Dr Hila Dafny

Senior Lecturer

College of Nursing and Health Sciences

+61 8 8201 5121
place Bedford Park
GPO Box 2100, ADELAIDE, SA, 5001

I am a senior lecturer (Nursing) and researcher in the College of Nursing & Health Sciences at Flinders University. I teach across a broad range of nursing subjects in the nursing program, including undergraduate, postgraduate and HDR students.
I teach clinical practice, clinical education, and evidence-based practice to undergraduates. In 2021 I acted as the First Year Level Coordinator and was the Topic Coordinator and contributed significantly to the curriculum, assessments and content of the first year NURS1002 topic – Context of Nursing and Primary Health Care with more than 700 students enrolled and led more than 40 staff. I had experience teaching several topics during my teaching career, including Introduction to Nursing Praxis, Foundations of Nursing Practice, and Acute and Chronic Care. I am currently a Critical Care Post Graduate topic coordinator and supervise PhDs, Masters and Honours students.

My research experience includes Systematic Review, Umbrella Reviews, Co-design, Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Research Design, collaborating with national and international researchers, presenting at conferences and publishing in Q1 Journals. I have a PhD in Nursing from the University of Southern Queensland. My doctoral research has contributed to the overall body of knowledge on workplace violence within the healthcare sector. It examines nurses' perceptions of physical and verbal violence perpetrated by patients and visitors and the ensuing impact on the nurses, including their ability to care for patients. The research also investigated nurses' perceptions of current workplace violence strategies and support services at a regional Queensland Hospital. I received Magna Cum Laude once I completed my Bachelor of Nursing from Hebrew University, Jerusalem. I also have a master's in Public Health and Community Medicine from the same institution.

Qualifications

PhD of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences, The University of Southern Queensland, Australia. Thesis title: “The perceptions of nurses regarding violence, strategies and support in a regional Queensland Hospital”. Name of advisor: Professor Don Gorman and Associate Professor Gavin Beccaria.

Master of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Magna Cum Laude, School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Hadassah Ein-Kerem Hospital, Israel.

Honours, awards and grants

Fellowships:

2021-2022:   National Disability Research Program. Recipient of Everybody’s Game grant funds that awarded the team $286,151.

March 2021:  Recipient of a CNHS, Flinders University Kickstarter Research Grant of $5,000.

2014-2016:   Internationally a One person who chosen from all over the world to receive this Fellowships Fund Inc (FFI). Total of $84000, amount of $2800 each year. FFI provides one three-year and several one-year Fellowships each year to women seeking to undertake postgraduate study and research. They are open to Queensland women graduates and women graduates from anywhere in the world seeking to study in Queensland.

Magna Cum Laude, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Hadassah Ein-Kerem Hospital, Israel.

Membership in Professional / scientific societies

2020- currently: Membership in the Caring Future Institute, Flinders University, Leading the Umbrella Review within the Systematic Review Club. In addition, applying better care and health outcomes across the lifespan.

2021 – currently: Member of the Critical Care Team, Caring Future Institute, Flinders University

2021 – currently: Member of the Cardiac and Stroke Team, Caring Future Institute, Flinders University

2013-currently: Membership in the Phi Delta-at-Large Chapter of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) which demonstrates international recognition to my commitment to nursing leadership, excellence and the improvement of health worldwide.

2022 – currently: Member of the Respect Now Always (R.N.A.) action plan and working group at Flinders and CNHS.

Key responsibilities

Research responsibilities include conducting research, being involved in CFI, Critical care, and Cardiac research teams, supervising HDR students, and leading research projects within the CFI - umbrella reviews and systematic reviews.

Teaching responsibilities - Teaching within the undergraduate and postgraduate at the CNHS and Topic coordinator and leading the Postgraduate Critical Care Topics teams. In 2021 I acted in the role of the First year level coordinator and led a team of 42 tutors and coordinated NURS1002, first year topic with 700 students. Significant contribution to the BN Redesign from 2021 until currently in the Nursing practice and clinical skills working group.

