Professional highlights:
Death, dying and bereavement work

  • HELP Impact and Engagement Coordinator | HELP App, Healthy End of Life Program | La Trobe University, 2022 - current position

  • Consultant, Death Literacy Institute, 2022 - current
    - programs include; Showing up for Grief and Death Literacy training development and workshops, Death Literacy Index benchmarking and visual design.

  • Independent Funeral Celebrant, 2020 - current

  • Funeral Celebrant Masterclass, Zenith Virago, 2020

  • Funeral Director training and ‘internship’, Picaluna Funerals, 2021

  • Campaign Manager, Inaugural World Compassionate Communities Day, 2021

  • Education, Research and Impact Lead | Arts & Health Lead and Practitioner | Founding Board Member, The GroundSwell Project (now Proveda), 2010 - 2020
    - Projects include; Death Literacy Index Practitioner Researcher, Compassionate Communities Community Development and Practitioner Researcher, Community Connector program, EOL GP Navigator project, Social Connectedness over 75 project, Dying to Know Day, Reflected and Creative Legacy, 10k project, 10 things to know before you go, Ward without Walls, Busting Cancer, Drama Project, 6th PHPCI Conference co-creative director, Fringe Festival Director and more.

  • Coordinator, Blue Mountains Volunteer Home Visitors scheme, 2016 -2018

  • Research Assistant, Caring at End of Life Research Team, WSU, 2009 - 2014
    - including Bringing our Dying Home study (Cancer Council NSW), Co-creating an Ecology of Care Study (ARC Linkage project) and Older Persons Care Networks study.

Training, professional development and awards

2021 Funeral Director Training and ‘internship’ Picaluna Funerals

2020 Funeral Celebrant Masterclass Zenith Virago

2019 Dignity Therapy training

2019 Winner SWSLHD Quality Improvement Award ‘Ward without Walls’

2019 Death Doula training

2018 Winner SWSLHD Arts and Health Award ‘Creative Legacy’

2017 Reflected Legacy practitioner training

2017 AGNSW Art and Dementia training

2017 Narrative Therapies short course

2016-17 Arts, Health and Creativity Short Courses, The Arts and Dementia Care unit, UTas

2016 Effective Volunteer Leadership training – LEEP

2015 Winner NSW Arts and Health Conference, Best Project ‘Busting Cancer’

2012 Accidental Counselling Training: Uniting Care 

2011 Digital story-telling and social media training - CuriousWorks Sydney

2008 Community Mentor training Violet (formerly HOME Hospice) 

Publications and Conference presentations

PUBLICATIONS

Noonan, K., and Read, N. (2025) Death Literacy as Community Practice: Action-learning Through Skills, Experience, Action and Knowledge. Chapter. Compassionate Communties textbook. (Invited contributors - manuscript under development)

Leonard, R., Noonan, K., Horsfall, D., Psychogios, H., Kelly, M., Rosenberg, J., Rumbold, B., Grindrod, A., Read, N., and Rahn, A. (2020). Death Literacy Index: A Report on its Development and Implementation. Sydney: Western Sydney University.

Horsfall, D., Psychogios, H., Rankin-Smith, H., Read, N., and Noonan, K. (2020) Researching Compassionate Communities in Australia: A short-term longitudinal study. Sydney: Western Sydney University.

Horsfall, D., Yardley, A., Leonard, R., Noonan, K., & Rosenberg, J. P. (2015) End of Life at home: co-creating an ecology of care.

Horsfall, D., Noonan, K. and Leonard, R. (2012) Bringing our Dying Home Bringing our Dying Home. Research Report, University of Western Sydney.

NON-ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS

Read, N, Noonan, K, (2022) Showing up for Grief: Grief knowledge for everyday use. Death Literacy Institute

Read, N. (2022) Resilience & Recovery Handbook: Art & Nature Nourishment for disaster(ous) times. Resilience and Recovery Hub, Springwood Neighbourhood Centre, Blue Mountains

Read, N., and Noonan, K. (2021) Death Literacy Training guide. COTA NSW, Death Literacy Institute

Read, N., Leonard, R., Psychogios, H., Willians, J. (2020) Brisbane South Death Literacy Baseline Survey and Needs Analysis. NSW. The GroundSwell Project

Read, N. (2020) The Hawkesbury Way: Where no one is alone. Hawkesbury Compassionate Community Practice Nurse Health Connector Training. NBMPHN, GSP, Kingswood 

Read, N. (2019) The Hawkesbury Way: Where no one is alone. Hawkesbury Compassionate Community Connector Training. NBMPHN, GSP, Kingswood 

Read, N. (2019) The Hawkesbury Way: Where no one is alone. Hawkesbury Compassionate Community Connector Train the trainer and community of practice guide. NBMPHN, GSP, Kingswood

PRESENTATIONS

Noonan, K., Mohammed, S, Kumar, S, Haridas, A. and Read, N. (2024) Creating Compassionate Communities after loss: Results from the evaluation of an international grief literacy program. Oral Presentation. 8th Public Health Palliative Care International Conference: Building Bridges between Science and People, 22-25 October 2024 – Bern, Switzerland.

Grindrod, A., Shresthra, S,. Read, N., Smith, H., and Brown,S. (2023) HELP Brief Intervention | A palliative care brief intervention unlocking informal social-practical supports. Oceanic Palliative Care Conference, Sydney, Australia.

Read, N., Wiltshire, J., and Noonan, K. (2019) What does it take to keep us connected? A community cultural development project in an acute palliative care setting. Public Health Palliative Care International Conference, Leura, Australia.

Horsfall, D., Noonan, K., Read, N., Tye, K., and Peterson, J. (2019) Our Compassionate Community, developing networks of care with willing villagers and primary health providers. Public Health Palliative Care International Conference, Leura, Australia.

Horsfall, D., Noonan, K., Read, N., Tye, K., and Peterson, J. (2019) Mountains of meaning: Health promotion to the end of our days. [Conference workshop]. IUHPE World Conference on Health Promotion. Rotorua, New Zealand.

Read, N. (2019) Building a Compassionate Community: A partnership between NBMPHN and The GroundSwell Project. NBMLHD Palliative Care Conference. Penrith, Australia.

Horsfall, D., Noonan, K., Read, N., Tye, K., and Peterson, J. (2018) Building a Compassionate Community: A partnership between NBMPHN and The GroundSwell Project. Riding the waves of change NSW Palliative Care Conference. Kiama, Australia.

Death Literacy cards