James is a passionate and engaging Research Fellow and Teaching Associate.  

James holds a Bachelor of Nursing, Bachelor of Nursing (Honours), Master of Nursing and Graduate Certificate of Health Professions Education from Monash University. He has also completed the Nurse Immuniser Program at La Trobe University and the Immunisation for Health Practitioners Certificate delivered by the Australian College of Nursing. In 2023, in recognition of his educational expertise and efforts across a wide variety of contexts, James became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. James is currently a PhD Student at Monash University.

James has a long history with Monash University, extending back to his undergraduate degree at the Peninsula campus. He is proud to be part of the campuses reimagining as a hub for excellence in health professions education, research and practice. 

James is currently a Patient Services Manager (Hospital Coordinator) at Peninsula Health, a large metropolitan health service in Melbourne, Australia.   

James’ clinical career includes extensive experience in specialist medical/surgical nursing with a focus on caring for severely injured burn victims/survivors.

During his career James has worked as a Clinical Educator, Clinical Support Nurse, and Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Victorian Adult Burns Service at The Alfred Hospital.

James transitioned from his substantive position at Monash University during the COVID-19 pandemic to set up and lead Peninsula Health’s COVID-19 mass vaccination centre (the Frankston Community Vaccination Hub), providing specialist immunisation experience and expertise, returning to Monash University to take up a Research Fellow position.  

James’ clinical, teaching and research responsibilities are synergistic. James has travelled to Cambodia with undergraduate nursing and midwifery students to provide primary health care to children at a local school in Phnom Penh.

James is currently a Teaching Associate, delivering practical skills-based education to undergraduate nursing, midwifery and paramedicine students. He also delivers postgraduate education for extended scope of practice paramedics specialising in community paramedicine. His particular area of interest includes the safe and quality use of medications, by ensuring that healthcare professionals have a solid pharmacology foundation on which to base clinical decisions.     

Previously, James has been the Chief Examiner and Unit Coordinator for unit NUR1112 Fundamental Skills and Knowledge for Nursing and Midwifery Practice 1, a core unit in the Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Midwifery (Honours). Additionally, James was the First Year Level Coordinator, a key role within the course where he was a leader and liaison for staff and students across the first-year curriculum.

Appreciating the importance of interprofessional education to collaborative healthcare practice, James participates in interprofessional pharmacy/nursing experiences where the focus is on interprofessional collaboration and communication. He is also responsible for teaching into the recently established Monash University Vaccination Training Program for pharmacy interns.

Research Interests

Interested in the reach of James' research? Check out this Altmetric report.

Co-Design

In his current role as a Research Fellow, James is providing support to the educational research portfolio at Monash Nursing and Midwifery, led by Professor Gabrielle Brand. James is leading a variety of projects, collaborating with consumers to co-design health professions education. James prioritises collaborative, transformational, inclusive research, that has real-world benefits for healthcare consumers and health professionals.

Relevant research: What does consumer and community involvement in health-related education look like? A mixed methods study. Advances in Health Sciences Education.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-023-10301-3

Relevant research: “You don’t see what I see”: Co-designing simulation to uncover and address cognitive bias in healthcare. Medical Teacher. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2024.2313581

Health Professions Education

James also has a research interest in health professions education more broadly. He has explored the experience of nurses who have supervised students who demonstrate unsafe practice or are underperforming on clinical placements. Student driven feedback processes have also been a feature of James’ research.

Relevant research: Improving student-centered feedback through self-assessment. Nurse Education Today. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2019.08.011

Planetary Health

Healthcare professionals have a responsibility to care for both people and the planet. There is an inextricable link between planetary and human health – thunderstorm asthma, bushfires and climate change refugees are devastating reminders of this link.  

James’ research interests focus on helping health professions educators to integrate planetary health education into their teaching. Our current health professions students must be equipped with the capacity to enact change to reduce the planetary impact of healthcare and manage the health impacts of a changing planet on human health and wellbeing.

Relevant research: “I teach it because it is the biggest threat to health”: Integrating sustainable healthcare into health professions education. Medical Teacher. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2020.1844876

Relevant research: Celebrating Australian nurses who are pioneering the response to climate change: a compilation of case studies. Contemporary Nurse. https://doi.org/10.1080/10376178.2024.2336230

James’ research supervision capability includes qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including systematic and scoping reviews as well as mixed methods. He has successfully supported Bachelor of Nursing (Honours) and Master of Advanced Nursing students through to completion. Previous student research topics have included burnout in emergency nurses, escape rooms as a teaching and learning strategy and learner experiences of simulation.    

James is not set in his supervision topics, instead preferring to develop a collaborative relationship and learn from his students’ passions for their chosen topic and project. He is currently supervising Master of Advanced Nursing and Bachelor of Nursing (Honours) students.   

A sense of community among students and staff is important for helping everyone reach their goals through social learning and support.

James has been a tutor for the Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme, and is an active member of the Ally Network, which includes allies of the LGBTIQ community at Monash University. Allies take a proactive stance against discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status. They work to create a safe and inclusive experience on campus for everyone.   

James was the inaugural Deputy College Head of Aquilla Non-Residential College and is as past College Head of Peninsula Residential, part of Monash Residential Services. These experiences were formative for James, helping him identify the factors that impact on student learning and success.

James has a strong record of encouraging the student voice in teaching and research. He has encouraged undergraduate students to participate in research opportunities and established the Monash Nursing and Midwifery Student Representative Group which connects students directly with the senior leadership team, to work collaboratively to enhance the student experience.

Transition to university can be a daunting experience. Help from a senior student can facilitate the transition and maximise success. James helped establish and lead the Monash Nursing and Midwifery Peer Support Program which involves peer mentoring and near peer teaching opportunities.

Drawing upon his emergency controller experience in hospital, James has been a Building Warden, responsible for the safety and wellbeing of students and staff during emergencies and building evacuations.

James uses his clinical expertise as a GoodSAM (Smartphone Activated Medic), responding to emergency calls in the community in those first critical minutes of cardiac arrest while paramedics are on the way. He has responded to eight cardiac arrests in his local community since the inception of the GoodSAM program.

In addition to his GoodSAM service, James has supported Frankston City Life, a program that provided breakfast for people who find themselves homeless or disenfranchised. Happy to wash dishes, prepare breakfast, have a chat or provide health advice, James participated in this program for two years, before its untimely closure.