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The Jason Passioura Bursary
The Jason Passioura Bursary honours its namesake, who passed away in 2022 after battling Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) brain cancer for 16 months.
The Bursary recognises Jason’s outstanding contribution to research and achievements in using spatial analysis to inform suicide prevention research; work carried out at NCEPH as a collaboration between the National Centre for Geographic Resources & Analysis in Primary Health Care (GRAPHC) and the Black Dog Institute.
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Jason demonstrated exceptional commitment to data accuracy, ensuring that evidence-based research focused on improving source data quality.
“I think anybody who didn’t meet Jason missed out. He was deeply generous person, and didn't expect any recognition for it. He truly contributed to the world around him”
- Michael Hewett | Geospatial Analyst/Developer
You can help us fund more students and continue Jason's outstanding work by making a contribution.
Profile
As a spatial scientist, Jason became acutely aware that spatial precision is essential for analyses and the importance of ensuring that the chosen analyses are appropriate for the quality of the data. From 2016, Jason worked tirelessly with suicide data to support the Black Dog Institute’s LifeSpan program:
“Jason was an instrumental collaborator supporting several leading-edge LifeSpan prevention initiatives. The Black Dog team has benefited from Jason’s extensive expertise in geospatial mapping and attention to detail, validating, analysing, and cleaning inaccurate data points.
His analytical skills allowed the team to gather accurate information, identify precise locations and gain insights into where interventions were needed. Jason’s critical eye supported the delivery of several prevention data reports, supporting numerous suicide prevention collaborative working groups helping them plan their suicide prevention strategy."
Before joining GRAPHC in 2016, he worked in the Commonwealth Environment Department. As a highly skilled GIS Spatial Analyst with over 15 years of experience in demanding and changing environments, Jason (as part of team) meticulously assessed data sets that helped determine official boundaries of Australia’s extensive network of new marine parks, thus leaving a separate enduring legacy.
Jason's passion for data quality in all his endeavours, his six years with GRAPHC, ability to produce high-quality spatial data, spatial data analyses, mapping products and reports was a real asset. Jason was an engaging and pleasant work colleague and was popular with all who worked with him. His passion, skill, and commitment persisted to the end, and he is missed as a colleague and a friend.
