Photo of Associate Professor Elaine Dietsch Associate Professor Elaine Dietsch

RN, RM, DipSexHlthCoun, CertChildbirthEd, MN. PhD

I am the Midwifery Program Leader at Charles Sturt University. My midwifery and nursing clinical experience has been in rural maternity units and community health centres and as a midwifery consultant with Birth International. I have had the privilege of working as a midwife, early childhood nurse and in women's and sexual health in Australia, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo (each year I spend time with women and midwives in Africa in a short-term voluntary capacity). As midwifery academics in the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health, we believe it is essential to maintain our 'hands on' midwifery skills and commit to attending a minimum of 20 clinical days per year.

My clinical midwifery involves working primarily with the women and young Congolese girls who have survived sexual assault and torture in this beautiful but war-ravaged country. Many of these women and adolescent girls conceive when they are repeatedly raped by multiple rebels and militia men.  The babies, though loved and cherished by their mothers and the women in their communities are often referred to as the 'souvenirs of bad memories'. The women I work with each year have pleaded with me to tell their stories to people in Australia. For this reason, I am available to speak with individuals, the media and community groups who invite me to share about life in the Democratic Republic of Congo with them.

Our midwifery research team focuses on the needs of women living in rural and remote Australia.  Through research and midwifery education we unashamedly work towards helping to ensure all women have the choice of access to midwifery led services, independent of their post code! 

Having completed all of my post-registration qualifications by Distance Education, I am well aware of the perils, pitfalls and pleasures of this mode of study. This probably explains the reason why I so much enjoy working with undergraduate and postgraduate students engaged in distance education.

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Teaching Interests

  • Midwifery
  • Women's Health
  • Sexual Health
  • Community Development

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Research

Research Interests
  • Midwifery
  • Women's Health
  • Sexual Health
  • Qualitative Research Methods - especially phenomenology and critical methodologies
  • Key Researcher with the Centre for Inland Health
Current Research Projects
  • School based health service : an International comparative study. Professor Denise Seigart, USA, Dr Elaine Dietsch, Australia, Professors M. Parent and L. Armistead, Canada.
  • Stories from older people and their relatives/carers when accessing aged care services outside their rural and remote community - Dr Elaine Dietsch, Dr Maree Bernoth & Carmel Davies.
  • Heading the CSU Midwifery Research team in their Nurses and Midwives Board Funded Project, "Women's Experiences of Birthing Away from their Rural and Remote NSW Communities"
  • Collabrative project with Dr Luc Mulimbalimba-Masururu, "The Experience of being a traditional midwife (TM) and the impact of AusAID funded resources on TM practice".
Recently completed Research Projects:
Current higher degree research student supervision projects related to
  • Experiences of couples who have a lethal fetal anomaly diagnosed in pregnancy
  • Obstetric Ultrasound
  • The meaning of parenting in vulnerable families
  • Sub-Saharan African women's experiences of maternity services in Australia
  • Prevention of falls in Nicaraguan communities

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Professional Activities

Professional Memberships
  • Editorial Board Member – Australian College of Midwives, NSW Midwives Branch Journal “Midwifery Matters” – State
  • Australian College of Midwives, Scientific Research Advisory Committee – National
  • Midwifery Accreditation Committee - Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council – National
  • Assessment Committee – Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council – National
  • Midwifery Advisory Committee – Australian and New Zealand Council of Deans of Nurses and Midwives – National
  • Member - Birthing Kits Foundation, Australia - International
  • Research Advisory Network – International Confederation of Midwives - International
  • Research Standing Committee (Australian Representative) – International Confederation of Midwives - International
  • Mission in Health Care and Development, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo - International
  • National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU)
Professional Referee for the following scholarly journals:
  • Australian Journal of Rural Health
  • Electronic Journal of Rural and Remote Health
  • Midwifery
  • Biomed Central
Representation on local, state, national and international committees
  • Continuing -2011
    International Confederation of Midwives (peak international midwifery body), The Research Standing Committee (RSC). The RSC consists of approximately eight senior, experienced midwifery researchers from five continents.
  • Continuing - 2011
    University of Technology, Sydney. Midwifery Academic Advisory Committee member.
  • Continuing - 2010
    Australian Council of Deans, Nursing and Midwifery: Midwifery Advisory Group
  • Continuing - 2010
    Australian College of Midwives, Scientific Review and Advisory Committee
  • Continuing - 2010
    Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council, Assessor with the ANMC Accrediting Body (Midwifery Courses)
  • Continuing - 2010
    International Confederation of Midwives, Research Advisory Network
Awards and Scholarships
  • 2010 - Faculty of Science Dean's Award for Professional Excellence
  • 2010 - CSU Vice Chancellor's Award for Professional Excellence
  • 2009 - Visiting scholar to Manfield University, Pennsylvania;. SImon Frazer University, Vancouver; University of British Columbia, Vancouver and University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George.
  • 2009 - Research Fellowship with the Centre for Inland Health. International research collaboration in Africa and with the UBC Rural and Remote Health Research Network (Vancouver, Canada).
  • 2007 - Nurses and Midwives Board of NSW - Category 5 Research Scholarship. Women's Experiences of Birthing Away from their Rural and Remote NSW Communities.
  • 2000 - 2004 - 2000 Mitchellsearch Grant - Awarded for 'academic scholarship, motivation, and evidence of leadership qualities in university life and the community and the nature and purpose of the research project' (PhD candidate)Charles Sturt University Bathurst
  • 1997 -Clinical Nurse Consultancy service identified as a model of best practice in the NSW Health (1997) Evaluation of the NSW National Women's Health Program
  • 1994 - Women's health nursing practice recognised as an example of best clinical practice written up as Influencing the mainstream in the National Women's Health Program document, The Power to change, pp. 18 - 19.
  • 1994 - Derek Richardson Memorial Prize - for outstanding work in the Diploma of Sexual Health Counselling.Australasian College of Venereologists and ASSERT (Australian Society for Sex Educators, Researchers and Therapists).
  • 1990 - New South Wales Nurses Registration Board International Conference Scholarship
    Nurses Registration Board of NSWHaymarket Sydney 2000

