Elizabeth C. Smythe is a New Zealand midwifery and nursing academic, and is an emeritus professor at the Auckland University of Technology. Smythe's research focuses on hermeneutic phenomenology, which is the study of interpretive structures of experience, to improve healthcare experiences and clinical practice. Smythe led the introduction of the Doctor of Health Science programme at the university. She retired in 2022.

Academic career

Smythe trained as a nurse and a midwife, and then in 1998 completed a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

titled ''Being safe in childbirth: a hermeneutic interpretation of the narratives of women and practitioners'' at

Massey University Massey University ( mi, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is a university based in Palmerston North, New Zealand, with significant campuses in Albany and Wellington. Massey University has approximately 30,883 students, 13,796 of whom are extramural or ...

, supervised by Cheryl Benn and Valerie Fleming. Smythe joined the faculty of the School of Clinical Sciences at Auckland University of Technology, rising to full professor in 2013. Smythe's research focuses on using

hermeneutic phenomenology Phenomenology (from Greek φαινόμενον, ''phainómenon'' "that which appears" and λόγος, ''lógos'' "study") is the philosophical study of the structures of experience and consciousness. As a philosophical movement it was foun ...

to improve healthcare experiences. Smythe led the introduction of the midwifery degree in 1987, and the development of the Doctor of Health Science programme, a professional doctorate unique in New Zealand focused on changing clinical practice. The doctorate was established in 2003, and became the "largest health professional doctorate in Australasia" by 2020, and had more than a hundred enrolled students by 2022. Notable students of Smythe include

Joyce Cowan Florence Joyce Cowan is a New Zealand midwife and educator, and an authority on pre-eclampsia Pre-eclampsia is a disorder of pregnancy characterized by the onset of high blood pressure and often a significant amount of protein in the urine. ...

; notable doctoral students include Susan Crowther,

Judith McAra-Couper Judith McAra-Couper is a New Zealand academic and a professor of midwifery at Auckland University of Technology. Biography McAra-Couper completed a diploma in midwifery at Auckland University of Technology and spent five years working in a r ...

, Louise Rummel and Valerie Wright-St Clair. Smythe was appointed emeritus professor in 2022, having retired from her position earlier that year. At the time of her retirement, Smythe was one of AUT's longest serving academics, and "one of the University's most successful graduate research supervisors". Smythe was highly commended in the 2014 AUT Vice-Chancellor's Award for Academic Excellence in Research.

Selected works

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References

External links

*
AUT and Ko Awatea Clinical Series Part 2- Liz Smythe
', May 30, 2013, via YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Smythe, Liz New Zealand academics New Zealand women academics Academic staff of the Auckland University of Technology Massey University alumni New Zealand nurses Nursing researchers New Zealand midwives Year of birth missing (living people) Living people