Dr Shelley Davidow is a core member of the Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre (ITRC) and a Senior Lecturer in Writing, Editing and Publishing at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC). An award-winning author and academic, she brings an international background in education, trauma-informed practice, and narrative research. Her interdisciplinary work centres on the transformative power of storytelling particularly its ability to build connection, support healing, and empower individuals and communities across cultures.

Research Focus

Dr Davidow’s research spans creative writing, trauma-informed pedagogies, and intercultural communication. She is particularly known for:

• Narrative-based wellbeing practices, including writing as a tool for emotional regulation, relational repair and resilience.
• Cross-cultural storytelling, with an emphasis on identity, belonging and intercultural understanding.
• Creative-writing pedagogy, supporting emerging writers and developing inclusive, strengths-based teaching frameworks.
• Collaborative life writing, including co-authored or co-created stories that centre lived experience and culturally grounded perspectives.

Her research is informed by her professional experience as a writer of more than fifty books across genres, as well as her work facilitating writing programs in schools, communities and tertiary settings.

Key Research Impact

Dr Davidow’s impact lies in how she mobilises storytelling as a healing modality and as a foundation for intercultural understanding. Her work demonstrates how narrative practices can help process grief, trauma, and complex emotional landscapes, contributing to wellbeing in educational and community contexts.

Her research and applied projects also strengthen culturally responsive writing pedagogies, supporting learners from diverse backgrounds to articulate identity, lived experience and social context through story.

Translation to Practice and Policy

Dr Davidow’s work supports real-world change in several areas:

• Trauma-informed education - equipping teachers and practitioners with narrative-based tools to support emotional wellbeing in young people.
• Intercultural capability building - using collaborative writing to foster understanding and dialogue between culturally diverse groups.
• Professional development for educators and creative practitioners, helping embed restorative, relationship-focused approaches into teaching and community work.
• Creative literary engagement - contributing to public discourse through festivals, workshops and community storytelling projects.

Her work is widely used in teacher education, counselling contexts and community programs focused on wellbeing, reconciliatory dialogue and the amplification of lived experience.

Recognition and Significance

Dr Davidow’s standing as a writer, researcher and educator is reflected in her international publishing record, invitations to literary festivals and workshops, and leadership in trauma-informed creative practices.

Her contributions advance UniSC’s and the ITRC’s missions by:

• strengthening intercultural understanding,
• supporting community wellbeing, and
• promoting inclusive, transformative storytelling practices that give voice to diverse experiences.

Her work exemplifies the ITRC’s commitment to social impact, cultural respect and research that meaningfully supports communities.