About me
Dr Martina Costello is a Senior Lecturer in Nursing at Murdoch University with a strong commitment to advancing nursing education, clinical practice, and research, particularly in the field of intellectual disability. In addition to her academic role, Dr Costello practises as a Registered Nurse within the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in Perth, providing care and support to people with disabilities. This combination of academic and clinical experience gives her a unique insight into the challenges and opportunities faced by both practitioners and service users.
Dr Costello holds a Doctorate in Nursing and is a recognised HERDSA Fellow and Advance HE Fellow. She has also completed a Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice (GCAP). Her academic work focuses on innovative, evidence-based nursing education designed to prepare future nurses to deliver compassionate, high-quality care.
Her current research interests include intellectual disability in nursing, with a particular focus on how it is integrated into nursing curricula and the impact of care on service users.
Beyond intellectual disability, Dr Costello’s research encompasses nursing education and curriculum development, workforce development and sustainability, and acute care nursing. She is an Associate Fellow at the SCGH Research Centre, contributing to research that supports healthcare outcomes and professional development for nurses.
Guided by a feminist ethics of care, Dr Costello is dedicated to fostering supportive, inclusive, and collaborative learning environments. Her clinical background spans roles from Assistant in Nursing to Clinical Nurse, and she remains actively engaged in frontline nursing practice to maintain a grounded perspective on healthcare.