I completed my registered nurse training and first degree in Sheffield in 1991 before moving to Oxfordshire to take up a staff nurse post in respiratory medicine. After a few positions I moved into palliative care nursing at Sir Michael Sobell House. This is where I found a passion for working with and caring for people at the end of their lives.

In 1999 I started working for Oxford Brookes University, teaching on the pre-registration programme and taking a particular interest in end-of-life care education. I now lead the Professional Doctorate in Nursing programme.

My own postgraduate studies have been in the fields of health psychology and professional education. I completed a Professional Doctorate in Education (EdD) in 2017, which explored the early developments of professional identity among nursing students beginning their careers.

More recently, I have worked with colleagues specialising in heart failure and supported student research in this topic. While palliative and end-of-life care has changed considerably, there are still groups who have limited input by specialist services.

My Fellowship focuses on travel to understand how this situation can be improved.