Dr Sandra Lynch

Adjunct Professor
PhD (Phil), MA (Hons., Phil), BA (Phil.), Dip.Teach (NSW)

Email: sandra.lynch@nd.edu.au

  • Biography

    Sandra Lynch (PhD., MA [Hons.], BA, Dip. Teaching is Adjunct Professor of Moral Philosophy (School of Philosophy & Theology), University of Notre Dame Australia; former director of the Institute for Ethics and Society, University of Notre Dame Australia; and Adjunct Professor, IMPACCT Interdisciplinary Research Centre, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney).*

    She has expertise in applied and professional ethics, ethics and values education, the constitution of the self, friendship, critical thinking, and the intersection of philosophy and literature. Her recent research has focused on training models for the teaching of professional ethics, both within educational and professional practice contexts and particularly in healthcare ethics.

  • Teaching Areas

    Moral Philosophy, Professional & Applied Ethics (healthcare ethics, legal ethics, sports ethics), Critical Thinking, Philosophy in Schools, Values Education, The Constitution of the self and its emotions, Conceptions of friendship.

  • Research Expertise and Supervision

    Ethics and training in healthcare, education and other professional leadership contexts.

  • Books

    • Sandra Lynch, Ed. (2021) Solidarity: The Journal of Catholic Social Thought and Secular Ethics. Tenth Anniversary Edition Solidarity, University of Notre Dame Australia.
    • Zimmermann, Nigel & Lynch, Sandra. (2021). Faith and Reason: Vistas and Horizons. (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock).
    • Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Play from Birth and Beyond. Eds. Lynch, Sandra, Deborah Pike, and Cynthia à Beckett. Springer, 2016).
    • Conscience, Leadership, and the Problem of ‘Dirty Hands’. Eds. Matthew Beard, and Lynch, Sandra. Special edition of Research in Ethical Issues in Organizations, 2015).
    • Gregory Leaney & Sandra Lynch. Strategies for a Thinking Classroom (Sydney: e.lite, publisher The Primary English Teachers Association, Australia, 2008).
    • Sandra Lynch. (2006). The Plague-Camus (Sydney: Five Senses Education Pty.Ltd.)
    • Sandra Lynch. (2005). Philosophy and Friendship: Thinking about Identity (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press).
    • Sandra Lynch. (1997). dostluk üzerine (Conceptions of Friendship). Istanbul: Ayrinti Yayinlari Press.