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Publications

Submissions
Competitive Funding secured for research / projects
  • 2010. A Comparison of School-Based Health Care: International Case Studies - Dr Denise Seigart, Dr Elaine Dietsch, Professors M. Parent and L. Armistead.
  • 2010. Bernoth, M., Dietsch, E & Davies, C. Stories from older people and their relatives/carers when accessing aged care services outside their rural and remote community.
  • 2009. CSU competitive grant. The experience of being a traditional midwife and the impact of birthing resources on their practice. $12,600
  • 2006. (for 2007 project) Dietsch, E; Davies, C; Shackleton, P; McLeod, M; Forde, S & Alston, M 2006-2007, Women's Experiences of birthing away form their rural / remote NSW community. $26, 604 secured from the Nurses and Midwives Board of NSW
  • 2005. Francis, F; Chapman, Y; Sellick, K; McIntyre, M; McKenna, L; Dietsch, E & Shackleton, P 2005, The experience of intellectually disabled rural women during pregnancy and childbirth ($8975 Apex Research Grant)
  • 2004. CSU Writing-Up Grant to enable publication of papers from PhD thesis ($4000)
  • 1998 - 2000. Dietsch, E. The 'lived experience' of women having a cervical screening detected abnormality: a phenomenological study. $10,000 Research grant for project from the National Women's Health Program.
  • 1997-1998. Dietsch, E. (Coordinator for the GMAHS Women's Health Team) Development of Koori Women's Health Promotion materials. $10,000 grant for project from the National Women's Health Program.
Book Chapter
  • Alston, M & Dietsch, E 2008, 'Collaborative Healthcare practice within the rural context', in Healthcare Practice and Policy in Australia, S. Taylor, M. Foster & J. Fleming (eds), Oxford University Press, Sydney PP. 185 - 201.
  • Dietsch, E 1992,Sexual and reproductive health services for women in a rural nursing practice: working for great beginnings. In Smith, A. (ed). Women's Health in Australia. University of New England: Armidale, pp. 35 - 49.
Conference Papers
  • Dietsch, E. & Mulimbalimba, L. (2011). The passage to motherhood begins with a long walk. Passage to Motherhood, CAPERS Conference, Brisbane, May 2011
  • Rolfe, J., Croker, A., Buckley, A., Dickinson, J. & Dietsch, E. (2011). Multiple perspectives on a unifying experience: Midwifery continuity of care. Passage to Motherhood, CAPERS Conference, Brisbane, May 2011
  • Dietsch, E., McLeod, M., Davies, C., Shackleton, P. & Alston, M. (2010). Psycho-social implications for women birthing away from their NSW rural and remote communities. Royal College of Nursing Australia, Community and Primary Health care Nursing Conference. Nursing innovation and leadership in Primary health Care: Directions for the future. Alice Springs, November 2010.
  • Seigart, D., Page, A. & Dietsch, E. 2010. 'Caring for children with special needs in schools: International Case Comparison. Research for Health in our Global Community, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada. 7.6.10
  • Keynote speaker: Shackleton, P., Dietsch, E., Davies, C., Alston, M. & McLeod, M. 2010. 'I wouldn't build a shed if I wasn't going to use it': Contemporary birthing experiences of women living in rural areas. Nepean Midwives 19th Annual Conference, Sydney, 26.2.10
  • Shackleton, P & Dietsch, E. 2009. 'Midwifery Partnerships: It takes two to Tango! National AUCEA (Australian Universities Community Engagement Alliance) Conference: Strategic Directions in Regional Engagement. Business, Industry and Community Partnerships. Whyalla, July 2009.
  • Dietsch, E., Shackleton, P., Davies, C., Alston, M. & McLeod, M. 2009. 'I wouldn't build a shed if I wasn't going to use it': Women in rural and remote NSW share their experiences of being forced to travel to larger centres to birth'. Australian Association of Neonatal Nurses 22nd State Conference, Wagga Wagga, June 2009.
  • Caldwell, J., Dietsch, E. & Mackey, S. 2008. 'Recognising Parenting Strengths in vulnerable families: A Critical Ethnomethodological Study', International Conference: Reaching Out to Vulnerable Families, Queen Elizabeth Centre, Melbourne, November 2008.
