Rikki Jones

Rikki Jones is a Professor in Nursing at the School of Health, University of New England (UNE), where she has been a faculty member since 2017. She holds a PhD, BN, and is a registered nurse (RN), with over 17 years of clinical experience in emergency, rural, remote, and community nursing. Her academic leadership extends to supervising PhD, MPhil, and Honours students, mentoring staff in research and curriculum development, and leading impactful research in rural health.

• Education: Bachelor of Nursing (UNE, 2001), PhD
• Professional Registration: Registered Nurse (RN)

Her research centers on rural mental health, with a focus on first responders, nursing staff, and students, violence (including sexual, domestic, family, and drug-related), and the impact of shame and stigma on health. She has secured over $565,000 in research grants, including funding from MRFF, Griffith University, and UNE, for studies on intimate partner violence, telehealth for refugees, and trauma-informed approaches.

Her recent publications reflect a strong trend in qualitative and scoping research on vulnerable populations, including female sex workers in Bangladesh, rural sexual violence in Australia, and the mental health of first responders. She frequently collaborates with leading scholars such as Kim Usher and Debra Jackson, publishing in high-impact journals like Journal of Advanced Nursing, International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, and Trauma, Violence, & Abuse.

Scientific Recognition:

• UNE ECR Award 2024

She actively supervises research students and contributes to national discussions on rural health policy, emergency care, and nursing education. Her work emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, trauma-informed practice, and the development of digital and community-based mental health interventions for underserved populations.

Research Affiliations & Memberships:

• Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing
• College of Emergency Nursing Australasia
• Kim Usher's Lab, University of New England