Dr Michelle Newcomb
Faculty of Health,
School of Public Health & Social Work
Biography
Dr Michelle Newcomb is a social work lecturer at the School of Public Health and Social Work, QUT with extensive experience in her field. Over her 10 years as an academic Dr Newcomb has pursued research in using critical theory to inform social work education and practice, as well as striving to understand student disadvantage and its impact on learning and teaching. This experience is enhanced by practical knowledge, gathered throughout a 15 year experience of domestic and international practice in human service organisations. Dr Newcomb began her career as a youth homelessness worker in London back in 2000, where she was a founding member of a complex needs project developed for young homeless people. Over time, she became the project coordinator for the Greater London Domestic Violence project between 2003 and 2005. After moving to Australia in 2006 with Mission Australia, where she become the Roma House Service manager she went on to become a domestic violence counsellor with DV Connect in 2008. Her considerable practical work experience propelled Dr Newcomb to significant roles culminating as Community Development Officer and Homelessness and Social Housing Coordinator with the Brisbane City Council from 2011 to 2014. Following this strong practical career, Dr Newcomb entered academia as a field visitor, tutor and lecturer sparking an interest in social work education.
Personal details
Positions
- Lecturer
Faculty of Health,
School of Public Health & Social Work
Discipline
Public Health and Health Services
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (Queensland University of Technology)
Teaching
Lecturer, course convenor, tutor, guest lecturer and liaison visitor for Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Griffith University (GU) and Australian Catholic University (ACU). These roles have also included:
- Convening undergraduate and postgraduate social work courses, including a capstone course.
- The development of unit, lecture, tutorial and workshop material.
- Creating new student assessments.
- Marking and assessment of a range of student activities.
Unit Coordinator
2020 - QUT Understanding Families and Relationships - SWB110 People, Community and Disability - SWB306 Child, Youth and Family Practice (Masters) - SWN024 2019 - Griffith University Critical Reflective Practice (Logan, Gold Coast and Online campuses) - 4002 HSV Social Work II - Critical Social Work (Logan, Gold Coast and Online campuses) - 3038 HSV Independent students (Masters) Social Work Dissertation 2017 - QUT Child Protection and Family Practice - SWB304 Tutor
2010-2018 - QUT Practice Theories Communication and Engagement in Professional Contexts (Masters) Human Rights Advanced Communication for Social Work and Human Services Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Communities Casework and Case Management Practice Research Project (Masters) Australian Society, Systems and Policies Working in Human Service Organisations Understanding Families and Relationships Research Practices for Professional Practice Professional Practice Processes and Assessment Introduction to Social Work and Human Services Introduction to Youth Services Health Society and Culture International Health 2017 - ACU Justice and Change in a Global World
Experience
Current Research Projects Dr Newcomb is involved in numerous research projects. These include projects related to understanding identities in disadvantaged social work students and the use of critical theory to understand discourses of self-care in social work settings. Dr Newcomb's varied portfolio also leads her to be involved in research projects on the role of simulation in social work education and practitioners' conceptualizations of self care. Peer Review Invitations Dr Newcomb has been a peer reviewer on several journals, including the Journal of Public Spaces, Journal of Social Pedagogy, Practice, the Australian Social Work journal, Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work and the Journal of Social Inclusion. Teaching Awards, Affiliations and Training Programs 2016: Vice Chancellors Award for Teaching Excellence 2016: Awarded Associate Fellow, Higher Education Academy. 2015: Completion of the QUT Teaching Advantage and Sessional Career Academic Development Programs 2014-2015: Completion of QUT sessional academic workshops AD1-AD4.
Publications
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Michelle, explore their research on ePrints (our digital repository).