May El Haddad

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. May El Haddad is an accomplished academic and researcher dedicated to advancing health professional education, workforce development, and leadership in healthcare and higher education. A Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), she co-leads the First-Year Experience (FYE) Working Group at University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), driving innovative strategies to enhance student engagement, success, and retention.

Dr. El Haddad earned her PhD from the University of Wollongong, Australia, in 2016, examining practice and education sector perspectives on graduate registered nurse practice readiness in the Australian context. With over 40 years of experience across clinical practice, management, education, and research, she has significantly shaped healthcare education and workforce capacity.

For a decade, she served as a Nurse Educator at the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service, leading key initiatives in preceptorship development, clinical placements, and graduate nurse transition programs. Her leadership expanded placement capacity, strengthened early-career nurse support, and fostered a culture of professional development.

As a Nurse Researcher, she collaborated with Monash University on two projects that reduced administrative burdens and enhanced clinical leadership capacity among nurse and midwife unit managers, improving workforce sustainability.

Dr. El Haddad is committed to fostering collaborations and strategic partnerships to advance education, workforce development, and leadership. She welcomes opportunities to connect - please reach out for further discussions.

TEACHING AREAS

• HLT103 Professional Health Communication
• HLT701 Qualitative Research: Approaches and Practice

MEMBERSHIPS

• The Australian College of Nursing (MACN)
• The Queensland Nursing & Midwifery Union (QNMU)
• Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA)

RESEARCH GRANTS

Tulloch, K., El Haddad, M., Dodd, N., Davies, S., Shakhovskoy, R., & Bogossian, F. (2023). Consumer- and student-led co-design for interprofessional education of healthy ageing in regional/asynchronous contexts. Learning and Teaching Grants ($10,000), University of the Sunshine Coast.

Dermody, D., Wadsworth, D., El Haddad, M., Martin, A., Prichard, R., Benson, T. (2023-2024). Digital health workforce readiness. LAUNCH Grant ($28,740), University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia.

Lin, F., Prichard, R., Peet, J., El Haddad, M., & Chen, L. (2022-2023). Evaluating the implementation of the SNMP moderation process in the nursing undergraduate programs. Teaching and Learning Grant ($3,195), University of the Sunshine Coast.