Lana McCarthy

Lana McCarthy serves as Senior Lecturer and Chair of Discipline (Secondary) in Teacher Education (PDHPE) at Southern Cross University's Faculty of Education, Gold Coast Campus. With extensive experience teaching Health and Physical Education across New Zealand and Australia at both secondary and tertiary levels, she shapes future educators through practical expertise and academic rigor.

Her academic qualifications, all earned at Massey University in New Zealand, include:

• Doctor of Philosophy (2019) focusing on team culture and leadership in the New Zealand Silver Ferns netball team
• Master of Sport and Exercise (2015) researching ASB Netball Champs team dynamics
• Post Graduate Diploma in Sport Management and Coaching (2013)
• Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) (2008)
• Bachelor of Sport & Exercise (Physical Education) (2007)

Dr. McCarthy's research investigates physical education pedagogy, coaching methodologies, and youth sport engagement. Her groundbreaking doctoral work on the Silver Ferns netball team—New Zealand's first study of high-performance female sport culture—examines how captains and coaches shape team environments. This research, published in The Will to Win: New Zealand Netball Greats on Team Culture and Leadership, bridges academic theory with practical sport development.

As supervisor for higher degree research candidates, she mentors students in teacher education and sport pedagogy, encouraging applications for research master's and doctoral programs through Southern Cross University's Graduate School.

An accredited high-performance netball coach and avid sportswoman, Dr. McCarthy integrates hands-on coaching experience with academic work to advance sport's role in individual growth and community development, particularly through youth participation initiatives.