Associate Professor Jane O’Brien is a Registered Nurse and Exercise Physiologist whose work spans clinical practice, teaching, and health services research. With more than 15 years of experience across hospital and community settings, she has built a strong program of research focused on improving outcomes for older adults through evidence-based interventions, stakeholder engagement, and innovative models of care.
Her research has included clinical trials evaluating home-based progressive resistance exercise to improve wound healing, with successful translation into practice in both Victorian, Tasmanian and Queensland health settings. She has also undertaken large interdisciplinary projects designed to reduce hospital readmissions and improve care for older adults living with chronic disease. Her current research focuses on frailty, co-design, and health service improvement across acute, community, and transitional care contexts.
Associate Professor O’Brien is also an experienced nursing educator and program coordinator who is passionate about high-quality, evidence-based teaching. She designs authentic and immersive learning experiences that support students to integrate anatomy and physiology, clinical reasoning, and person-centred care in preparation for contemporary nursing practice in complex health settings.
Professional membership
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
Awards and fellowships
- Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Excellence for Teaching - School of Nursing NS42 Teaching and Learning Team
- Teaching Award for NUR245 Older Persons and Ageing was developed by the team to reflect the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety recommendations to ensure the development of a skilled and caring nursing workforce capable of transforming the aged care sector.
Identifiers
Research grants
| Grant / project name | Investigators | Funding body and AUD$ value | Year(s) | Focus of Research Grant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identify, Report and Respond to Acute Deterioration (IRRAD) intervention bundle for Aged Care Homes | MacAndrew, M. (QUT Principal Investigator), Parker, C. (Chief Investigator), Yates, P. (Chief Investigator), Schnitker, L. (Chief Investigator), Duff, J. (Chief Investigator), Carter, H. (Chief Investigator), Jack, L. (Chief Investigator), Spooner, A. (Chief Investigator), Beattie, E. (Chief Investigator), Grogan, C. (Chief Investigator), Liu, W. (Chief Investigator), Gavin, N. (Chief Investigator), Chambers, S. (Associate Investigator), O'Brien, J. (Associate Investigator), O'Connor, C. (Associate Investigator), Cain, V. (Associate Investigator), Teodorczuk, A. (Associate Investigator), van Rosendal, D.-A. (Associate Investigator) and Sawtell, B. (Associate Investigator) | MRFF – Dementia, Ageing and Aged Care Mission – 2024 Dementia, Ageing and Aged Care Grant Opportunity A$960,323.95 |
2026 | Acute deterioration |
| Identifying and Managing Frailty: Improving Care for Frail Older Patients Admitted to Hospital | Associate Professor Kate Kynoch, Dr Jane O'Brien A/Prof Christina Parker, and Dr Audra de Witt | Carla Patterson (QUT) A$12,650 |
2024 | Identifying and Managing Frailty |
| The relationship between frailty and wound healing in older adults, funded by Wounds Australia. | Associate Professor Christina Parker, Dr Jane O'Brien, Dr Kathleen Finlayson, Professor Andrew Jull, Professor Debbie Turner | Wounds Australia A$5,000 |
2024 | Frailty and wounds |
| Co-design to optimise access to wound care and health outcomes for priority populations | Associate Professor Christina Parker, Professor Jane Currie, Dr Jane O'Brien and Associate Professor Jo River | Centre for Healthcare Transformation Consumer Engagement Grant (QUT) A $15,000 |
2023 | Co-design to optimise access to wound care |
| WOUNDED - Improving WOUND outcomEs for people with Dementia | Associate Professor Christina Parker, Dr Ut Bui, Associate Professor Margaret MacAndrew, Dr Jane O'Brien and Dr Kathleen Finlayson | Rosemary Bryant Foundation A$49,111 |
2022 | Wound care and dementia |
| Caring for people with cognitive impairment – the silent unknown for people with wounds | Associate Professor Christina Parker, Associate Professor Margaret MacAndrew, Dr Kathleen Finlayson, Dr Ut Bui and Dr Jane O'Brien | Wounds Australia A$10,000 |
2021 | Wound care and dementia |
| Keeping older adults well at home; determining active components in a community wellness program | Dr Jane O'Brien; Ms DE McCann; Dr ML Bird; Dr HM Courtney-Pratt; Dr K Chui; Dr SM Andrews | University of Tasmania: Grant- Research Enhancement Program $7585 | 2019 | Reablement |
| Participation in New Horizon Club: baseline evaluation | Ms DE McCann and Dr Jane O’Brien | New Horizons Club: Contract Research A$5,000 |
2018 | Evaluation New Horizon Club |
| Improve Health Literacy Responsiveness; Improve Client Outcomes | Dr Marie-Louise Bird, Dr Shandell Elmer and Dr Jane O’Brien
|
Motor Accident Injury Board (MAIB) A$70,000 |
2017 | Health literacy |
| Improving physical activity, pain and function in patients waiting for hip and knee Arthroplasty by combining targeted exercise training with behaviour change counselling. | Dr Marie-Louise Bird, Associate Professor James Fell, Dr Andrew Williams and Dr Jonathan Mulford Dr Jane O’Brien | Clifford Craig Medical Trust A$51,966 |
2016 | Physical activity and prehabilitation and osteoarthritis |
| Wound Registry | Bindoff IK; Kinsman LD; Gee PR; Ling TR; Walsh K; Kornhaber RA; O'Brien J; Gibb Michelle; Scott Juliet, | Wound Management Innovation – CRC A$1,129,850 |
2016 | Wounds |
| The Benefits of a Self-Management Telephone Based Intervention for Promoting Exercise and Healing Rates for Venous Leg Ulcer Patients | Jane O’Brien, Professor Helen Edwards | Sigma Theta Tau International. A$4,944 |
2013 | Exercise and wound healing |
Research areas
- implementation science
- behaviour change
- exercise
- frailty
- wounds
- chronic disease self-management
- co-design
- randomised controlled trials
Teaching areas
- Research methods
- Health promotion
- Health assessment
- Care for the older person
- Leadership
Associate Professor Jane O'Brien's specialist areas of knowledge include implementation science, behaviour change, exercise, frailty, wounds, chronic disease self-management, co-design, randomised controlled trials