Associate Professor (Teaching and Research)
College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Associate Professor Jason Mills is a senior academic with expertise in the fields of health promotion, mental health, and public health approaches to palliative and end-of-life care. He is a member of the Flinders Research Centre for Palliative Care, Death and Dying (RePaDD), Caring Futures Institute, and the Open Door Initiative.
Having served as a soldier in the Australian Army, Associate Professor Mills holds a special interest in understanding and supporting the health and wellbeing of veterans and their families, particularly as they approach the last chapter of life.
As a dual certified compassion educator with the Compassion Institute and Stanford Medical School's Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE), the cultivation and expression of compassion is central to Jason's efforts in teaching and research.
Associate Professor Mills holds both national and international positions of influence, as Chair of the ACN End of Life Care Faculty and as Editor-in-Chief, Progress in Palliative Care. In addition to this, he also serves on the Editorial Boards of:
Fellow, Australian College of Nursing (2013)
Fellow, Royal Society of Medicine (UK)
Fellow, Royal Society Public Health (UK)
Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy (Advance HE, UK)
Philosophy of Teaching
‘Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire’.
My teaching philosophy is built upon the recognition that the mere acquisition of knowledge alone is not sufficient. As implied by the Latin root of the word Education, educere refers to a ‘leading out’ in learners, and I see my role as an Educator being to help facilitate this and participate in the co-constructing of experiential knowledge through a variety of learning experiences.
My teaching philosophy is learner-centred and focused on the goal of facilitating meaningful learning experiences that foster personal growth and professional capability for clinical practice.
‘Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all’.
Fostering emotional intelligence is therefore an important part of my teaching practice. In doing so, I apply the theory and principles of positive education as a pedagogical foundation to help learners flourish. This is important because contemporary healthcare practice increasingly demands resilience and positive emotions associated with compassion literacy to provide sustainable and compassionate patient care.
My teaching philosophy is consistent with the Advance HE areas of activity, core knowledge, and professional values outlined in the Professional Standards Framework. As a Registered Nurse with clinical expertise in the subject matter being taught, I have a sound understanding of how practitioners learn within healthcare disciplines. I therefore incorporate appropriate methods for teaching/learning and assessment in the subject area and at the level of the academic program. This means drawing upon relevant pedagogical theory and applying real world learning and teaching strategies to promote capability for professional practice in line with Australian Health Practitioner Standards.
Having taught over 20 Postgraduate/Undergraduate subjects across 7 Universities, ultimately, my teaching philosophy is to help learners flourish both personally and professionally, through collaborative partnerships that foster mutual growth.
Chair, End of Life Care Faculty, Australian College of Nursing
Member, Australasian Institute of Digital Health
Member, Spiritual Care Australia
Member, JBI Palliative Care Expert Reference Group
Member, Public Health Palliative Care International
Member, Last Aid Research Group International
Member, International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care
Member, Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) - Palliative Care Study Group
Member, Palliative Care Clinical Studies Collaborative (PaCCSC) and Cancer Symptom Trials (CST) - Cognitive and Neurological Disorders (CaND) Symptom Node
For prospective students interested in completing Higher Degree Research (Masters or PhD), I am always happy to discuss your research ideas and topics for study.
My approach to research supervision is outlined in the attached Supervisory Philosophy.