Meaningful Ageing Australia is proud to be associated with a growing number of national and international experts in the fields of spirituality and ageing. Below is a list of our honorary research consultants who assist us with current evidence to inform both our creation of high quality resources and our advocacy work.
If you are a recognised academic in the fields of spirituality and ageing and would like to hear about the benefits of collaborating with us, contact admin@meaningfulage.org.au.

Megan Best
MAAE, BMed(Hons), ATh, GradDipQHR, ClinDipPall Med

Richard Egan
PhD, PG Dip Public Health, MPhil, DipTchg, DipREd, BA (1st Class Hons)
Richard Egan lives, works and surfs in Dunedin, New Zealand. He is a senior lecturer in health promotion, based in the Cancer Society Social and Behavioural Research Unit, Department of Preventative & Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago. His background includes five years working as a health promoter / professional advisor in a Public Health Unit and five years secondary school teaching. Richard’s Master’s thesis examined spirituality in New Zealand state schools, his PhD thesis explored spirituality in end-of-life care and he has qualifications in theology, English literature, religious studies, and public health.
Richard’s academic interests centre on supportive care in cancer, health promotion and the place of spirituality in health and wellbeing. He has been involved in a range of spirituality research including in the areas of aged care, dementia, palliative care, medical education, nurses’ spiritual care, renal care, and Pacific people’s spiritual care. Richard is a past-president of the New Zealand Public Health Association and vice-chair on the Board of the Health Promotion Forum. Sarah (wife), Benji (son, aged eleven) and Milo (dog) remind Richard about ‘what matters most’.

Ann Harrington
RN (TWH), DNE (CCHS), B.Ed (SACAE), M.Ng (Flinders), PhD (Flinders), FACN

Rosalie Hudson
RN, Dip Arts, B App Sci, B Theol, M Theol, Grad Dip Geront., PhD.

Bruce Rumbold
MSc, PhD, BD(Hons), PhD, MA

John Swinton
BD, PhD (Aberdeen), RMN (Registered Mental Nurse), RNMD (Registered Nurse for People with Learning Disabilities)
The foundation for much of John’s research and teaching has emerged from his background in nursing, ministry and healthcare chaplaincy. It was whilst working in these fields that he began to gain a passion for developing modes of care that are genuinely person centred and which take seriously the significance of theology, spirituality and religion within the processes of healing and community building. John has a particular interest in multidisciplinary education and research. At present he teaches cross-college courses in the schools of nursing and medicine at the University of Aberdeen. For a number of years he has taught an interdisciplinary course on spirituality and health that involves nursing students, medical students and students from the Arts and Theology. He also teaches on spirituality and healthcare to nurses and occupational therapists. John has published extensively within the area of practical theology, pastoral care, mental health studies, disability theology and nursing. A selection of publications of interest to Meaningful Ageing Australia’s community include:
Dementia: Living in the Memories of God (2012) Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. Becoming Friends of Time: Disability, Timefulness and Gentle Discipleship Waco: Baylor Press (Especially chapters 7 & 8) Swinton, J. (2014). ‘What’s in a name?: Why people with dementia might be better off without the language of personhood’. International Journal of Practical Theology, vol 18, no. 2, pp. 234-247; Swinton J (2016) ‘The Meanings of Spirituality: A multi-perspectival approach to ‘the spiritual.’ (Book chapter) In Grosvenor Essay No. 11: Towards and Integration of Science and Christianity. Swinton, J. (2014). ‘Spirituality-in-Healthcare: Just Because it May Be ‘Made Up’ Does Not Mean That it is Not Real and Does Not Matter’. Journal for the Study of Spirituality, vol 4, no. 2, pp. 162-173; S Swinton, J. & Payne, R. (eds) (2009). Living Well and Dying Faithfully: Christian Practices for End-Of-Life Care. Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., Grand Rapids, MI, USA.

Christopher Turner
BTheol, Adv Grad Dip Ministry, DTheol.

Raelene Wilding
BA (Hons), PhD