Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy, Federation University (currently undertaking) 
• Master of Nursing, Monash University 
• Bachelor of Nursing, Australian Catholic University 
• Bachelor of Nursing (Honours), Federation University 
• Graduate Certificate in Diabetes Education and Management, Mayfield Education  
• Graduate Certificate in Education (Tertiary Education), Federation University 
• Certificate IV Workplace Training and Assessment, Chisholm Institute 

Areas of interest

• Leadership 
• Mentoring 
• Transition to practice 
• Clinical practice 
• Workplace civility  
• Chronic disease 
• Governance 
• Cultural safety 
• Interprofessional practice and education 

Areas of expertise

Amy’s expertise spans nursing leadership, mentorship, transition to practice, chronic disease management and health professional education. Her research focuses on strengthening nursing leadership, supporting workforce development and preparing nurses for contemporary practice through interprofessional learning and career transition support. She also has expertise in mentoring, workplace civility, diabetes education and nursing workforce research, and is currently undertaking doctoral research exploring effective leadership in acute care nursing. 

Grants

• 2024: Interprofessional Education Research Project, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor’s Society- Psi Zeta at-Large chapter ($1000) 

Awards

• 2026: Australian College of Nursing fellowship in recognition of contribution to the ACN and the nursing profession 
• 2025: Associate Dean Learning and Teaching Commendation, Federation University Australia, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, NURBN3031 Teaching, Learning and Situational Leadership 
• 2025: Head of Discipline Nursing, Appreciation Award: Enrolled Nurse Transition Project, Federation University Australia, Institute of Health and Wellbeing. 
• 2024: Australian College of Nursing inaugural Bullwinkel scholar, 
• completion of the ACN Nurse Director Leadership program          
• 2024: Executive Dean’s Letter of Commendation for Student Evaluation of Learning and Teaching (SELT) for NURBN2028 Transition to Bachelor of Nursing Studies 
• 2020: Australasian Diabetes Congress, Best Novice Oral Presenter Award 
• 2018: Australian Diabetes Educators Association, Victorian Diabetes Educator of the year 

Current

• Honours student, Federation University, 'Physiotherapy Clinical Supervisors understanding of Cultural Safety assessment in students on placement', co-supervisor.
• Honours student, Federation University, 'Physiotherapy academic educators understanding and implementation of cultural safety teaching and assessment within pre‑clinical units in higher education', co-supervisor.

• Nursing 
• Leadership in healthcare 
• Transition to nursing practice 
• Chronic disease  
• Interprofessional education 

Specialist roles

• Australian College of Nursing Leadership Faculty: Leadership Support (secretariat) 2024–2026, Deputy Chair 2026-present 
• Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing: Federation University Australia Counsellor, 2026–present 
• Australian Diabetes Educators Association: Course Accreditation and Standards of Practice Committee, member 2018–2023, Chair 2023–2024
• Australian Diabetes Educators Association: Lead re-development of Mentoring program for diabetes educators nationally, 2024–2025 
• Federation University Institute of Health and Wellbeing: Interprofessional Education committee, 2022–2025, Lead 2025 
• Federation University Australia Institute of Health and Wellbeing: Enrolled Nurse Transition Coordinator, 2024–2026 

Professional association memberships

• Fellow of the Australian College of Nursing 
• Member of the Australian Diabetes Educators’ Association, as a Credentialled Diabetes Educator 
• Member of the Australian Nursing Federation 
• Member of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators 
• Member of Psi-Zeta Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor’s Society  

Publications

• Cowan, A. (2025). Nurse director leadership program: One nurse’s experience as an inaugural Bullwinkel scholar. Australian College of Nursing The Hive, #49, Autumn 2025. 
• Cowan, A. (2024). Novel Thoughts, a book review of Sister Viv by Grantlee Kieza. Australian College of Nursing The Hive, #48, Summer 2024/25. 
• Clark-Burg, K., Graf, A., Cowan, A., Martin, A., Ricciardi, J., & Hay, B. (2025, March 17). Strength in differences: Embracing neurodiversity in nursing. NurseClick. https://www.acn.edu.au/nurseclick/strength-in-differences-embracing-neurodiversity-in-nursing   
• Clark-Burg, K., Graf, A., Cowan, A., Martin, A., Ricciardi, J., & Hay, B. (2025). It starts with me! Australian College of Nursing (ACN) Leadership Faculty toolkit. [Website]. https://share.articulate.com/Lo0kL56PzATSAePmxREZ5#/ 

Conference presentations

• Clark-Burg, K., Graf, A., Cowan, A., Martin, A., Ricciardi, J., & Hay, B. (2025, July 23-25). Launch of ACN Leadership Faculty Leadership: The Ultimate Toolkit and Panel Discussion. National Nursing Forum (NNF), Australian College of Nursing (ACN), Canberra, ACT, July 2025. 
• Cowan, A., Nash, D., Wellins, D., Kaur, S. & Marshall, P. (2025). Enhancing Mentorship in Diabetes Education (Workshop). Australian Diabetes Congress, Gold Coast, August 2025. 
• Cowan, A., Hood, K., Mee, J., Dabkowski, E., & Garvey, L. Authentic Interprofessional Education for Undergraduate Health Students Using VR180 Technology- Council of Deans Nursing and Midwifery Symposium, Christchurch, NZ, October 2025.
• Cowan, A., Porter, J. & James, A. (2020). The perceptions and impact of a health professional mentoring program for multidisciplinary diabetes educators in Australia: A quantitative study, Australian Diabetes Educators Association Victorian Branch Conference, Melbourne, June 2020. 
• Cowan, A., Porter, J. & James, A. (2020). The perceptions and impact of a health professional mentoring program for multidisciplinary diabetes educators in Australia: A quantitative study, Australasian Diabetes Congress, online, October 2020.
• Invited Master of Ceremonies for the Australian Diabetes Educators Association Victorian Branch conference, 2018.

Poster presentations

• Cowan, A.L., Porter, J. E., & Abdelkader, A. (2025). Registered nurses' perceptions of factors contributing to effective leadership in acute care settings- Federation University Australia, HDR Conference, Ballarat, July 2026. 
• Cowan, A. (2025). Enhancing Support for Enrolled Nurses Transitioning to Bachelor of Nursing Studies- Council of Deans Nursing and Midwifery Symposium, Christchurch, NZ, October 2025. 
• Cowan, A., Mee, J., Hood, K., & Garvey, L. (2025). Enhancing undergraduate nursing students’ interprofessional self-efficacy in chronic disease management- Council of Deans Nursing and Midwifery Symposium, Christchurch, NZ, October, 2025.
• Hood, K., Mee, J., Dabkowski, E., Cowan, A., & Garvey, L. (2025). Authentic interprofessional education for undergraduate health students using VR180 technology. Victorian Translational SIMposium, Victorian Simulation Alliance, Melbourne October 2025.