Profile

Vanessa Leonie Sparke

Dr Vanessa Sparke ORCID logo

qualifications: RN, MPH&TM;, PhD

position: Senior Lecturer

department: Nursing and Midwifery

Vanessa is an experienced Infection Prevention and Control (IP&C) professional with a specific interest in rural and remote areas. Vanessa's PhD thesis studied improving infection prevention and control in a rural hospital in the Solomon Islands using a Participatory Action Research approach. Vanessa has worked as an IP&C clinical nurse in both large metropolitan hospitals and rural and remote areas of Australia. Vanessa’s other professional interests include critical care nursing, public health, and disaster preparedness and recovery and has travelled to Vietnam to teach disaster preparedness to communities living on the Mekong Delta (AusAID funded), and to the Solomon Islands to assess IP&C practices in a rural hospital (WHO funded). Vanessa is an active member of the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control (ACIPC) LMI Special Interest Group and Education & Professional Development Committee, and a founding member of the Collaborative for Advancement of Infection Prevention and Control - a collaborative between Griffith University, University of the Sunshine Coast and JCU.


Articles contributed to by this person


Commentary 6 November 2024

The Murtupuni Statement on rural generalist professional practice in Australia

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Depression in mothers and early childhood development: rural–urban disparities
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Implementation of the provincial health authority model in rural districts of Papua New Guinea
article

Implementation of the provincial health authority model in rural districts of Papua New Guinea
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24th Annual Rural Health Clinic Conference, 15 & 16 September 2026, Kansas City, MO, USA
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2026 Rural Health and Cancer Conference, 2–4 June 2026, Burlington, VT, USA
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2026 Annual National Rural Institute on Alcohol, Drugs, and Addictions, 7–11 June 2026, Menomonie, WI, USA
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11th Health Promotion Conference, 10–12 June 2026, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Harstad, Norway
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51st Annual National Rural Social Work Conference, 15–18 July 2026, Hopkinsville, KY, USA
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IX Congreso Iberoamericano de Medicina Familiar / Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria, 22–25 July 2026, Asunción, Paraguay
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9th WONCA Africa Region Conference 2026, 10 & 11 September 2026, Gaborone, Botswana
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18th National Rural Health Conference, 14–16 September 2026, Adelaide, SA, Australia
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World Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference 2026, 17–19 September 2026, Kirikiriroa (Hamilton), New Zealand
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2026 NAATSIHWP National Conference, 21–23 September 2026, Naarm (Melbourne), Australia
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53rd Annual NARMH Conference, 27–29 September 2026, Santa Fe, NM, USA
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15th EURIPA Rural Health Forum, 1–3 October 2026, Cartagena, Spain
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Transforming Community, Regional, and Rural Healthcare, 12 & 13 October 2026, Mayo Civic Center - Rochester, MN, USA
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2026 Indigenous Wellbeing Conference, 12–13 October 2026, Ngambri and Ngunnawal Country (Canberra), Australia
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RMA26 – Rural Medicine Australia Conference, 21–24 October 2026, Tarndanya (Adelaide), Australia
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2026 Aeromed Conference, 28–30 October 2026, Darwin, Australia
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Rural Mental Health Conference 2026, 4–6 November 2026, Gold Coast, Australia
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16th National Rural & Remote Allied Health Conference (SARRAH), 9–11 November 2026, Coffs Harbour, Australia
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IAHA Indigenous Allied Health Australia National Conference, 30 November–2 December 2026, Boorloo (Perth), Australia
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5th International Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Conference, 8–10 June 2027, Larrakia Country, Darwin, NT, Australia
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