Dr Wayne Usher

Wayne Usher Dip Teaching, GDip Health Science, M Health Science, PhD

Lecturer, School of Education and Professional Studies (Gold Coast)
Contact details for Dr Wayne Usher
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Research expertise

Dr Usher’s research interests include school and community health and physical education. His past and current research examines 21st century pedagogical approaches that engage the teacher/interventionists and the student/audience in the co-construction of meaning, value, and knowledge associated with school/community health education. He gives specific attention to modern communication technologies and how they are creating a paradigm shift surrounding traditional barriers of power and information dissemination. Other areas of research include medical education, general practitioners, the internet, WWW and Social Media applications. Current research includes online health information and the impacts of health websites on the general practitioner and e-health consumer relationship.

Current teaching and course convenorships–semesters 1 & 2

  • Primary / Middle Years Curriculum - Studies of Society and the Environment
  • Senior Geography Curriculum
  • Senior History Curriculum
  • Primary / Middle Years Curriculum - Health and Physical Education
  • Senior Years Curriculum - Health and Physical Education
  • Primary / Middle Years Curriculum – Health and Physical Education / SOSE
  • Primary Years Curriculum – Advanced Physical Education
  • Primary Years Curriculum – Coaching Pedagogy

Service

  • First Year Advisor - Bachelor of Education – Primary (2007 – 2009)

Appointments

Publications

Book proposal

  • Usher, W., Edwards, A., & Skinner, J. (under review, 2009). “Social Media and Health Care Delivery in the 21st Century”. Cambridge Book Publishing Company.

Book chapters

  • Usher, W. (under review, 2009). “Modernism vs Postmodernism: a critical narrativization of the Ph.D. journey. Is there an alternative?" Educational Planet Shapers: Researching, Hypothesising, Dreaming the Future RHD Conference, Griffith University, Gold Coast campus, Australia.
  • Usher, W. (accepted, 2009). “Crisis Communication and Sports Public Relations”. Edited Edition Communication and Sport. Elsevier Publishing Company.
  • Usher, W. (2007). "EMPIRE and the Internet Prescription. Influences which motivate General Practitioners to recommend Medical [health] Websites to the Health Consumer". Educational Research - Who Needs It?. RHD Conference, Griffith University, Gold Coast campus, Australia.

Refereed journal articles

  • Laakso, L., Armstrong, K., Usher, W. (under review, 2009). “Cyber-management of people with chronic disease: online support applications and their health promoting capabilities”. HIMAA Journal.
  • Usher, W. (under review 2009). "EMPIRE and the Internet Prescription: technologies of control".
  • Usher, W. (under review, 2009). “Teaching Health Education in the 21st Century: the Cyber-Revolution”.
  • Usher, W., & Skinner, J. (under review, 2009). “Exploring the trends and voices associated with a health website recommendation from Gold Coast general practitioners to their patients: a mixed method approach”.
  • Usher, W., & Skinner, J. (accepted, 2009). "Levels of persuasion and types of enticements offered by pharmaceutical companies to Gold Coast general practitioners in an attempt to encourage a health website recommendation". Health and Social Care in the Community44.
  • Usher, W., & Skinner, J. (accepted, 2009). "Categorising health websites: e-knowledge, e-business, e- professional"45. Health Education Journal.
  • Usher, W. (2009). "Gold Coast General Practitioners understanding pertaining to Reliability, Interactive and Usability Components associated with Health Websites"56. International Journal of Behaviour and Information Technology, 28(1), January-February, 39-44.
  • Usher, W., & Skinner, J. (2008). "Health Websites and Reliability Components. ACHPER Healthy Lifestyle Journal67, 55(4), 29-34.
  • Usher, W. (2008). "Gold Coast general practitioners' recommendation of health websites to their patients". ACHPER Action - reprint from MJA, 11(3).
  • Usher, W. (2007). "Gold Coast general practitioners' recommendation of health websites to their patients"78. Medical Journal of Australia7,7 187(2), 1-2.  PDF 85k copy89.  Link to PubMed910.
  • Usher, W. (2006). "EMPIRE and the Internet Prescription. Influences which motivate General Practitioners to recommend Medical [health] Websites to the Health Consumer"10 paper (PDF 51k)11, ICHPER.SD Conference, Wellington, New Zealand.

