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Dr Leigh Donovan
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Overview
Leigh is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow and Conjoint Lecturer with the Behavioural Sciences Unit, School of Women’s and Children’s Health, University of NSW. As a social worker by profession, Leigh has worked in adult and paediatric oncology in the hospital and community based setting since graduating from the University of Queensland in 2001.
In 2010, Leigh established the inaugural role of Bereavement Coordinator with the Paediatric Palliative Care Service, Children’s Health Queensland. Acknowledging the dearth of research evidence surrounding parental bereavement in Australia, Leigh completed her PhD ‘Compass’ at The University of NSW in 2017, exploring the experience and needs of parents whose child has died from cancer. Compass, is the largest Australian study of parental bereavement and has informed the translation of a suite of bereavement resources ‘By My Side’ in collaboration with Redkite.
Leigh’s current research interests include development of public health models of bereavement care in the paediatric setting, capacity building for health and social care professionals in paediatric palliative care, and advanced care planning for adolescents and young adults.
In 2017, Leigh was awarded a Churchill Fellowship and will visit bereavement programs in children’s hospitals and community based settings the US, Canada, UK and South Africa. The aim of the fellowship is to inform development of best practice guidelines for transitional bereavement care in children’s hospitals in Australia.
Leigh is currently the Allied Health Educator in the Quality of Care Collaborative Australia (QuoCCA) and provides psychosocial consultancy services through Collaboraide.
For more information please see Dr Donovan’s research profile see here.
In 2010, Leigh established the inaugural role of Bereavement Coordinator with the Paediatric Palliative Care Service, Children’s Health Queensland. Acknowledging the dearth of research evidence surrounding parental bereavement in Australia, Leigh completed her PhD ‘Compass’ at The University of NSW in 2017, exploring the experience and needs of parents whose child has died from cancer. Compass, is the largest Australian study of parental bereavement and has informed the translation of a suite of bereavement resources ‘By My Side’ in collaboration with Redkite.
Leigh’s current research interests include development of public health models of bereavement care in the paediatric setting, capacity building for health and social care professionals in paediatric palliative care, and advanced care planning for adolescents and young adults.
In 2017, Leigh was awarded a Churchill Fellowship and will visit bereavement programs in children’s hospitals and community based settings the US, Canada, UK and South Africa. The aim of the fellowship is to inform development of best practice guidelines for transitional bereavement care in children’s hospitals in Australia.
Leigh is currently the Allied Health Educator in the Quality of Care Collaborative Australia (QuoCCA) and provides psychosocial consultancy services through Collaboraide.
For more information please see Dr Donovan’s research profile see here.
Selected Publications
Donovan, L., Wakefield, C.E., Russell,V., Flanagan, A., Cohn R .,(2017). Factors associated with grief and growth following the death of a child from cancer: a mixed method analysis. Palliative & Supportive Care (under review).
Donovan, L. A., Wakefield, C. E., Russell, V., Hetherington, K., & Cohn, R. J. (2018). Brief report: Bereaved parents informing research design: The place of a pilot study. Death studies, (just-accepted).
Kelly, J., Ritchie, J., Donovan, L., Graham, C., & Herbert, A. (2018). A Retrospective Review of Resuscitation Planning at a Children’s Hospital. Children, 5(1), 9.
Lichtenthal, W. G., Sweeney, C. R., Roberts, K. E., Corner, G. W., Donovan, L. A., Prigerson, H. G., & Wiener, L. (2015). Bereavement follow‐up after the death of a child as a standard of care in pediatric oncology. Pediatric blood & cancer, 62(S5).
Donovan, L. A., Wakefield, C. E., Russell, V., & Cohn, R. J. (2015). Hospital-based bereavement services following the death of a child: A mixed study review. Palliative medicine, 29(3), 193-210.
Wakefield, C. E., McLoone, J. K., Donovan, L. A., & Cohn, R. J. (2014). Thank you for your lovely card: ethical considerations in responding to bereaved parents invited in error to
participate in childhood cancer survivorship research. Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, 1-7.
Herbert, A., Bradford, N., Donovan, L., Pedersen, L. A., & Irving, H. (2014). Development of a State-Wide Pediatric Palliative Care Service in Australia: Referral and Outcomes over Two Years. Journal of palliative medicine, 17(3), 288-295.
