Professor Jeanine Young is a Registered Nurse, Registered Midwife and Neonatal Nurse. She is the Deputy Head of School (Research) for the School of Health. She has worked in Australia and the United Kingdom in neonatal intensive care, paediatrics and community child health. Jeanine has a special interest in infant care practices; in particular breastfeeding and parent-infant bed-sharing, which formed the basis of her doctoral studies.
Jeanine has established a research program to investigate Queensland’s infant mortality rate, with a focus on evidence-based strategies and educational resources to assist health professionals in delivering Safe Sleeping messages to families with young infants and to reduce Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infant mortality. In collaboration with Change for our Children New Zealand, Jeanine is the Australian lead for the Pēpi-Pod Program available in metropolitan, rural and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The Pēpi-Pod Program comprises a portable sleep space combined with safe sleep education as a culturally appropriate strategy to promote safe infant sleeping and breastfeeding in the context of shared sleeping.
Jeanine has also initiated the Enabling Safe and Close Care in Postnatal Environments (ESCCaPE), the first Australian trial of a sleep enabler suitable for postnatal units to support breastfeeding and promote safer infant sleep environments in hospital.
Jeanine works in partnership with government, industry, safety and regulatory bodies, and communities in translating evidence into practical advice for parents. Her efforts in reducing infant mortality through supporting the role of health professionals and health promotion within communities have received state, national and international recognition.
Professional Memberships
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Australian College of Nurses (Fellow) |
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Australian College of Midwives |
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International Society for the Study and Prevention of Perinatal and Infant Death |
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Australian College of Children and Young People’s Nurses |
| Advisory committees |
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Red Nose National Scientific Advisory Group (Chair 2008-2014) |
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Australian College of Midwives Scientific Review and Advisory Committee (Chair 2012-2014) |
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Queensland Paediatric Quality Council and Infant Mortality Subcommittee |
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Ministerial Appointment to the Queensland Child Death Review Board |
Awards
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2020, Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to tertiary education, to medical research and to nursing |
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2019, Finalist, Australian College of Nursing Trailblazer Award (1 of 4 national finalists) |
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2014, Winner, Hesta Australian Nursing Awards - Team Innovation Category, Sydney |
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2014, National Lead Clinician’s Group Award - Indigenous Health Category, Melbourne |
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2011, Australia Davy Achievement Award, Service to Queensland Health and Community, Brisbane |
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2010, ISPID Health Educator 2010, International Society for the Study and Prevention of Perinatal and Infant Death, Sydney |
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2010, Finalist, 2010 Leadership in Nursing and Midwifery Awards, Melbourne. |
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2009, Red Nose Day Award, Contributions to Safe Sleeping Education by a Health Professional, SIDS and Kids, Australia |
Research Grants
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Project name |
Investigators |
Funding body (A$) |
Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Mini-ESCCaPE Trial: Enabling safe and close care in postnatal environments | Young J, Kearney L, Rutherford C, George K, Hoey J, McRae S, Debaecker J. | Calvary Special Maternity Special Purposes Account. $8,000 | 2019-2021 |
| Utility of the Pēpi-Pod® Program as a strategy to reduce infant mortality in Queensland | McEniery J, Young J, Cruice D. | Healthcare Improvement Unit, Clinical Excellence Division, Queensland Health. $81,500 | 2019-2020 |
| Using big data to create measures of social vulnerability | Thompson J, Young J, Shipstone R. | University of Auckland School of Medicine $9,763 | 2018-2019 |
| Implementation of the Pēpi-Pod® Program for young Indigenous mothers in Queensland | Young J, Watson K, Cowan S | Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability. A$113,000 | 2017-2018 |
| Neonatal safe sleep enablers within maternity units: a pilot study | Kearney L, Young J, Rutherford C. | Wishlist Research Foundation. A$19,993 | 2017-2018 |
| Pēpi-Pod Program implementation in Rural Communities. Investigator | Young J. | Rural Doctors Association of Queensland Foundation. A$18,000 | 2016-2017 |
