Dr Irene Ikafa

Lecturer - School of Health

Phone: +61 2 6773 5682

Biography

Irene Ikafa is a registered nurse and an academic with a strong mental health nursing background. Irene joined the University of New England in July 2016 after 8 years in the School of Health Professions at Murdoch University and 25 years of clinical experience in mental health nursing in Western Australia and Zambia. She has progressive experience in various nursing positions as a registered mental health nurse, registered nurse, clinical nurse, nurse manager, deputy director of nursing, clinical teacher, and staff development nurse. Irene is passionate about teaching and learning in nursing in general, and mental health in particular. Irene does this with commitment, compassion, and care. Her specific research interests include mental health, migration and acculturation, nurse education, and grief and loss. She is also committed to mental health promotion, migration issues, social justice, social inequalities, and advocating for people without a voice, particularly people with mental illness and disabilities.

Qualifications

PhD, MSc (Curtin), BSc (Curtin), RN, RMHN

Teaching Areas

Culture and health
Contemporary nursing theories
Health promotion
Mental health
Mental health legislations
Mental health promotion
Therapeutic communication

Research Interests

Clinical confidence/competence in mental health nursing
Clinical experiences of undergraduate nurses
Grief and loss
Mental health
Mental health promotion
Migration and acculturation
Nurse education
Therapeutic relationship

Publications

Book chapter

Ikafa, I. (2021). Migrant Contributions to Australian Society. Migration Practice as Creative Practice: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Migration, 173.

Journals

Ikafa, I., & Perry, L. (2021). Resettlement experiences of African migrants in Australia and how they affect mental health. Mental Health Practice, 24(2).
Ikafa, I., & Hack-Polay, D. (2018). The role of faith and family in coping with stress among African migrants in Australia. Social Work and Social Sciences Review, 20(3), 88-107.
Ikafa, I. N., & Holmes, C. A. (2020). Empowering migrants during the resettlement process: applying Peplau’s theory of interpersonal relations. Mental Health Practice, 23(5).
Ikafa, I., Hack-Polay, D., Walker, J., & Mahmoud, A. B. (2020). African migrants and stress coping strategies in Australia: Implications for social work. International Social Work, 0020872820963435.

Conference

Ikafa, I. (2019). Resettlement Experiences of African Migrants in Australia: Mental Health Outcomes and Experiences. 42nd Annual Conference 26-27 November 2019 University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Ikafa, I. (2013). Peplau's interpersonal relationship theory in empowering and promoting the mental health of African migrants during their resettlement process (poster). International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 22.
Ikafa, I. (2013, October). The resettlement experiences of African migrants in Australia. In International Journal of Mental Health Nursing (Vol. 22, pp. 14-14).

Memberships

Australian College of Mental Health Nurses (ACMHN) (2005 – present)

Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association (2018 – present)

The African Studies Association of Australasia and the Pacific- AFSAAP (2017 – present)

External Profiles

Further Information

Scholarship and Research

Changing worlds: Resettlement of African migrants in Australia and an evaluation of current support services.

Examining the effect of mental health clinical experience on clinical confidence of undergraduate students.

Examining of length of stay for older persons in acute and sub-acute settings.

Awards

Nominated for the Vice Chancellor’s Excellence in Teaching Award, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia (2010).

Nominated for the Vice Chancellor’s Excellence in Teaching Award, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia (2009).

Best Nurse All Round Award, Lusaka School of Nursing, Zambia (1990).