Service to the CNHS – College of Nursing and Health Sciences:

2022: Leading and organising the ECR Workshop: an interactive Caring Futures Institute ECR workshop, by ECRs for ECRs.

November 2020 – currently: Work Health and Safety representative for CNHS, Flinders University, SA

August 2021-currently: involved in leading and redesigning of BN program and curriculum (Nursing), CNHS, Flinders University, SA.

November-December 2021 – Acting First Year-Level Coordinator (Nursing), CNHS, Flinders University, SA.

2022 – currently: Member of the Respect Now Always (R.N.A.) action plan and working group at the CNHS, Flinders University.

Service to the university:

2020 – current: Supervision of master’s student from USQ – University of Southern Queensland.

2022 – examining HDR students’ dissertations.

2022 – marking HDR students’ thesis and review papers for Q1 Nursing Journals.

2021 - Panel AGRTP and FURS domestic scholarship selection for HDR students.

August 2021 – Participating at the Open days at Flinders University, SA.

2021 - Open day planning and participating at Flinders University, SA

2019 – 2020 - Participating at the Open days and STEM days at USQ, Queensland.

Service to the Nursing Profession:

September 2021-currently: AHPRA International Qualified Nurses (IQN) OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Exam) Examiner, SA.

Teaching interests

Introduction to Nursing Profession

Context of Nursing and Primary Health Care

Acute Care

Chronic Care

Transition to Professinoal Practice

Topic coordinator
NURS8743 Critical Care Nursing Practice (PEP)
NURS8741 Professional Experience in Resucitation Across the Lifespan (PEP)
NURS1002 Context of Nursing and Primary Health Care
NURS8740 Foundations for Responding to Clinical Deterioration Across the Lifespan
NURS8742 Critical Care Nursing Theory
Topic lecturer
NURS1002 Context of Nursing and Primary Health Care
Expert for media contact
Community/Public health
Nursing
Available for contact via
+61 8 8201 5121
Or contact the media team
Media expertise
  • Community/Public health
  • Nursing
Further information

Dafny, H. A., Champion, S., Gebremichael, L. G., Pearson, V., Hendriks, J. M., Clark, R. A., Pinero de Plaza, M. A., Gulyani, A., Hines, S., Beleigoli, A., & Team, t. N. C. P. (2023). Cardiac rehabilitation, physical activity, and the effectiveness of activity monitoring devices on cardiovascular patients: An umbrella review of systematic reviews. European Heart Journal - Quality of Care and Clinical Outcomes.

Dafny, H. A., Champion, S., Pearson, V., & Brown, S. (2022). Nursing students’ experiences of workplace violence in clinical practice: a qualitative systematic review protocol. JBI Evidence Synthesis

Adnan, N. B. B., Baldwin, C., Dafny, H. A., & Chamberlain, D. (2022). What are the essential components to implement individual-focused interventions for wellbeing and burnout in critical care healthcare professionals? A realist expert opinion. Frontiers in Psychology, 6027.

Adnan, N. B. B., Dafny, H. A., Baldwin, C., Jakimowitz, S., Chalmers, D., Aroury, A. M. d. A., & Chamberlain, D. (2022). What are the solutions for well-being and burn-out for healthcare professionals? An umbrella realist review of learnings of individual-focused interventions for critical care. BMJ open, 12(9),

Dafny, H. A., Chamberlain. D. & Parry, K. P. & Beccaria, G. (2022). Do nurses receive any support following incidents of workplace violence? A qualitative study. Journal of Nursing Management.

Dafny, H.A., Champion, S., Gebremichael, L., Pearson, V., Nesbitt, K., Pinero de Plaza, M. A., Bulto, L., Noonan, S., Hines, S., Hendriks, J., Clark, R. & Beleigoli, A. (2022). Effectiveness of using activity-monitoring devices on patients with cardiovascular disease participating in cardiac rehabilitation programs: an umbrella review protocol. JBI Evidence Synthesis, 20 (3): 1-11.