Who is Jessica?

I’m a practicing intensive care nurse and educator, who holds a PhD in Medicine from the University of Newcastle.

Alongside more than 17 years at the bedside, my work now spans health professions workforce development—including policy, education, and science communication. I genuinely love being a nurse. It brings richness and empathy to my life, and I consider it a privilege to care—skillfully and thoughtfully—for people in their most vulnerable moments.

So how did I get here?

A few years ago, somewhere between scrolling Instagram and raising babies, I noticed two things. First, there was a lot of health information online for parents and carers. Second, there were very few nurses contributing to those conversations in the media.

That curiosity set me on a path into science communication, research, and education.

These days, I work in health professions education as an academic leader, educator, and researcher. I teach topics like science communication, electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation, digital health, and more. I’m passionate about making education accessible—and in 2022, I developed my now well-known CRABS framework to help people quickly assess whether online information is credible (or not). For reasons I still find slightly amusing, it really took off… and I’ll probably always be known as the “CRABS Lady”!

I’ve won some awards and grants (read more about that here) and I’ve been published in the media, which you can find samples of here.

I’ve been fortunate to receive a number of awards and research grants, and my work has been featured across television, radio, print, and digital media.

Outside of work, you’ll usually find me spending time with my family, in the garden, pretending I’m a runner, or heading toward the nearest ocean. I live on Kombumerri Country, part of the Yugambeh language group (also known as the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia).

I’m really glad you’re here.

JSP

Am I a real expert?

Yup…I hold the following qualifications:

• Bachelor of Nursing

• Masters in Nursing (Advanced Practice)

• Graduate Certificate in Critical Care Nursing (Intensive Care)

• Graduate Certificate in Science Communication

• Doctorate of Philosophy (Medicine)

You can find a list of scientific publications that I’ve authored or contributed to here.

I’m a member of the following organisations:

• Australia and New Zealand Association for Health Professions Educators

• Australian College of Critical Care Nursing

• Australian Science Communicators

• Simulation Australasia