Donovan, L. A., Wakefield, C. E., Russell, V., Hetherington, K., & Cohn, R. J. (2018). Brief report: Bereaved parents informing research design: The place of a pilot study. Death studies, (just-accepted).
Kelly, J., Ritchie, J., Donovan, L., Graham, C., & Herbert, A. (2018). A Retrospective Review of Resuscitation Planning at a Children’s Hospital. Children, 5(1), 9.
Lichtenthal, W. G., Sweeney, C. R., Roberts, K. E., Corner, G. W., Donovan, L. A., Prigerson, H. G., & Wiener, L. (2015). Bereavement follow‐up after the death of a child as a standard of care in pediatric oncology. Pediatric blood & cancer, 62(S5).
Donovan, L. A., Wakefield, C. E., Russell, V., & Cohn, R. J. (2015). Hospital-based bereavement services following the death of a child: A mixed study review. Palliative medicine, 29(3), 193-210.
Wakefield, C. E., McLoone, J. K., Donovan, L. A., & Cohn, R. J. (2014). Thank you for your lovely card: ethical considerations in responding to bereaved parents invited in error to
participate in childhood cancer survivorship research. Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, 1-7.
Herbert, A., Bradford, N., Donovan, L., Pedersen, L. A., & Irving, H. (2014). Development of a State-Wide Pediatric Palliative Care Service in Australia: Referral and Outcomes over Two Years. Journal of palliative medicine, 17(3), 288-295.
Invited Presentations
Donovan L; Wakefield CE; Russell V; Fardell J; Cohn R, Raising the voice of bereaved parents: findings from the Compass Study, presented at the Annual Paediatric Palliative Care Symposium, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 3 March 2016.
Donovan L; Samy N, Developing a Paediatric Bereavement Support Program, presented at the Annual Paediatric Palliative Care Symposium, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 7 March 2013.
Donovan L; Wakefield CE; Russell V; Cohn R, Communities of grief: the role of hospital based bereavement support for families following the death of a child, presented at CHA Insight Forum, Carlton, Victoria, Australia, 12 October 2012.
Donovan L; Russell V; Brown L, Listening to and learning from the experience of bereaved parents: an interactive panel session honoring the voice of bereaved parents and the professionals who care for them, presented at ANZCHOG, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia, 24-26 August 2012.
Donovan L; Samy N, Developing a Paediatric Bereavement Support Program, presented at the Annual Paediatric Palliative Care Symposium, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 7 March 2013.
Donovan L; Wakefield CE; Russell V; Cohn R, Communities of grief: the role of hospital based bereavement support for families following the death of a child, presented at CHA Insight Forum, Carlton, Victoria, Australia, 12 October 2012.
Donovan L; Russell V; Brown L, Listening to and learning from the experience of bereaved parents: an interactive panel session honoring the voice of bereaved parents and the professionals who care for them, presented at ANZCHOG, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia, 24-26 August 2012.
Oral Presentations Selected from Abstract
Donovan, L., Wakefield, C.E., Russell, V., Lichtenthal, W., Cohn R, Building capacity in bereavement: An emerging model of transitional bereavement care, oral presentation at the 3rd ICPCN Conference: Inspiration, Innovation, Integration, Durban, South Africa, 28 May-2 June 2018.
Donovan L; Gundry G. Developing a bereavement care service in pediatric palliative care: lessons from the trenches, workshop presentation at the 5th International Public Health and Palliative Care Conference, Ottawa, Canada, 17-20 September 2017.
Donovan L; Wakefield CE; Russell V; Fardell J; Cohn R. Building partnerships between hospital and home: a contemporary model of transitional bereavement care, oral presentation at the 5th International Public Health and Palliative Care Conference, Ottawa, Canada, 17-20 September 2017.
Donovan L; Wakefield CE; Russell V; Fardell J; Cohn R. ‘My normal thing ended’: the place of social support in the lives of bereaved parents, oral presentation at the 5th International Public Health and Palliative Care Conference, Ottawa, Canada, 17-20 September 2017.
