Dr Hila Dafny (She/Her)
Associate Professor
View researcher profile

Organisation unit

College of Health School of Nursing and Midwifery

Location

Adelaide University
Profile of Dr Hila Dafny

Other role

Academic Lead, Teaching and Learning, Quality and Students

Organisation unit

College of Health School of Nursing and Midwifery

Location

Adelaide University

Available for media comment

Nursing & primary health care

My skills

Critical Care Nursing
Mixed-method research
Wellbeing and burnout
Workforce
Workplace Violence
I am available to supervise PhD, Master's, and Honours students in the area of workforce, wellbeing, burnout, workplace violence and critical care nursing.
I am available during office hours Monday - Friday.

About me

I am an Associate Professor (Nursing) and researcher in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health at Adelaide University. 
I am the Academic Lead – Teaching and Learning Quality and Students. 

Teaching experiences and leadership: I have many years of experience in course coordination and teaching across a broad range of nursing courses in the nursing program, including undergraduate, postgraduate, and HDR completions at Australian and overseas universities (AU, UniSA, Flinders, UniSQ, HUJI). I teach clinical practice, clinical education, and evidence-based practice to undergraduate and postgraduate students. In 2021, I served at Flinders University as the First-Year Level Coordinator and Course Coordinator, contributing significantly to the curriculum, assessments, and content of the first-year NURS1002 topic, Context of Nursing and Primary Health Care (enrolling over 700 students), and leading a team of more than 40 staff members. I have experience teaching a wide range of courses/topics, including Introduction to Nursing Praxis, Foundations of Nursing Practice, Acute and Chronic Care, Introduction to Research and EBP (UG and PG) and Communication for Nursing. In 2022-2023, I served as the coordinator of all Critical Care Postgraduate topics.

Research activities, publications and awards: I received the Top-Cited Article award, and my research on workplace violence, which I led, has been recognised as one of the top 10 most-cited papers published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing, highlighting its impact on Research, Community and Nursing. 
I have developed a strong publication record (13 H-index) in workplace violence, burnout and wellbeing, receiving international recognition as the international Top-Cited Article award for the top 10 most-cited papers and the most downloaded paper published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing (top 10% Q1) from John Wiley, demonstrating the impact of my study on research, nursing and communities. In 2024, I received recognition for the Most Downloaded Paper in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, and this year, I was awarded the National Industry PhD Program (NIPHD) – Industry Researcher Award. Over 50 publications, 46% were published as the first author; 90% were published in Q1 journals, of which 45% of publications were in the top 10% journals in Scopus by CiteScore. In a balanced position (teaching and research), I have contributed to over 50 publications, and according to ResearchGate, my research interest score is higher than 97% of ResearchGate members who first published in 2020. I demonstrate a growing influence in my field of workplace violence and wellbeing through presentations at international conferences and the supervision (mainly as a principal supervisor) of 3 PhD and 4 Master's students, with 2 PhD and 5 Master's students completing their studies. 


I am an Associate Professor (Nursing) and researcher in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health at Adelaide University. I am the Academic Lead – Teaching and Learning Quality and Students. Teaching experiences and leadership: I have many years of experience in course coordination and teaching across a broad range of nursing courses in the nursing program, including undergraduate, postgraduate, and HDR completions at Australian and overseas universities (AU, UniSA, Flinders, UniSQ, HUJI). I teach clinical practice, clinical education, and evidence-based practice to undergraduate and postgraduate students. In 2021, I served at Flinders University as the First-Year Level Coordinator and Course Coordinator, contributing significantly to the curriculum, assessments, and content of the first-year NURS1002 topic, Context of Nursing and Primary Health Care (enrolling over 700 students), and leading a team of more than 40 staff members. I have experience teaching a wide range of courses/topics, including Introduction to Nursing Praxis, Foundations of Nursing Practice, Acute and Chronic Care, Introduction to Research and EBP (UG and PG) and Communication for Nursing. In 2022-2023, I served as the coordinator of all Critical Care Postgraduate topics. Research activities, publications and awards: I received the Top-Cited Article award, and my research on workplace violence, which I led, has been recognised as one of the top 10 most-cited papers published in the Journal ...
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2025: 
  • Recipient of the Australian Government National Industry PhD Program Award (Industry Researcher Stream) for an evidence-based nursing career progression framework, in partnership with the Australian College of Nursing. 
  • Awarded Top Viewed and Top Cited Article recognitions by the Journal of Clinical Nursing (Q1, Wiley) for the paper Nursing students’ experience of workplace violence in clinical practice, ranking in the top 10 for views and citations. 
  • Recognition and Appreciation Letter from the Chair, RNA Flinders Advisory Group, for sustained leadership in promoting Safety and Respect initiatives at Flinders University. 
 2024: 
  • Recognised for the Most Downloaded Paper in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing for research on nurse-led hypertension management. 
  • Awarded Going the Extra Mile (GEM) recognition for excellence in service, student retention outcomes, and contributions to World Mental Health Day initiatives. 

