Rate My Professor Jessie Johnson-Cash

Jessie Johnson-Cash is a Lecturer in Nursing and Midwifery at the University of the Sunshine Coast's School of Health. Her academic qualifications include a Master of Midwifery (MMid) from the Sunshine Coast, a Bachelor of Health Science (BHS) with Distinction from the Sunshine Coast, and a Certificate from Central Queensland (C.Qld). She has substantial professional experience as a midwife in private practice, as well as in public and private hospital sectors. Additionally, she worked as a registered nurse in mental health, with a particular interest in perinatal mental health and wellbeing. Passionate about physiological birth and woman-centred care, she adopts a student-centred teaching philosophy in her academic role.

Johnson-Cash's research focuses on student support and engagement, cultural and political birthing practices, and midwifery practice. Key publications include 'Student Midwife Support Circles: do they influence emotional wellbeing and a sense of belonging to the midwifery profession?' (Midwifery, 2025, with Terri Downer, Prudence Millear, Jackie Holt, Leanne Francia); 'Our UniSC Story: Closing the Gap by supporting and graduating Indigenous midwifery students, one midwife at a time' (2025, with Lynne Stuart); 'A survey of students' experiences of returning to midwifery practice following a break in practice' (Nurse Education in Practice, 2024, with Lyn McNeill et al.); and 'Sowing the seeds' (2015, with Rachel Reed). She earned a Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy in 2023. As chief investigator, she led the SPARK Grant ($8,334, 2023) on student midwife support circle evaluation. She was co-investigator on the CSALT Exploratory Learning and Teaching Grant ($30,000, 2013), Learning & Teaching Grant ($10,000, 2023) on culturally safe curriculum, and Research Grant ($10,000, 2023) on sensory sensitivity and breastfeeding. Her teaching portfolio encompasses HLT121 Midwifery Foundations, HLT303 Perinatal and Infant Mental Health, and HLT203 Collaborative Midwifery Practice.