
Debra Nestel is a Professor of Simulation Education in Healthcare at Monash University and a Professor of Surgical Education at the Department of Surgery at, the University of Melbourne, Australia. She is the program lead for the Graduate Programs in Clinical Simulation (Monash University) and the Graduate Programs in Surgical Education (University of Melbourne). Debra leads a national faculty development program for simulation practitioners – NHET-Sim. Debra also leads an international simulated patient network. Debra’s education and research activities have three overlapping strands: simulation as an educational method; educational research in medicine and surgery; and faculty development. Debra’s research has been cited over 13K times, and she has an h-index of 58. Debra has published over 250 peer-reviewed papers in health professions education and edited five books and a major reference work. In 2021, Debra received the award of Member of the Order of Australia for her service to healthcare simulation. She has received other national awards for her work in education and healthcare simulation, including a Presidential Citation from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. Debra was founding Editor-in-Chief, Advances in Simulation and is Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Healthcare Simulation.
- Bachelor of Arts Degree, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Victoria, Australia, 1977-1979
- Doctor of Philosophy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, SAR, China,1992-1998
- Fellow, Academy of Medical Educators, UK, 2012
- Fellow, Academy of Surgical Educators, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Australia, 2013
- Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator - Advanced, Society for Simulation in Healthcare, USA, 2013-2017
- Fellow, Academy of Simulation Educators, Society for Simulation in Healthcare, USA, 2017
My education and research activities have three overlapping strands: simulation as an educational method; educational research in medicine and surgery; and faculty development.
To view a complete list of Dr. Nestel's publications view her ResearchGate profile or CV.