CQUniversity's growing reputation for leadership in mental health nursing has been acknowledged during this month's Australian College of Mental Health Nursing conference in Hobart.

Professor Brenda Happell and Associate Professor Lorna Moxham were elected to the national organisation's Board of Directors and Dr Moxham was both Chair of the Scientific Committee and Awards Coordinator for the event.

Louise Byrne, Professor Brenda Happell and Dr Kerry Reid-Searl discuss the recent mental health nursing conference

Speaking as the ACMHN Acting Vice-President, Professor Happell commented on positive feedback about Dr Kerry Reid-Searl's keynote address on Teaching Therapeutic Communication in a First-Year Undergraduate Nursing Course: Innovation in Action.

Feedback included special mention by Australian of the Year Professor Patrick McGorry AO, who said he was "thoroughly impressed and inspired ... the originality and talent that (Kerry) displayed was unique and has massive potential in the training and engagement of health professionals".

Professor Happell said PhD researcher and academic Louise Byrne's keynote address on Meaningful Contribution for Effective Collaboration also generated enthusiastic responses.

"Papers and posters were presented by Marc Broadbent from Noosa Campus as well as Lorna and myself, with Dr Trudy Dwyer as a co-author," Professor Happell said.

Conference contributors (from top) Brenda Happell, Kerry Reid-Searl, Marc Broadbent, Louise Byrne, Lorna Moxham and Trudy Dwyer

* Recruiting participants - lessons learnt and the reality of ethnographic research Marc Broadbent, Associate Professor Lorna Moxham, Dr Trudy Dwyer;

Teamwork and triage - understanding perspectives and improving collegiality Marc Broadbent, Associate Professor Lorna Moxham, Dr Trudy Dwyer;

Ethics unplugged:  successfully completing the NEAF Associate Professor Lorna Moxham & Marc Broadbent;

Emergency Mental Health Triage in the ED Marc Broadbent, Associate Professor Lorna Moxham, Dr Trudy Dwyer.

"We gained at least five inquiries about our Higher Degrees by Research and one of Queensland's Mental Health Services is very interested in placing students in our Masters of Mental Health Nursing next year.

"We had comments from veteran mental health nurses that CQUniversity is doing great things, has a great team and really is a role model for other universities."

Professor Happell said hospitals were providing feedback that CQUniversity students are better prepared for their mental health placements than others and that they display greater insight about mental health care.