  • Book chapters

    • “The Ethics of Spiritual Care” in: Spiritual Care in Palliative Care. Edited by Megan Best. (Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50864-6_42)
    • “Mission Impossible? Education and Formation in a Pluralistic Society” in Faith and Reason (Edited by Nigel Zimmermann & Sandra Lynch. (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2021).
    • “Relativism, Tolerance and Morality” in Today’s Tyrants: Responding to Dyson Heydon. Edited by Damien Freeman (The Kapunda Press, 2018)
    • “Building Ethical Capacity: Inclusiveness and the Reflective Dimensions of Service-Learning” in Service-learning: enhancing inclusive education. Edited by Lavery, S; Chambers, Dianne; Cain, Glenda (Emerald, 2017)
    • “Values Education and Christological Personhood: philosophical and practical implications” in Civil Society, Education and Human Formation. Edited by Janis (John) Ozolins. Routledge International Studies in Philosophical Education. (Routledge, 2017). With Renee Kohler-Ryan.
    • ”Playing with Theory” in Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Play from Birth and Beyond. Edited by Lynch, Sandra, Deborah Pike, and Cynthia à Beckett. Springer, 2016). With Cynthia à Beckett and Deborah Pike.
    • ”Muckabout: Aboriginal Conceptions of Play and Early Childhood Learning” in Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Play from Birth and Beyond. Edited by Lynch, Sandra, Deborah Pike, and Cynthia à Beckett. Springer, 2016). With Denise Proud, Cynthia à Beckett and Deborah Pike.
    • B. Handal, S. Lynch, K. Watson, M. Maher & G. Hellyer. “Teaching digital citizenship in higher education” in Mobile Learning Futures: Sustaining Quality Research and Practice in Mobile Learning. Edited by L. Dyson, W. NG & J. Fergusson. 15th World Conference on Mobile and Contextual Learning, University of Technology Sydney. ISBN 978-0-9875020-3-2.
    • “Philosophy, play and ethics in education” in Philosophical Perspectives on Play eds. Malcolm MacLean, Wendy Russell and Emily Ryall. (Routledge, 2016)
    • “Friendship and Happiness from a Philosophical Perspective” in Friendship and Happiness ed. by Meliksah Demir. (Springer, 2015)
    • “Friendship, Love and Politics” in Conscience, Leadership and the Problem of 'Dirty Hands’. Edited by Michael Schwartz, Howard Harris, Matthew Beard and Sandra Lynch. Special edition of Research in Ethical Issues in Organizations 13 (2015): 105-117.
    • Sandra Lynch, Daryl Adair & Paul Jonson. “Professional Athletes and Their Duty to be Role Models.” In Achieving Ethical Excellence, edited by Michael Schwartz, Howard Harris, and Alan Tapper. Special edition of Research in Ethical Issues in Organizations 12 (2014): 75-90.
    • ”Practical and Applied Ethics” in An Introduction to Philosophy and Theology within Catholic Liberal Education. Edited by Angus Brook. (McGraw Hill, 2014).
    • Paul Jonson, Sandra Lynch & Daryl Adair. “The Contractual and Ethical Duty for a Professional Athlete to be an Exemplary Role Model: Bringing the Sport and Sportsperson into Unreasonable and Unfair Disrepute.” The Australian and New Zealand Sports Law Journal 8:1 (2013): 55-88.
    • “Professional Healthcare Education: Ethical competence and emotional intelligence as aspects of care” in Catholics and Catholicism in Australia ed. Abe Ata (Kew East, Vic.: David Lovell Publishing, 2011)
    • “Friendship, Poignancy and Paradox” in Truth and Faith in Ethics ed. Hayden Ramsay (Exeter, UK: Imprint Academic, 2011)

