Sonja Cleary

Professor Sonja Cleary serves as the Dean of Students at RMIT University's STEM College, overseeing academic governance and student support. With 16+ years in higher education roles, she focuses on enhancing student experiences through process optimization and academic integrity. Her academic journey includes positions as Associate Dean (Student Experience), Deputy Head of School for Learning and Teaching, and Head of Discipline in Nursing.

• Current roles: Dean of Learning and Teaching (2021–2023), STEM College
• Prior roles: Associate Dean at School of Health and Biomedical Sciences (2016–2020)

Her research interests span nursing education, public health, and ethical governance. Key focus areas include patient engagement in surgical settings, clinical simulation learning, and whistleblowing in healthcare. She actively supervises research projects on topics like perinatal care integration, surgical patient engagement, and self-care for Long-COVID.

Professor Cleary's work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Good Health) and 4 (Quality Education). She has contributed over 30 peer-reviewed articles in journals like Journal of Clinical Nursing and Nursing Ethics, exploring themes from postoperative nausea management to interdisciplinary team dynamics.

• Recent research trends: Wound care protocols, patient self-management, and clinical governance reforms
• Notable projects: Development of skin tear management packs for frontline staff, implementation of OSCE exams in health education

Her teaching expertise includes acute care nursing, pharmacology, and ethical/legal frameworks in healthcare. She advocates for practice-driven learning through simulation and online communities.