Donovan, L.A., Wakefield, C.E., Russell, V., Cohn, R.J. Recreating Life After Death: The Place Of Professional And Social Support In The Lives of Parents Following The Death Of A Child From Cancer. Abstract accepted for oral presentation at the World Congress of Psycho-Oncology (a joint meeting of the International Psycho-Oncology Society [IPOS] and the American Psycho-Oncology Society [APOS]), 1st August 2015, Washington DC, USA.
Donovan, L.A., Wakefield, C.E., Russell, V., Lichtenthal., W. G, R.J.,. Transitional social support: a developing framework for hospital-based bereavement care following the death of a child from cancer. Abstract accepted for oral presentation at the World Congress of Psycho-Oncology (a joint meeting of the International Psycho-Oncology Society [IPOS] and the American Psycho-Oncology Society [APOS]), 1st August 2015, Washington DC, USA.
Donovan, L.A., Wakefield, C.E., Russell, V., Cohn, R.J. Gone but not forgotten: The place of transitional bereavement care for families following the death of a child to cancer. Oral presentation at the ANZCHOG ASM (Australian and New Zealand Children’s Haematology and Oncology Group), 18 June 2015, Perth, WA, Australia.
Donovan L; Wakefield CE; Russell V; Cohn R, 2014, Compass: findings from a pilot study exploring the experience and needs of parents whose child has died from cancer, presented at ANZCHOG ASM 2014, Sydney, Australia, 19-21 June 2014.
Donovan L, Russell V, Gundry A, 2014, Symposium title: Bridging the gap between practice and research – responding to the needs of families following the death of a child in Australia, presented at the Australian Grief and Bereavement Conference, Melbourne, Australia 26-28 March 2014.
Donovan L; Wakefield CE; Russell V; Cohn R, 2014, Crossing the great divide: caring for families following the death of a child from cancer, presented at ICPCN 2014, Mumbai, India, 10-12 February 2014.
Donovan L, 2013, When grief enters the classroom: caring for children, families and the school community following the death of a child, presented at the HELP Conference, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia, 18-20 September 2013.
Donovan L; Wakefield CE; Russell V; Cohn R 2013, Hospital bereavement care - a function of social support, presented at ADEC, Hollywood, USA 24-27 April 2013.
Donovan L; Wakefield CE; Russell V; Cohn R 2013, The right help, in the right place, at the right time: meeting the needs of bereaved parents whose child has died from cancer in Australia, APS Health Psychology Conference, Cairns, Queensland, Australia, 5-6 April 2013.
Donovan L; Don P, ‘It’s Like This’... Responding to the needs of young people affected by cancer, their families and the professionals that care for them, presented at ANZCHOG, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 31 August-3 September 2010.
Donovan L; Brown L, Redkite Telegroups, presented at ANZCHOG, Perth, WA, Australia, 2009.
Donovan L; Brown L, Redkite Telegroups: keeping families connected when transitioning from hospital to their local community, presented at Healthcare for Kids, The people, the map and the measure, CHA & AWCH, Manly, NSW, Australia, 17-19 November 2008.
Posters
Donovan, L., Wakefield, C.E., Russell,V., Fardell, J., Hetherington, K., Cohn R .Risk and protective factors for parents bereaved from childhood cancer, poster presentation at the 3rd ICPCN Conference: Inspiration, Innovation, Integration, Durban, South Africa, 28 May-2 June 2018.
Donovan L; Wakefield CE; Russell V; Fardell J; Cohn R. Bridging the chasm between hospital and home: bereaved parents informing a contemporary model of transitional bereavement care, poster presentation at the 4th Australian Palliative Care Research Colloquium, Melbourne, Australia 27-28 October 2016.
Donovan L; Leigh J, By my side: the development of unique bereavement resources for parents who have experienced the death of a child from cancer. ANZCHOG, Cairns, QLD, Australia, 23-25 June 2016.
Donovan L; Wakefield CE; Russell V; Fardell J; Cohn R. Bridging the chasm between hospital and home: bereaved parents informing a contemporary model of transitional bereavement care, poster presentation at the 4th Australian Palliative Care Research Colloquium, Melbourne, Australia 27-28 October 2016.
Donovan L; Leigh J, By my side: the development of unique bereavement resources for parents who have experienced the death of a child from cancer. ANZCHOG, Cairns, QLD, Australia, 23-25 June 2016.