Alumni profile

Rural health ambassador Dr Amanda Kenny on regional connections

Alumnus Amanda Kenny’s story is a classic case of hard work meets opportunity. First-in-family to go to university, she was a nurse, midwife and a “single mum with four young children” before setting her sights on tertiary education. Four degrees later, Amanda landed her first academic job and commenced her PhD. Today she is the inaugural Violet Marshman Chair of Rural Health.

Based at La Trobe’s Bendigo campus, Amanda is an expert on models of rural health service delivery and workforce development, Director of Rural Northwest Health, editor of leading international academic journal Nurse Education Today, and co-editor-in-chief of the Australian Journal of Primary Health. There’s very little she hasn’t accomplished. She is determined and committed to her core, with a matching passion for regional universities and regional education.

In this conversation, Amanda shares her life story, her steadfast belief in all things regional, and her faith in education and good mentors.

How did you end up specialising in regional health?

I grew up in a small country town in Victoria’s western district and often spent my school holidays in Bendigo with my grandparents. My forebears have been here since the gold mining days and my grandfather worked at the ordnance factory. When I finished secondary school, I wanted to go to university to study law. My father said no. There was a strong sense that a woman should become either a nurse or a teacher. I was really upset and broached the subject with my grandfather. He was salt-of-the-earth working class and said, “I agree with your father. You should become a nurse because that’s what women do.” He took me to meet the Director of Nursing at Bendigo Hospital and I was accepted into the training program.

I enjoyed nursing, but always felt like there was something missing. Then I found myself as a single mum with four young children, working part-time and struggling to put food on the table. I realised I had two choices, either rely on government support or get myself out of poverty and do something. So I bought a second-hand Mac and enrolled in a Bachelor of Nursing. Suddenly something was turned on in my brain. I had intellectual stimulation, and I loved it. I completed my degree, followed by a Postgraduate Diploma in Midwifery, a master’s degree and then a PhD at La Trobe University on the health workforce in regional areas.

How did you land your first academic job?

I started off working as a laboratory technician. I was responsible for setting up the nursing laboratories and managing the simulation equipment. Then a Level B position came up, combining the technical role with some teaching. I got it, along with an offer from Emeritus Professor Stephen Duckett to work on a project evaluating emergency and outpatient services in rural hospitals.

It really snowballed from there. I became course coordinator, senior lecturer, associate professor and head of school. I was promoted to professor in 2014. The administrative responsibilities have been significant, but I have always maintained my commitment to research. New academics, particularly women, often get caught up with teaching and find they have no time for research. To be a great educator and a great motivator of students, I believe you need a great research profile as well.

Does inspiring students essentially mean you have to be inspired yourself?

Exactly. I have a thirst for knowledge and real excitement about working in academia, and I try to pass that on to students. Rural and regional health research has been a natural fit for me. We often become interested in issues we have experienced in our own lives. I have an understanding of farmer suicide, youth drug problems, and the life choices people sometimes make as a result of poverty and desperation. I’m incredibly privileged to have the opportunity to create change for people through my work.

How does it feel to be appointed the new Violet Marshman Chair of Rural Health?

It is an incredible honour. Violet Marshman was a nurse. She was passionate about rural health, with a particular focus on the vulnerable or disadvantaged. It’s humbling to be able to contribute to her vision, to be able to undertake transformative research in the rural and regional space that helps people in tangible ways.

You’ve had a very impressive career trajectory. What are your top career tips?

You can’t be successful on your own. Everything comes from making strong connections. As an educator, an academic and a researcher, I rely on relationship building. It creates opportunities, opens doors and allows us to contribute to this rich academic culture in meaningful ways.

You need people around you, you need great collaborators and great mentors. Emeritus Professor Stephen Duckett and Emeritus Professor Rhonda Nay have been great mentors for me and I have relied on their advice through every stage of my career. What I learned from them is that my core responsibilities as an academic are to develop strong community and professional connections, engage in quality teaching and supervision, bring in grant income and publish high quality papers. I try to convey that to women academics now. There is so much to do. We need to plan our careers and focus on what’s important.

Article author: Dr Giselle Roberts

Regional Health

Last updated: 14th May 2019