The day before Professor Julie Jomeen’s scheduled flight to Lismore from the UK, the Australian government introduced the mandatory two-week isolation for new arrivals.

With Covid-19 forcing her and her family into the confines of their new home, Professor Jomeen said it was a surreal start to her new role as Head of School of Health and Human Sciences at Southern Cross University.

The day Professor Jomeen emerged from quarantine was her first day on the job - in a strange new world of social distancing and meeting new colleagues over Zoom.

The unusual welcome in the midst of a global health crisis hasn’t daunted the distinguished researcher and experienced Dean who has taken on the multi-campus role at Lismore, Coffs Harbour and the Gold Coast.

“Every crisis creates and opportunity and the importance of the healthcare workforce has never been more dominant than it is right now on the frontlines,” Prof Jomeen said.

“This demonstrates the value of University health research and industry-ready graduates to ensure the best possible workforce for the delivering the best possible care.”

Professor Jomeen worked as a clinical nurse before becoming a midwife and completing a PhD.

Her leadership roles at Hull University included Dean of Health and Social Care and Dean of Health Sciences, incorporating sports health and exercise science, psychology and biomedical science.

As well as being Dean of Health at Southern Cross, she is also a Professor of Midwifery and brings knowledge from her research into the links between physiological and psychological health.

Health courses at Southern Cross University include nursing, midwifery, sport and exercise science, biomedical science, clinical sciences, podiatry, pedorthics, speech pathology.

“SCU has also been named as having Australia’s number one psychology degree - according to the federal government QILT data and the Good Universities Guide,” Prof Jomeen said.