Rate My Professor Sarah Tillott

Sarah Tillott is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Health at Southern Cross University. Holding university qualifications in health and education, including a PhD in Education focused on resilience, she possesses over 20 years of university teaching experience. At the University of Wollongong, she developed the Academic Resilience Framework and received several outstanding teaching and learning awards, including the OCTAL Teaching Award in 2013 and a nomination in 2014. Dr. Tillott serves as CEO of The School For Living Resilience and created the Dusty and Friends resilience series for children, including the book 'Game On', which her PhD demonstrated leads to measurable behaviour change. She now oversees the Master of Healthcare Leadership at Southern Cross University and has collaborated with NRL clubs such as the Cronulla Sharks and St George Illawarra Dragons to foster community resilience.

Dr. Tillott's research centers on building resilience through health, education, and sporting platforms, targeting children, athletes, coaches, teachers, and vulnerable communities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Her interests encompass mindfulness for resilience, storytelling for self-regulation, sports psychology including coach stress and athlete retirement, workplace engagement, and health in long-term travellers. Key publications include 'Self-regulation through storytelling: A demonstration study detailing the educational book “Game On” for resilience building in early school children' (2024), 'Why should teachers cultivate resilience through mindfulness?' (2022, Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools), 'Mitigating conflict between emergency department and inpatient staff due to access block' (2025), 'Strong culture, healthy lifestyles: a mixed methods feasibility study for a co-created Aboriginal early childhood health and wellbeing program' (2024), 'The health and health preparation of long-term Australian travellers' (2017), and 'Encouraging engagement at work to improve retention' (2013, Journal of Nursing Management). She has presented at international conferences including ACHPER, Sigma Theta Tau, and RCN, and for organizations like Tennis Australia and NAB bank. Her contributions to The Conversation cover topics such as the psychology of athlete retirement and coach stress, aligning with Sustainable Development Goals for vulnerable community health.