Michael Nilon, MDiv, BCC, PhD

Michael “Mike” Nilon is beginning his journey as a certified educator candidate after serving as a chaplain for 5 years, primarily in palliative and end-of-life care following his residency at Baptist Health in 2020. He completed his Master of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School and his doctoral degree in Religious Studies at the University of Virginia. Mike is a Board-Certified Chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains and is endorsed by the Tallahassee Chan Center. He is passionate about dementia care, mindful spiritual care, and using evidence-based practices to improve clinical care in chaplaincy and beyond. He has integrated his research on mindfulness and neuroscience into his approach to spiritual care.

He says, "I believe that we grow the most as human beings by being mindfully present with each other and attending to the sensations, feelings, thoughts, and hopes that emerge across the life spectrum. Darkness and light, distress and joy—both have much to teach us. Chaplaincy offers us a wonderful doorway into the work of learning from each other in community. My aspiration is to provide stable accompaniment and guidance to chaplaincy students who are moving into this space of mutual discovery and curiosity, so they can learn how to be healers for themselves and others."