| Queensland I-CARE study: awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards infant care and safe sleeping practices in Queensland | Cole R, Young J. | Roberta Taylor Rural and Remote Scholarship. A$4000. | 2017 |
| DeLorean High School Student Support Project” Awareness of safe sleeping in the community | Shipstone R, Young J. | DeLorean High School Student Support Project. A$1000 | 2017 |
| Awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards infant care and safe sleeping practices in Queensland families: A prevalence study. | Cole R, Young J, Kearney L. | Wishlist Research Higher Degree Scholarship Application. A$65,735 | 2016-2018 |
| A safe sleep health promotion strategy amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and health care providers: IHW perspectives. | Watson K, Young J. | Roberta Taylor Rural and Remote Scholarship. A$4000. | 2016 |
| Identifying the risk: a prospective cohort study examining postpartum haemorrhage in a regional Australian health service. | Kearney L, Davenport L, Schafer K, Reed R, Young J. | Wishlist Early Career Researcher, $19,998 | 2015 |
| Nurse led weaning of high flow nasal cannula oxygen in children <12 months with bronchiolitis. | Ms Michelle Elks (Paediatric nurse Educator SCH&HS). Co-Investigators: Prof J Young, Dr L Kearney, Assoc Prof Andreas Schibler. | Sunshine Coast Hospital & Health Service Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Scholarships. A$25,000. | 2015 |
| An evaluation of a safe sleep health promotion strategy amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and health care providers. | Watson K, Young J (Supervisor). | ACCYPN Margaret Sullivan Research Scholarship. A$2500. Submitted August 2015 | 2015-2016 |
| Paediatric pain management: An action research cycle to improve practice. | Couch B, Supervisors: Kearney J, Young J, Camadoo L. | Wishlist Sunshine Coast Health Foundation Novice Researcher Grant. A$10,000 | 2015 |
| Reducing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infant mortality: the acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of portable sleep space for babies. | Young J, Craigie L, Watson K, Cowan S. | SIDS and Kids. A$50,088 | 2014-2016 |
| Reducing risk for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies: trial of a safe sleep enabler to reduce the risk of sudden unexpected deaths in infancy in high risk environments in remote communities. | Young J, Craigie L, Kearney L, Watson K, Cowan S. | Perpetual Philanthropy. A$143,560.00 | 2014-2015 |
| Reducing risk for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies: trial of a safe sleep enabler to reduce the risk of sudden unexpected deaths in infancy in high risk environments in remote communities. | Young J, Craigie L. | Infront Outback Research Grants for Rural and Remote Health. A$10,000. | 2013-2014 |
| Reducing risk for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies: trial of a safe sleep enabler to reduce the risk of sudden unexpected deaths in infancy in high risk environments. | Young J, Craigie L, Kearney L, Cowan S, participating service teams: Ngarrama Antenatal and Birthing Project, Woorabinda, Townsville-Mackay Medicare Local, Logan Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service, Apunipima Cape York Health Council | Closing the Gap: National Partnership Agreement on Indigenous Early Childhood Development 2013-2014. A$314,980 | 2013-2014 |
| The SAVE Trial: Securing All intraVenous devices Effectively in hospitals. A randomised controlled trial. | Rickard C, Fraser J, Webster J, Marshall A, Young J, Playford G, McMillan D, McGrail M, Gowardman J, Thom O. | National Health and Medical Research Council. A$944,798.21 | 2013-2016 |
| Health Promotion Initiative for Raising Awareness of ways to reduce the risk of sudden infant death in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities: capacity building and partnership in safe infant sleeping health promotion. | Young J, Craigie L, Watson K, Raven L. | Indigenous Early Childhood Development Commonwealth Grants. A$140,000 | 2012-2013 |
Research areas
- Infant care practices
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander safe sleeping health promotion
- Social vulnerability and infant care
- Paediatrics and child health
- Acute care: intravascular access management
- Midwifery: maternal health, neonatal care, stillbirth, post-partum haemorrhage, placental transfusion and clamping practices
Teaching areas
- Neonatal, paediatric, maternal and child health care
- Infant care and infant mortality: breastfeeding, safe sleeping
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
- Postgraduate Research Methods
Jeanine has over 95 publications in the peer reviewed literature and the principal program developer for two eLearning programs available nationally to support safe infant sleeping endorsed by Red Nose and the Australian College of Midwives. Jeanine is a reviewer for national and international health research funding bodies and peer reviewed journals, and holds an honorary appointment with the University of Queensland's Centre for On-line Health, and visiting fellow positions with Children’s Health Queensland HHS and the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service. Professor Young is committed to the advancement of the nursing and midwifery professions through evidence-based practice, public health advocacy and primary prevention.