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.
Professional Memberships
- The Australian College of Nursing (MACN)
- Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA)
- Australian & New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators (ANZAHPE)
Professional Social Media
- ResearchGate
- Open Researcher Contributor ID (ORCID)
- Scopus ID: 15051475400
Research grants
| Grant/Project Name | Investigators | Funding Body | A$ value | Year/s | Focus (of Research Grant) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development, implementation and evaluation of a dedicated education unit across two aged care settings in the Sunshine Coast region | Barnes, M., Andersen, P., El Haddad, M., Oakley, M., Murray, D., Hirst, K., Collins, F. & Wallis, M. | Qld Clinical Education and Training Council | $24,514 | 2015 | |
| Developing and piloting a nursing and midwifery clinical skills learning framework to enhance student learning across industry and academic learning spaces | Henderson, A, Barnes, M., Rowe, J., El Haddad, M., McMillan, J., Hirst, K. & Slade, C. | CSALT, University of the Sunshine Coast | $9,659 | 2015 | Learning and Teaching Grant |
| Consumer- and Student-Led Co-Design for Interprofessional Education of Healthy Ageing in Regional/Asynchronous Contexts. | Tulloch, K., El Haddad, M., Dodd, N., Davies, S., Shakhovskoy, R., & Bogossian, F. | University of the Sunshine Coast | $10,000 | 2023 | Learning and Teaching Grant |
| Digital health workforce readiness. | Dermody, D., Wadsworth, D., El Haddad, M., Martin, A., Prichard, R., Benson, T. | University of the Sunshine Coast | $28,740 | 2023-2024 | Launch Grant |
| Evaluating the implementation of the SNMP moderation process in the nursing undergraduate programs. | Lin, F., Prichard, R., Peet, J., El Haddad, M., & Chen, L. | University of the Sunshine Coast | $3,195 | 2022-2023 | Learning and Teaching Grant |
Current Research Projects
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. University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia.
Summers, A., Clark, K-A., Prichard, R., El Haddad, M., Oprescu, F., & Lee, J. (2023-2024). Exploring nursing students’ use of Generative AI tools in assessment writing and engaging with course content. University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia.
Prichard, R., Lin, F., Peet, J., El Haddad, M., Chen, L., Veltmeyer, G. (2023). Evaluating the implementation of a moderation process in a large nursing undergraduate program. University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia.
Dermody, D., Wadsworth, D., Martin, A., El Haddad, M., Prichard, R., Benson, T. (2023-2024). Digital health workforce readiness. University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia.
Hanson, J., El Haddad, M., Hooper, S. (2023-2006). Evaluating speaking up about safety behaviors in professional practice settings following exposure to integrated patient safety learning in the UniSc nursing, midwifery and paramedic curriculum. University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia.
Early Research Projects
Moss, C., El Haddad, M., Cardwell, R. & Duncan, R. (2022-2024). Impacts of past relational encounters with leaders on nurse academics' leadership, team and teaching practices: A qualitative descriptive study. La Trobe University & the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia.
El Haddad, M., Moss, C., Thompson, L. & Faithfull-Byrne, A. (2018 - 2019). Impacts and outcomes from education and coaching interventions on clinical leadership of nurse unit managers/midwife unit managers: A multi-method study. Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service, Queensland, Australia.
El Haddad, M., Moss, C., Wilkinson, G., Faithfull-Byrne, A. & Thompson, L. (2017-2018). Building clinical leadership capacity and reducing administrative burden for nurse/midwife unit managers. Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service, Queensland, Australia.
Barnes, M., Andersen, P., El Haddad, M., Oakley, M., Murray, D., Hirst, K., Collins, F. & Wallis, M. (2015). Development, implementation, and evaluation of a dedicated education unit across two aged care settings in the Sunshine Coast region. Queensland Clinical Education and Training Council Grant, Australia.
Henderson, A., Barnes, M., Rowe, J., El Haddad, M., McMillan, J., Hirst, K. & Slade, C. (2015). Developing and piloting a nursing and midwifery clinical skills learning framework to enhance student learning across industry and academic learning spaces project. University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Research areas
- Health Professional Education & Workforce Development
- First-Year Experience (FYE) & Student Success
- Clinical Leadership & Workforce Sustainability
- Interprofessional Education & Collaborative Practice
- Consensus Moderation & Feedback Literacy
- Graduate Nurse Readiness & Transition to Practice
- Innovative Models for Clinical Placement & Supervision
- Generative AI in Higher Education & Healthcare
Teaching areas
- HLT103 Professional Health Communication
- NUR131 Research Foundations for Health Practice
- HLT701 Qualitative Research: Approaches and Practice
- NUR708 Learning and Teaching in the Practice Environment
- HLT703 Special Project: Evaluating Practice Knowledge
- HLT704 Special Project: Translating Knowledge into Practice
- El Haddad, M., Faithfull-Byrne, A., Thompson, L., Wilkinson, G. & Moss, C. (2022). Nurse unit managers’ work and impacts on clinical leadership: A cross-sectional study. Collegian, 29(5), 635-644. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2022.02.004
- Duff, B., El Haddad, M. & Gooche, R. (2020). Evaluation of nurses’ experiences of a post education program promoting recognition and response to patient deterioration: Phase 2, clinical coach support in practice. Nurse Education in Practice, 46, 102835, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2020.102835
- El Haddad, M., Wilkinson, G., Thompson, L., Faithfull-Byrne, A. & Moss, C. (2019). Perceptions of the impacts of introducing administrative support for nurse unit managers: A qualitative evaluation. Journal of Nursing Management, 27(8), 1700-1711. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jonm.12860
- El Haddad, M., Moxham, L. & Broadbent, M. (2017). Graduate nurse practice readiness: A conceptual understanding of an old age debate. Collegian, 24(4), 391-396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2016.08.004
- El Haddad, M., Moxham, L. & Broadbent, M. (2013). Graduate registered nurse practice readiness in the Australian context: An issue worthy of discussion. Collegian, 20(4), 233-238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2012.09.003
- El Haddad, M. (2006). Nursing in the United Arab Emirates: an historical background. International Nursing Review, 53, 284-289. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1466-7657.2006.00497.x
- Prichard, R., Peet, J., El Haddad, M., Chen, Y., Lin, F. (2025). Assessment moderation in higher education: Guiding practice with evidence-an integrative review. Nurse Education Today, 146, 1-11, 106512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2024.106512
- Summers, A., El Haddad, M., Prichard, R., Clarke, K-A., Lee, J., Oprescu, F. (2024). Navigating ethical challenges and opportunities: Nursing student’s views on generative AI in higher education. Nurse Education in Practice, 79, 104062. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2024.104062
- Craswell, A., Cockroft, G., & El Haddad, M. (2024). Partnering with clinicians supporting nursing students’ clinical placement at a regional hospital. Journal of Nursing Education, 63(9), 619-625. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20240524-01
- El Haddad, M., Cardwell, R., Duncan, R., & Moss, C. (2024). Discovering key factors that have influenced the motivations and practices of nursing academics. Australian Nursing & Midwifery Journal, January/March, 46. https://anmj.org.au/publications/
- Silsby, K. & El Haddad, M. (2024). Support for nurses transitioning from clinical to academic roles. Australian Nursing & Midwifery Journal, January/March, 55. https://anmj.org.au/publications/