Dr Rowaida Sleem

Dr. Rowaida Sleem is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE, a recipient of the 2024 VPED Award, and the recipient of the 2024 College of Health and Enablement (CHE; formerly the College of Nursing and Health Sciences) Teaching Excellence Award, with more than a decade of university teaching experience. She currently serves as a Senior Lecturer (Academic–Teaching Specialist) within the College of Health and Enablement at Flinders University.

Within CHE, Dr. Sleem holds several key leadership roles. She serves as the College Project Portfolio Lead for Safe and Inclusive Environments, contributing to initiatives that promote wellbeing, inclusion, and a supportive learning culture across the College. Since 2026, she has also led the Anatomy and Physiology teaching team within the Health Sciences discipline.

Dr. Sleem coordinates HLTH1004 Human Bioscience and AGES2003 Physical Activity and Ageing, where she is recognised for delivering innovative, student-centred teaching and collaborating with colleagues to enhance curriculum design and learning experiences.

Dr. Sleem commenced her academic career at Flinders University in mid-2014 as a casual staff member, teaching across multiple colleges while completing her Doctor of Education (EdD). Through her dedication and excellence in teaching, she progressed to a permanent academic position in 2022.

Her doctoral research focused on informing a safer sex intervention aimed at reducing sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates among young South Australians aged 18–24 years. Her teaching and research interests include human anatomy and physiology, quantitative research, sexual health, sexuality, and health promotion.

Dr. Sleem is also the Chair of the Respect. Now. Always. (RNA) CHE Working Group, where she collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to raise awareness of sexual harassment and sexual assault prevention. Her commitment to student wellbeing is further reflected in her specialised training in responding to disclosures of sexual assault and her accreditation as a Mental Health First Aider, enabling her to provide informed and compassionate support to students in sensitive situations.

In addition, Dr Sleem is an Executive Member and founding contributor of the Education Focused Academic Special Interest Group (EFA SIG) within the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA). She was part of the team that developed and submitted the proposal that led to the establishment of the EFA SIG in late 2025, which aims to support, connect, and advocate for Education Focused Academics across the higher education sector.