Matthew Tieu

Matthew Tieu

Health and Medical Sciences Faculty Office

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Dr Matthew Tieu has extensive experience in both empirical research (primarily qualitative methods) and philosophical research. He has previously worked on numerous projects across a broad range of healthcare related topics including aged and dementia care, digital health technology, user experience (UX) research, knowledge translation, cancer survivorship, and healthcare related life course theory development. He has also taught applied ethics and philosophy at the University of Adelaide and Flinders University. Outside of academia, he has worked in various project management, policy analysis, and social advocacy roles.

His approach to theoretical and conceptual research is aimed at explication and problematisation of matters that would otherwise remain opaque or latent. Using an epistemically sound post-disciplinary approach, he demonstrates how ethical, philosophical and social sciences perspectives underpin, inform, and shape our understanding and practice of healthcare and health professions education. His work is thus grounded in concrete realities while also being visionary, progressive, and tastefully intellectual. Here are some recent published examples of this type of work:

  1. Cancer Survivorship and the significance of an integrated diachronic life course perspective
  2. Wicked problems in a post-truth political economy: a dilemma for knowledge translation
  3. Self and Identity: An Exploration of the development, constitution and breakdown of human selfhood

In his current role as Research Fellow at Adelaide Health Simulation (AHS) he is involved in several research projects including a scoping review of simulated clinical placements, and two empirical research projects, one investigating the experience of first year nursing students undertaking clinical placements in residential aged care facilities, and another investigating the function of "embedded simulated participants". Additionally, he is leading a theoretical project on professional identity, exploring its conceptual foundations and how simulation-based education can play a fundamental role in professional identity formation. His goal is to develop a theoretical framework for professional identity formation that can inform how we understand and approach health professions education and in particular simulation-based education.

2023 - National Foundation for Australia China Relations (NFACR) Grants Program ($300k) - Principle Investigator

2022 - Cancer Australia - Priority-driven Collaborative Cancer Research Scheme ($479k) - Principle Investigator

Dr Matthew Tieu's philosophy of teaching and learning is captured by Noam Chomsky's views here on what it means to be truly educated. 

He previously taught the following topics in the Department of Philosophy at the School of Humanities.

  • PHIL1100 – Mind, Knowledge and God
  • PHIL1101 – Argument and Critical Thinking
  • PHIL1102 – Mind and World
  • PHIL1103 – Morality, Society and the Individual
  • PHIL2035/3035 – Foundations of Modern Philosophy
  • PHIL2036/3036 – How Should I Live? Contemporary Ethical theories

He also taught related topics at Flinders University. Click here for details

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2025 Co-Supervisor Enhancing Neonatal and Paediatric Stoma Care Education: A study investigating the impact of simulation in an education bundle Master of Philosophy (Medical Science) Master Part Time Mrs Alicia Jane Godmon
    2025 Co-Supervisor Individual motivation for joint action in healthcare teams: understanding the phenomena and implications for simulation-based education. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr David Freer
Connect With Me
External Profiles