Melissa Bloomer

With a clinical background in acute and critical care nursing, Melissa Bloomer has two primary areas of research:-

1. End-of-life care
   This program of research focuses on the care provided to those who are dying, from neonates to adults, and across care settings, including acute care, critical care, aged care and community settings. Her research focuses on recognition of dying, care transitions, end-of-life communication and decision-making, family care, clinician preparedness for dying and death and care of family members before and after death.
   
   
2.  Care for people with diverse cultural characteristics
   Understanding who clinicians care for is critical to how and what care is provided. Exploring the unique and varied needs, values and preferences of individuals and their significant others is critically important. This program of research seeks to explore and examine how individuals' cultural characteristics are identified, accommodated and used to inform clinical care and promote respect for personhood. Of equal importance is how researchers can optimise equity for people with diverse cultural characteristics through research participation.

Methodological Expertise: qualitative research methods; mixed method research, audit, eDelphi, systematic, integrative and scoping reviews

In 2020, Melissa was named Postdoctoral Researcher of the year by the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC); a significant achievement in recognition of her contribution to palliative care in acute and critical care settings.

In 2019, Melissa was the recipient of an Endeavour Executive Leadership Award. This highly prestigious award enabled Melissa to spend six weeks at the International Observatory on End of Life Care at Lancaster Univeristy, UK, undertaking research related to volunteers in end of life care.

Melissa also holds several external leadership roles including:
* Chair, Bolton Clarke national Human Research Ethics Committee
* Life Member & Fellow, Australian College of Critical Care Nurses (ACCCN)
* Chair, End-of-Life Advisory Panel, ACCCN
* Member, Research Advisory Panel, ACCCN
* Editor, Palliative Medicine (Q1)
* Associate Editor, Intensive and Critical Care Nursing (Q1);