  • Journal articles and proceedings

    • (Forthcoming) Capet, Rachel, Kearney, Sean & Lynch, Sandra (2026). "The impact of pilgrimage on faith-based teaching practice". Journal of Belief & Values: Studies in Religion & Education)
    • Di Mascio, Rita, Best, Megan, Lynch, Sandra, & Phillips, Jane. (2024). “Nurses' models of spiritual care: A cross-sectional survey of American nurses.” Palliative and Supportive Care), Apr; 22(2):314-324. doi: 10.1017/S1478951523000676.
    • Best, Megan, Lynch, Sandra, Beilharz et al (2023). “Australian Patient Preferences for Discussing Spiritual Issues in the Hospital Setting: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Study”. Journal of Religion and Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-023-01767-x
    • Brown, Janine; Handal, Boris; McKenna, Liz; and Lynch, Sandra. (2021) "Bullying prevention and mediation: the role of Values Education," eJournal of Catholic Education in Australasia: Vol. 4 : Iss.1, Article 4.
    • Mascio, Rita, Best, Megan, Lynch, Sandra, Phillips, Jane & Jones, Kate. (2021). Factors influencing nurse spiritual care practices at the end of life: A systematic review. Palliative & Supportive Care, 1-19. doi:10.1017/S1478951521001851
    • Beard, Matthew, Galliott, Jai & Lynch, Sandra. “Soldier enhancement: ethical risks and opportunities”. Australian Army Journal, 13 (1) 2016, 5-20.
    • Lynch, S., et al. “Giving Voice to Values: An undergraduate nursing curriculum project”. Collegian (2013), Volume 21, Issue 4, December 2014, Pages 367–373 (with Bethne Hart and Catherine Costa) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1322769613000929
    • Lynch, Sandra, Adair, Daryl & Jonson, Paul. “Professional Athletes and their Duty to be Role Models” in Research in Ethical Issues in Organisations, Vol. 11, 2014)
    • Beard, Matthew & Lynch, Sandra. 2013. “Personhood, harm and interest: a reply to Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva”. Journal of Medical Ethics, 39:5 e1-e4. doi:10.1136/medethics-2012-100692
    • Brook, Angus, Lynch, Sandra & Debono, Moira. “Using standards rubrics to assure graduate capabilities within the context of undergraduate liberal arts programmes: Curriculum design and assessment”, Vol 4, No 1 (2013): Fourth edition of the Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability.
    • Lynch, Sandra, Adair, Daryl & Jonson, Paul. “Professional Athletes and their Duty to be Role Models” in Research in Ethical Issues in Organisations, Vol. 11, 2014)
    • “Friendship, Poignancy and Paradox” presented to the Truth and Faith in Ethics Conference, University of Notre Dame Australia, 2008.
    • “Friendship, Ethics and Democracy”. Append Philosophy Series Vol. 4, 2003 (Journal of the Asia-Pacific Philosophy Education Network for Democracy). Presented to UNESCO funded conference Philosophical Issues in Educating for Democracy University of NSW, December, 2002.
    • “Aristotle and Derrida on Friendship” presented to the Australian Society of Continental Philosophy Conference at UNSW in November of 2000 and published in the Sydney University online journal, Contretemps 3.
    • “Encouraging Student Voices in Welfare Policy” presented to The Federation of Australian Philosophy in Schools Association Conference, Melbourne, 2000 and published in the journal Critical and Creative Thinking – the Australasian Journal of Philosophy for Children, Vol.9. No. 2, O ct. 2001. This paper focuses on the teaching of ethics in schools and grew from my involvement in two organisations, the St. James Ethics Centre and the Philosophy in Schools Association NSW.
    • “Shame and the Process of Self-Constitution”, published in Humanitas Asiatica, Vol. 2, No. 1, Dec., 2001.

  • Conference papers

    2018

    • “The Future of Philosophical Ethics in Schools: Plan and Paradox. National Conference of Federation of Australasian Philosophy in Schools Associations. University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, WA.
    • “Why do Research?” Presentation to the Pre-conference Spiritual Care Australia Research Intensive, Rydges Hotel, Newcastle, May.

    2017

    • April: “Ethics and Catholic Identity”. Catholic Healthcare Australia Governance Symposium, Coogee NSW.
    • December: Why Teach Philosophy and Ethics in Schools?” Philosophy of Education Society of Australia National Conference. University of New Castle. Panel discussion (https://pesa.org.au/conference-2017/why-teach-philosophy-or-ethics-in-schools)

    2016

    • September: “Ethics and Medical Futility”. Palliative Care Nurses Association Conference, Canberra ACT

    2015

    • November: “Service Learning: Triggering Ethical and Intellectual Potential”. Service Learning Conference, UNDA Fremantle.
    • July: Approaching the teaching of ethics in tertiary institutions: theory and committed action. University of Notre Dame Australia. With Renée Kohler-Ryan

    2014

    • February: Keynote: Commercial Law Association of Australia Seminar - "Ethics in the Context of Contract Negotiations”, Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Seminar State Library
    • April Keynote: Giving Voice to Values, Palliative Care Nurses of Australia Conference, Wentworth Hotel, Sydney.
    • July: Keynote: Giving Voice to Values Workshop on Case Studies, the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Conference, The Pullman Albert Park, Melbourne.

  • In the Media

    ABC Interview, Philosopher's Zone, Philosophy and Friendship, 2005

    • “What is Ethics”, Connections Issue 16, 2010 (Tasmanian Catholic Education Office Magazine)
    • “Art and Its Place in Our Lives” Catholic Weekly, The Catholic Press Newspaper Company Pty. Ltd.

  • Professional Affiliations

    • Past President & Member, Philosophy in Schools Association of NSW
    • Member, Australian Catholic Scholars
    • Member AAPAE