I am a self-motivated individual with a wide range of experiences in Nursing and Midwifery practices and great competencies in teaching, student supervision, and diverse research methodologies. My career objective is to attend to the healthcare needs of people and contribute to healthy lives and the general well-being of humanity through innovative research and academic excellence.
Dr. Theodora Dedo Azu
Lecturer - ( Senior Member ) Department of Maternal and Child HealthDepartmental Registration & Exams Officer
Department of Mental HealthTeaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy is to create an enabling environment that ensures the supervised exploration of my nursing and midwifery students. The more significant learning occurs in environments that are both meaningful and realistic. The learning environment must be realistic to the learner so that the knowledge and skills acquired by the student apply to similar situations in the future. However, the setting for the learning needs to be safe so that the student feels empowered and actively involved in exploring the boundaries of their skills. My goals in teaching are to ensure that my students become competent in their nursing and midwifery skills to save lives and improve their client's holistic well-being in a safe and enabling environment. I have followed this philosophy throughout the various levels of teaching.
I establish specific goals and objectives for each stage of training my students, and I am willing to be flexible when necessary to meet their individual learning needs. Regularized formal assessment and feedback are essential; however, transitioning from a teacher-centred learning environment (lecturer) to a more student-centred environment (hospital wards), students may be required to identify the learning needs of their clients and assess their progress. The use of journaling, demonstrations and peer-reviewed activities are some ways that I have worked to encourage self-assessment and inspire life-long learning habits among the students.
I demonstrate empathy, inquisitiveness, respect, team management, and analytical thinking in every encounter with my students. Successful learners must evolve from just connecting their clinical experiences with the literature knowledge they are taught in the classroom. They need to be competent at identifying problems, developing possible solutions by critically appraising the client's condition and showing respect in all circumstances. Everyone is unique and needs to be treated as such.
Award
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Awarding Institution/Organization
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Year
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---|---|---|
Grant Award for Research, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Cape Coast (2024) | University of Cape Coast | 2024 |
Grant Award for Research, Individual Category, University of Cape Coast (2023) | University of Cape Coast | 2023 |
Deakin University Faculty of Health HDR Award | Deakin University | 2018 |
..... | .... | 2001 |
... | ... | 2001 |
Fellowship
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Institution
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Year
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---|---|---|
Sigma Theta Tau, Victoria, Australian Branch | Theodora Dedo Azu | 2020 |
Foundation Fellow and Assistant Treasurer, Central Regional Chapter - Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives (GCNM) | Theodora Dedo Azu | 2018 |
Fellow, West African College of Nurses and Midwives (WACN) | Theodora Dedo Azu | 2017 |
Professional Body
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Position
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Year
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University of Cape Coast | Lecturer | 2022 |
Central Queensland University | Indigenous Strategic Advancement, Academic Staff | 2021 |
Deakin University | Professional Simulation Room Assistant | 2020 |
University of Cape Coast | Assistant Lecturer | 2015 |
Title
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Position
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Duration
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Zukunftskolleg Exchange Network (ZENiT) Fellowship Programme (2024) Collaborator for a team that won the fellowship for the project: “Politics of Sexuality and Reproduction across Cultures: Obstetric violence, mental health, and Narrative Exposure Thera | Lecturer | November 2024 - Present |
Adolescent Motherhood: Unraveling Birth Trauma and its Impact on Birth Outcomes in the Cape Coast Metropolis | Lecturer | November 2024 - Present |
Managing Anaemia in Pregnancy with Traditional Medicines: Experiences of Midwives and Women in the Cape Coast Metropolis. | Lecturer | November 2024 - Present |