It is my pleasure to introduce Brenda Happell, RN, RPN, BA (Hons), Dip Ed, B Ed, M Ed, PhD, Professor of Nursing, University of Newcastle, Australia, as guest editor of this special issue on physical health in people diagnosed with mental illness. It is unlikely that our readers actually need to be introduced to Dr. Happell, because she has published more than 400 papers in peer reviewed literature, as well as three books and nine book chapters. In addition to this astounding publication record, she has accrued around $14 million in competitive research funding. However, I would like to share some information beyond these quantitative indicators of a productive scholarly career.
I began to know Brenda as a frequent contributor of manuscripts to Issues in Mental Health Nursing and a solid, reliable peer reviewer of the work of other authors. Several years ago, she accepted my invitation to become an Associate Editor of IMHN. Linked by our computers, we have engaged in lots of USA–Australia communications. Thus, I felt that I already knew Brenda before meeting her in person, at the annual conference of the International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses in Baltimore in 2017. As she delivered her invited lecture there, I was struck by her humor and humility. During this conference, she also actively participated in the Editorial Board meeting of IMHN and proposed the idea of the special issue you are about to read.
Improving the cardiometabolic health of people with mental illness has been a special passion of Dr. Happell, especially during the last decade. Her research foci have also included consumer participation in mental health services, recruitment and education of nurses for mental health specialty practice, clinical supervision for nurses, and promotion of recovery principles. She has held a number of prestigious leadership positions, including Director of the Center for Psychiatric Nursing at the University of Melbourne, Director of the Institute for Health and Social Science Research at Central Queensland University, and Executive Director of Synergy, Nursing and Midwifery Research Center at the University of Canberra and ACT Health. Her influence has been felt beyond Australia in international collaborations, consultation provided to the World Health Organization, and 10 years of service as editor of International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. Perhaps her ultimate impact on our specialty will be evident in the continuing contributions of the younger scholars and clinicians that she has mentored during her 28 years of teaching undergraduate and graduate courses and supervising graduate student research projects. The names of many of these mentees can be seen in her long list of publications, because she always invites the students to publish with her.
I deeply appreciate Dr. Happell’s contributions to psychiatric-mental health nursing, and to this special issue. I am sure nothing could please her more than to have wide international readership of the articles, and fruitful continuation of research and clinical applications of the ideas they contain.