Refereed conference papers

  • Laakso, E-L., Somerset, S., Usher, W., Ravenscroft, A., Morris, N., Casey, L., Green, H (2009). An On-line Device for Tracking Survival Determinants and Educating Individuals with Chronic Disease. Gold Coast Health and Medical Research Conference, Radisson Resort, Gold Coast, December 3–4.
  • Usher, W. & Skinner, J. (under review, 2009) “Exploring the trends and voices associated with a health website recommendation from Gold Coast general practitioners to their patients: a mixed method approach”. Gold Coast Health and Medical Research Conference, Radisson Resort, Gold Coast, December 3–4.
  • Laakso, E-L, Somerset, S, Usher, W, Morris N, Ravenscroft, A (accepted, 2009). “An on-line device for tracking survival determinants and educating individuals with breast cancer”. Australian Physiotherapy Association national Conference (October, 2009, Sydney).
  • Usher, W. (2008). "A critical inquiry into the Ph.D. journey: is there an alternative?" Educational Planet Shapers: Researching, Hypothesising, Dreaming the Future RHD Conference, Griffith University, Gold Coast campus, Australia.
  • Usher, W. (2007). "EMPIRE and the Internet Prescription. Influences which motivate General Practitioners to recommend Medical [health] Websites to the Health Consumer". Educational Research - Who Needs It? - RHD Conference, Griffith University, Gold Coast campus, Australia.
  • Usher, W. (2006). "EMPIRE and the Internet Prescription". ICHPER.SD Conference, Wellington, New Zealand.

Research grants

  • Dean's Faculty Publication Incentive Grant (2009-2010). $1,500.
  • Dean's Faculty Research Grant (2009-2010). "An Australian study into the practice of a health website recommendation by general practitioners to their patients", $4,000.
  • School of Education and Professional Studies New Researcher's Grant (2005). Project involving Gold Coast General Practitioners and their website recommendations to the health consumer, $3,000.

Other projects

  • Research project, 2009 – “An Australian study into the practice of a health website recommendation by general practitioners to their patients”. Dr Wayne Usher (School of Education and Professional Studies, Gold Coast) and Dr James Skinner (School of Education and Professional Studies, Gold Coast).
  • Research project, 2009 – “Tracking Healthy Outcomes for Cancer Patients”. Cyber-management for cancer survivors: promoting self – efficacy and acute / post care via online applications. Dr Liisa Laakso (School of Physiotherapy, Gold Coast), Dr Shawn Sommerset (School of Public Health, Logan), Dr Luke de Beus (School of Exercise Science, Gold Coast) and Dr Wayne Usher (School of Education and Professional Studies, Gold Coast).

Reviews

  • Journal – Health Education Journal (2009) – “A protection Motivation Theory Application to Date Rape Education”. The journal publishes peer reviewed authoritative papers on health promotion and health education and includes book reviews and health event listings.
  • Book Chapters (2009) CENGAGE Learning: Studying Society and Environment.
  • Book Chapters (2009) CENGAGE Learning: Teaching Primary Health and Physical Education.
  • Journal – Medical Education (2009). “Preparing to Deliver Down Syndrome Diagnoses: Physicians' Tool”. The journal publishes peer reviewed authoritative papers on medical education to under / post graduate students and Medical Educational Courses / Curriculum.
  • Journal - Health Promotion International (2009). Young men's health promotion, new ICTs and health literacies.
  • Journal – Health Education Journal (2009). Reliability and validity of exercise self- efficacy scale among Iranian diabetic women.
  • Journal – Health Education Journal (2009). “Locus of control and HIV and AIDS risk”. The journal publishes peer reviewed authoritative papers on health promotion and health education and includes book reviews and health event listings.
  • Journal - Values in Health (2009). “The Impact of Health Literacy on Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and Utility Assessment among Patients with Rheumatic Diseases” .Asia Special Issue sponsored by the ISPOR Asia Consortium12. International Society for Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research (ISPOR).
  • Journal - Values in Health (2009). “A Survey of Knowledge on Diabetes in the Central Region of Thailand”. Asia Special Issue sponsored by the ISPOR Asia Consortium12.
  • Journal - Health Education Journal (2009). “Physical activity and substance use among in-school adolescents in eight African countries”. The journal publishes peer reviewed authoritative papers on health promotion and health education and includes book reviews and health event listings.
  • Journal - Values in Health (2009). Asia Special Issue sponsored by the ISPOR Asia Consortium. International Society for Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research (ISPOR).  

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