This Cochrane Blog post highlights the contributions of Professor Joan Webster; a prolific author, intrepid adventurer, and much loved mentor to many.
Cross-posted, with permission, from Cochrane Australia.
Conduct a trusty Google search on Professor Joan Webster and there among the myriad of journal articles, research papers, and academic citations, you’ll find a single tweet from a nursing student that reads: ‘It’s official. Prof Joan Webster is a guru…’
This brief pronouncement goes a long way to sum up the shared sentiments of the many students, nurses, and researchers that have worked with or been mentored by Joan over the past few decades. While she would always humbly eschew any such lofty title, her dynamic approach to research translation, patient care, and life in general makes it a fitting one. Her lively interest in learning, teaching, and international adventures with family, friends, and fellow Cochrane contributors reflects a mindset that’s all about the well-being of others. ‘You could say that my research interests are quite eclectic,’ says Joan, ‘but whatever the topic, I’m really all about patient outcomes and using evidence to change clinical practice for the better. This explains why I’m such a passionate advocate for and promoter of Cochrane, which now plays such a central role in my work.’
As Director for Nursing Research at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH), Joan is in a unique position to directly shape clinical research and contribute to its effective translation. ‘It’s a little different from working within a university or research institution,’ she explains. ‘I’m a known and trusted insider here, and I work with nurses at a really grass-roots level to identify research gaps and formulate critical research questions that we go on to answer together. It’s a role I really enjoy.’
Joan was instrumental in introducing an evidence-based practice training program at the RBWH which has proved a great success by any measure. ‘We have a really embedded culture of evidence-based practice here now, and pretty much everyone is involved with Cochrane Reviews as a result,’ says Joan. ‘You can see our nurses are really engaged and get involved every step of the way, from data collection to analysis. I get a huge amount of pleasure from mentoring and see so many nurses go on to develop the confidence and expertise to publish themselves. At certain times I see a light go on in their eyes and it’s so rewarding. I’m really like a proud mother!’ Joan laughs.
There are few better placed to mentor prospective Cochrane contributors than Joan, who over the past 15 years has authored 16 reviews and contributed to the work of seven Review Groups. In recent years, she’s found a very welcome home in the Wounds Group.
‘I met Nicky Cullum and Sally Bell-Syer at the Freiburg Colloquium in 2008,’ Joan says. ‘Before I knew it they’d convinced me to move to York to work with the Wounds Group for a few months. I duly did so and had the most rewarding professional experience of my life. I found a wonderful environment with like-minded people who shared my commitment to research and the effective use of evidence. They were a great group of people and have since become a big part of my life. We email daily, talk often, and meet up before the Cochrane Colloquium to socialise and sightsee in a different city around the globe each year. It’s a real highlight for all of us.’
Coordinating Editor of the Wounds Group Nicky Cullum is equally glad their brief meeting in Freiburg has led to such rewarding professional and personal connections. ‘We love having Joan work with us,’ she says. ‘Apart from being a fun, lovely, and inspirational person to work with, she’s very much in touch with clinical practice and is vital to our group. She’s published research in leading journals including the BMJ and the Lancet and continues to contribute so much to the development of countless other researchers. It’s really rare in nursing to find such a research leader so embedded in clinical practice.’
‘Not only is Joan a guru,’ Nicky concludes, ‘she’s also a legend. I don’t know where we’d be without her so she is not allowed to retire, ever.’ The good news for Cochrane is that with countless review updates, mentoring commitments, and international meetings/adventures on the cards, retirement looks to be completely out of the question for our resident guru Joan Webster for the foreseeable future.
Image: (from left) Sally Bell-Syer, Nicky Cullum and Joan Webster enjoying a night out.
Would your Cochrane Group like to tell the community about a beloved contributor? Email mumoquit@cochrane.org