Collaboration, story and engagement are fundamental to Dr Monica Short's research and teaching. Monica is internationally recognised for her expertise in co-designed co-operative inquiry research projects that address questions in the fields of education, health, and human services. Practitioners, volunteers, people studying, academics, managers and community members are invited to author in partnership with Monica, amplifying their voices to raise awareness of issues and drive change.
With interdisciplinary colleague Dr Emma Rush (philosophy), Monica is currently co-leading a major research project on recruitment, retention and wellbeing in rural mental health. This project is supported by a multidisciplinary team of experts: Dr Ella Dixon (sociology), Dr Nicola Ivory (psychology), Dr Rohena Duncombe (mental health social work), Yangi Uchalla (social work), Michelle Bonner (social worker) and Sarah Ansell (management, leadership and engagement). For more information, please see.
Monica is a senior lecturer and practitioner-researcher at Charles Sturt University in the School of Social Work and Arts. She has a degree in Social Work, a Master of Social Welfare (Welfare and Social Policy) and a Ph.D. by publication through Charles Sturt University (CSU). Her thesis is titled – 'The Australian Anglican Church engaging with people living with disabilities and from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in rural, regional and remote communities'.
Prior to academia, Monica worked for over 20 years in large government organisations in professional, project management, and middle- and senior-managerial roles. She has experience working with people across the lifespan, having practised in the following fields: health, child and family, aged care, rural, and income security. For instance, she has work experience in journeying with young families to gain income, housing and food security, to counselling seniors planning long-term kin and other care.
Monica collaboratively and co-operatively coordinates/leads the International Network of Co-operative Inquirers https://incinq.csu.domains. She is a member of Gulbali, the Anglican Church of Australia Mission and Ministry Commission and an adjunct Centre Scholar with the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture. In 2021, Monica jointly coordinated a social work and humanities teaching and learning during and post-COVID-19 think tank. From 2017 to 2018, she was co-chair of the ACT/NSW Combined Universities Field Education Group.
Monica has several awards for her research and teaching, including:
In 2024, Monica received an Executive Dean's Teaching Award for: leading by developing a corpus of scholarship for teaching online or face-to-face, including how to embed into subjects innovative, kind, impactful, codesigned transformational learning opportunitie
In 2023, Monica was one of the recipients of The Australia and New Zealand Social Work and Welfare Education and Research Prize with the theme: Being Global, regional and Local in Education in Australasia and The Pacific. It was for achievement in research about collaborations between communities and education for: work-integrated learning, human services or social work. Also, in 2023, Monica received the School of Social Work and Arts Award for 2023 Highest Student Experience Survey Score.
In 2021, Monica received one of the Faculty Research Awards. She also was one of two recipients of the St Mark's National Theological Centre Greg Eather Memorial Prize for meritorious work in Christianity and Australian Society.
In 2020, Monica received The Australia and New Zealand Social Work and Welfare Education and Research Field-University Collaboration Award; and was one of a group of recipients who received a CSU Excellence Award.
In 2016 Monica received the Australian New Zealand Social Work, Welfare and Research Field Placement Recognition Award for championing innovative models for research.
Monica is on Ngunnawal and Ngambri land and is based in Canberra.
