DrMary Dahm

Mary is a Senior Lecturer in Health Ethics and Professionalism in the School of Medicine at Deakin University.  With a unique background in applied linguistics and health services research, she brings a fresh perspective to the critical intersection of health communication, professional practice and patient safety.

Currently holding a prestigious ARC DECRA fellowship, Dr. Dahm is pioneering research into how diagnostic information is communicated in healthcare settings. Her innovative work breaks down traditional disciplinary barriers, combining insights from linguistics, healthcare, and patient safety to enhance professional practice and improve diagnostic safety.

Her expertise in diagnostic communication has earned international recognition, including an invitation to contribute to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on diagnostic uncertainty. As one of the first international and non-clinically trained Fellows in Diagnostic Excellence from the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (US), she's helping shape global conversations about diagnostic safety.

Mary has extensively taught into undergraduate and postgraduate courses across a range of interdisciplinary academic fields including professional practice (medicine/health/clinical science), research methods, linguistics and health communication.

As an inaugural executive member of the SHAPE Futures Network,  Mary supports, and advocates for early and mid-career researchers (EMCRs) working in the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts for People and Environment (SHAPE) disciplines across Australia.  Mary is an inaugural editorial board member of Qualitative Health Communication, and champions interdisciplinary approaches to healthcare improvement. Her outstanding contributions to research translation and public engagement were recently recognized with a 2024 ACT Young Tall Poppy Award, confirming her position as a rising star in healthcare communication research.

Mary has authored or co-authored more than 60 peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and regularly presents at Australian and international medical and health services conferences.

Mary is available to supervise Honours, Masters and PhD research student projects using qualitative and mixed-methods approaches (see Supervision & Teaching for more information)