Florin Oprescu, Ms Renee Rankin, Ms Kim Allgood and Ms Jan Moser | A$14,823.49 CQ University Internal Research Grants |
2022 | To investigate the informational support needs of people with a suspected or confirmed diagnosis of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). |
| Student Nurse Assessment of Pain (SNAP) Project | Dr Colleen Johnston-Devin, Associate Professor Adele Baldwin, Dr Katrina Lane-Krebs, Ms Marina Cousins, Professor Caryn West, Ms Elspeth Hillman | A$9,975 School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Sciences Research Stimulus Scheme CQUniversity |
2022 | To determine nursing students’ level of knowledge relating to pain assessment and management in three regional Australian universities. |
| ‘When Education and Autism Collide: School Exclusion and the Impact on Parent Mental Health’ | Professor Michelle Cleary, Dr Colleen Johnston-Devin, Associate Professor Catherine Hungerford, Dr Sancia West, Associate Professor Loyola McLean and Associate Professor Rachel Kornhaber | A$12 920 SNMSS Research Stimulus Scheme (Co-investigator) |
2022 | To examine the experience of parenting a child with autism who has been excluded from school, be it through expulsion, suspension or refusal. |
| Development of an Education Module on Critical Thinking and Clinical Reasoning for Registered Nurses (Transition to Practice Program) | Dr Paulie Calleja, Dr Julie Shaw, Dr Colleen Johnston-Devin, Dr Lisa Wirihana | A$38 329.77 Queensland Health |
2021 | To develop a critical thinking module for first year registered nurses working for Queensland Health. |
| Leading by example: Disability, leadership, and the importance of lived experience in inclusivity | Dr Colleen Johnston-Devin, Professor Michelle Cleary and Dr Danielle La Lagadec | A$10,000 Australian Government Community Grants Hub Australia's Disability Strategy - National Disability Conference Initiative 2024-2025 |
2024 | This series of webinars provided information about leadership and inclusivity from researchers, clinicians and people with lived experience of disability. |
| Untangling the mess: Improving the lives of people with disabilities through better access to NDIS services | Dr Colleen Johnston-Devin and Professor Michelle Cleary (Co-leads), Dr Pauline Calleja | A$10,000 Australian Government Community Grants Hub. Australia's Disability Strategy - National Disability Conference Initiative |
2022 | This two-day conference provided information about NDIS services and living with a disability from researchers, clinicians and people with lived experience. |
Research areas
- pain
- chronic pain
- persistent pain
- lived experience
- chronic health conditions
- aged care
- nursing education
Teaching areas
- NUR104 Contexts of Practice: The Older Person and Family
Dr Colleen Johnston-Devin's specialist areas of knowledge include pain, chronic pain, persistent pain, lived experience, chronic health conditions, aged care, nursing education