  • Dietsch, E., Davies, C., Shackleton, P., Alston, M. & McLeod, M. 2008, Women in Rural and Remote NSW call for a stop to maternity unit closures'. 14th National Australian Rural Nurses and Midwives Conference, Adelaide, November 2008.
  • Dietsch, E 2008, 'Torture, Courage and Hope', Midwives Conference Sydney, March 2008
  • Dietsch, E 2008, 'Torture, Courage and Hope', Midwives Conference Sydney, 7.3.08
  • Dietsch, E 2007, ' Midwifery issues in the Democratic Republic of Congo', Australian Nurses Teachers Society Conference, Wagga Wagga, 1.9.07
  • Caldwell, J, Dietsch, E & Mackey, S 2007, 'Promoting Effective Partnerships to achieve better outcomes; Children, Families and their community, 1st Sigma Theta Tau Honour Society of Nursing International Conference, Singapore, July 2007.
  • De-Vitry Smith, S & Dietsch, E 2006, 'The Rise of the Tentative Pregnancy', International Congress on Women's Health Issues, Sydney, November 2006.
  • Dietsch, E 2006, 'No longer silenced' Mentoring for Women Conference, CSO, Wagga Wagga, 2.11.06
  • Dietsch, E. 'Service-based Research'. Accepted and presented Qualitative Research In Practice Conference, Albury, September 2005.
  • Dietsch, E. 'Midwives working with women who have survived sexual assault'. Accepted, presented and published, International Confederation of Midwives Conference, Brisbane, July 2005.
  • Dietsch, E. , Gibb, H., Francis, K. Past Traumas Reawakened by Abnormal Pap Test Results (Keynote speaker)
    Refresh: Sexual Health and Women's Health Nurse Associations Sixth National Conference., Sydney, October 2003.
  • Dietsch, E. , Gibb, H., Francis, K. Shared Stories of private trauma. 12th International Violence Against Women Conference., Adelaide, June 2003.
  • Dietsch, E., Gibb, H., Francis, K. Women's Health Nurses Reducing the Nocebo Effect. Rural Women's Health Nurses Conference, Dubbo, September 2002.
  • Dietsch, E., Gibb, H., Francis, K. The Nocebo Effect. Reproductive Sciences Conference, Braver New World, Sydney, March 2002.
  • Dietsch, E., Gibb, H., Francis, K. Reducing the Rurality Risk. Annual National Women's and Sexual Nurses Conference, Canberra, November 2001.
  • Dietsch, E. Breastfeeding, what's in it for mums? Australian Breastfeeding Association NSW & ACT Conference, Wagga Wagga, October 2001.
  • Dietsch, E., Gibb, H., Francis, K. The rural and remote nurses role in reducing the 'rurality risk' for women. 9th Annual Conference of the Association for Australian Rural Nurses National Conference, Canberra, March 2001.
  • Dietsch, E. Midwifery Symposium. 9th Annual Conference of the Association for Australian Rural Nurses National Conference, Canberra, March 2001.
  • Dietsch, E. Our Sexuality doesn't have a 'use-by' date! Annual National Conference for Women's and Sexual Health Nurses, Sydney, 1999
  • Dietsch, E. Sexuality and Ageing. 7th Australian Rural and Remote Nurses National Conference, Adelaide, March 1999.
  • Dietsch, E. Opening Address and paper, Sexuality. GMAHS Women's Health Forum, Culcairn, 1998.
  • Dietsch, E. Sexual Perceptions of an older woman. Annual National Conference for Women's and Sexual Health Nurses, Sydney, 1996
  • Dietsch, E. Keynote presentation: Primary sexual health care for and by women! 3rd National Rural Health Conference, Mount Beauty, 1995
  • Dietsch, E. Keynote speaker: Our sexuality, it's precious! National Conference - Women on the Land Gathering, Yanco, 1995
  • Dietsch, E. To HRT or not to HRT! Australian Women's Health Nurse Practitioner Conference, Sydney, 1992
  • Sebastian, E., Heywood, A., Dietsch, E. A day in the life of a rural Australian Women's Health Nurse Practitioner. Photographic Display International Women's Health Conference, Denmark, 1992
  • Dietsch, E. Primary Health Care for women: development and diversity. National Primary Health Care Conference, Sydney, 1991
  • Dietsch, E. Primary Health Care for women and by women. Health for all by the Year 2000: International Primary Health Care Conference, Rockhampton, 1990
Seminars, media presentations and workshops presented

Multiple radio, television and newspaper interviews / articles, public lectures, professional seminars and community speaking engagements relating to continuing research and Faculty Practice in Africa.

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