ACN 2024 Trailblazer Finalist - Dr Nina Sivertsen MACN

Nina Sivertsen RN, BNg (Hons First Class), Grad Cert Ed (Higher Ed), PhD (Ng/Midwif), MACN
Dr Nina Sivertsen is an Indigenous Sámi woman from the Arctic living and working on Kaurna Lands in Australia. She holds a position as Senior Lecturer (Nursing), Flinders University, and Associate Professor, Arctic University of Norway. Her academic work encompasses curriculum design and implementation, with cultural responsiveness in the centre to positively engage students in learning about First Nations health.
In her research, she focuses on community and health systems research in partnership with First Peoples and contributes to restorative policy and practice, especially around women’s health in a socio-political context of assimilation and colonisation. She works in inter-Indigenous settings together with First Nations health professionals from around the world to improve health care and health outcomes for all First Nations people.
Nina’s work in the nexus of Indigenous women’s identities, culture, health, and education has led to international recognition as evidenced by her partnerships in Norway, Canada and Australia. She is the recipient of numerous awards; amongst them 2022 Reconciliation Award, 2021 Women in Innovation Award, the 2020 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Innovation in Teaching, as well as being a finalist of the 2021 AFR National Teaching Excellence Awards.
Dr Sivertsen works with research higher degree students to create new knowledge and build capacity enabling students to fulfil their potential as independent academics and researchers of the future.
MEDIA RELEASE STATEMENT
As an Arctic First Nations nurse, clinician, and researcher, Dr Sivertsen collaborates with First Nations health professionals globally to improve healthcare outcomes. Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues, she focuses on Indigenous family health, clinical care, and integrating Indigenous perspectives in higher education. She developed the Kumangka Tirkanthi - Learning Together as One, a nurse-led co-teaching model for nursing students to better understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander needs in mainstream health services. This ground-breaking Bachelor of Nursing (BN) subject, co-delivered by nursing academics and Aboriginal cultural navigators, enriches learning through lived experiences and critical analysis of colonisation, racism, and health policies. The model prepares nursing students, especially non-Indigenous, as burgeoning health professionals, to contribute competently to First Nations Peoples’ health needs and provide culturally safe care. Developed in partnership with the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, the Kumangka Tirkanthi model enhances capacity building and cross-cultural collaboration with Indigenous knowledge holders. Since 2018, over 4,000 students have engaged in this program, contributing to improved cross-cultural understanding and clinical practice of graduate nurses. Dr Sivertsen is committed to innovate and elevate the standards of nursing practice for the benefit of our community.