I am an Associate Professor and Academic Lead, Teaching and Learning Quality and Students at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health, Adelaide University. I have over nine years of academic experience across Australian and international universities (University of Adelaide, UniSA, Flinders University, UniSQ, & HUJI), with extensive leadership in course coordination, teaching, and curriculum development across undergraduate, postgraduate, HDR, and non-HDR nursing programs. I have led large teaching teams, implemented innovative teaching methodologies, and developed high-quality learning materials, assessments, and evaluation strategies. My service roles include Co-Chair of Respect Now and Always at Flinders University and the Work Health and Safety at the college and university levels. Active member of international organisations: International Learning Collaborative and Sigma Theta Tau, reflecting my global engagement and leadership in nursing education and research.

I teach clinical practice, clinical education, and evidence-based practice to undergraduate and postgraduate students. In 2021, I served at Flinders University as the First-Year Level Coordinator and Course Coordinator, contributing significantly to the curriculum, assessments, and content of the first-year NURS1002 topic, Context of Nursing and Primary Health Care (enrolling over 700 students), and leading a team of more than 40 staff members. I have experience teaching a wide range of topics, including Introduction to Nursing Praxis, Foundations of Nursing Practice, Acute and Chronic Care, Introduction to Research and EBP (UG and PG) and Communication for Nursing. In 2022-2023, I served as the coordinator of all Critical Care Postgraduate courses. 

  • 2023–ongoing: Member, International Learning Collaborative Inc. (ILC), contributing to global advocacy, research, and education promoting the Fundamentals of Care and quality improvement in healthcare. 
  •  2023–ongoing: Australian College of Nursing (ACN) National Nursing Forum; mentor in the Emerging Research Leader Program and collaborator on industry partnerships, contributing to the National Industry PhD Program – Industry Researcher award. 
  •  2022–ongoing: Mparntwe Centre for Evidence in Health – JBI Centre of Excellence, Flinders University. 
  •  2021–ongoing: Critical Care and Cardiac and Stroke Teams, Caring Future Institute, Flinders University. 
  •  2020–ongoing: Caring Future Institute, leading an Umbrella Review on digital health interventions in cardiac rehabilitation within the Systematic Review Club. 
  •  2013–ongoing: Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), Phi Delta-at-Large Chapter, reflecting sustained international recognition of nursing leadership and excellence.

Media experience
In the news, I highlight the alarming rise of workplace violence against student nurses, emphasising its devastating impact on their mental health and career prospects while calling for stronger anti-violence policies, training, and support systems. I was interviewed for several news including Healthcare Channel https://healthcarechannel.co/violence-threatens-future-of-nursing-students/ and the Australian Ageing Agenda https://www.australianageingagenda.com.au/research/increase-in-violence-against-aged-care-nurses/
  • Addressing workplace violence for student nurses and clinical facilitators - ANMJ https://anmj.org.au/addressing-workplace-violence-for-student-nurses-and-clinical-facilitators/ 
  • Increase in violence against aged care nurses https://www.australianageingagenda.com.au/research/increase-in-violence-against-aged-care-nurses/
Available for media comment
  • Nursing & primary health care
Last updated on 19/01/2026 by Hila Dafny