Academic Board
April 19, 2026 2026-07-03 6:00Academic Board
Prof Dipu Sebastian Interim Chair , Academic Board
Prof Dipu Sebastian has extensive executive leadership experience across academia and industry in Australia and internationally, with senior roles spanning dual-sector universities and public and private higher education providers.
His roles have included Executive Dean and Professor at Torrens University Australia, where he led academic operations, quality assurance, transnational education and institutional development, as well as higher education consulting and global student recruitment. He is committed to advancing access, equity and social inclusion through high-quality Australian education.
Dr Deborah Churchman Member, Academic Board
Dr Deborah Churchman has thirty years of experience across Australian and international universities and higher education providers, with a research and practice focus on communication, culture, and teaching and learning.
She currently serves as Director of Learning and Teaching and Director of the MBA program at the Australian Institute of Advanced Technologies (AIAT) in Adelaide, and consults to higher education institutions on accreditation and learning and teaching improvement. Her earlier career includes nearly two decades as Program Director at the University of South Australia and senior roles at Kaplan Business School and the University of Adelaide. Her current work focuses on graduate attributes, innovative assessment design and the embedding of workplace skills across curricula.
Dr Churchman holds a PhD in Organisational Communication (University of South Australia), Graduate Diplomas in Education and Information Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts (University of Adelaide).
Ms Carolyn Cousins Member, Academic Board
Ms Carolyn Cousins has more than thirty years of experience across the health, education, community services and child protection sectors in Australia and the United Kingdom, spanning direct practice, senior management, postgraduate education leadership and specialist consultancy.
She currently serves as Director of Tuned In Consulting, providing clinical supervision, curriculum development and specialist support to organisations in the violence, trauma and neglect sector. She is credentialed as a Clinical Supervisor and recognised as a Subject Matter Expert by the AASW. Earlier in her career, she served as Assistant Director of Postgraduate Education and Training at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in London, and has held senior roles in children’s services and health in both the UK and NSW.
Ms Cousins holds a Master of Applied Neuroscience (King’s College London), a Master of Social Work (Monash), a Master of Education with Honours (University of New England), a Bachelor of Social Work (University of Sydney), and a Tavistock Fellowship. She is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has published across supervision, child protection, domestic violence and adult education.
Dr Navine Haworth Member, Academic Board | Academic Dean, IBC Higher Education
Dr Navine Haworth, is an Associate Professor and Academic Dean with more than twenty years of experience across chiropractic and health professional education, clinical practice, and higher-education governance. She has held senior academic leadership roles at the Australian Chiropractic College, RMIT University, Victoria University, and IBC Higher Education.
Dr Haworth completed her PhD at Federation University, where her research examined best-practice approaches to developing clinical practice competencies in chiropractic students. She holds a Doctor of Chiropractic from Palmer College of Chiropractic West (USA), a Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Learning and Teaching from RMIT University, and postgraduate paediatrics qualifications from Palmer Institute and the ICA. In 2024, she was awarded a Fellowship of the Australian Institute of Chiropractic Education for her sustained contribution to education, research and scholarship.
A committed health-professions educator, Dr Haworth has led major curriculum renewal initiatives, designed and coordinated clinical education programs, and taught extensively across technique, diagnosis, paediatrics, pregnancy care, geriatrics, research methods, and evidence-based practice. She has coordinated Work Integrated Learning, served as Program Coordinator of a Bachelor’s and Master’s programs, and developed diverse community, aged-care, sports, and international clinical placement partnerships across three tertiary institutions.
Dr Haworth’s research contributions span chiropractic education, clinical skills development, interprofessional learning, ethics, and clinical training models. She is published in peer-reviewed journals, has delivered invited presentations internationally, and has received multiple awards, including recognition from the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (USA) for Best Educational Paper. She has served in invited positions such as Director of Research, Clinics, Education and Training for Hands on Health Australia and peer reviewer for international chiropractic, medical and complementary medicine journals and conferences. She has received university and Australian Chiropractors’ Association research grants. She has twice been the recipient of teaching awards at RMIT University and was awarded “Outstanding Contribution towards the chiropractic profession” by the Chiropractors’ Association of Australia (CAA).
Her accreditation experience includes responsibility for program design and compliance for new course submissions to TEQSA, the Chiropractic Board of Australia, and the Council on Chiropractic Education Australasia (CCEA), as well as involvement in health professional program accreditation at RMIT and Victoria University.
Dr Haworth is also deeply engaged in professional service. She is a reviewer for several international journals, a committee member of the ACA’s ACERF and TER committees, a board member of the Chiropractic Educators Research Forum, an editorial board member of the Journal of Chiropractic Education and the Chief Editor of the Chiropractic Journal of Australia and New Zealand. She is an active contributor to national and international chiropractic education committees.
With a strong commitment to evidence-informed pedagogy, quality assurance, and student-centred curriculum design, Dr Haworth brings extensive expertise in academic governance, clinical education, and accreditation standards to her work on accreditation panels. She remains dedicated to strengthening n.
