Tell us about your contribution that has been recognised through the associate professorship.

My outstanding contributions are identified as Teaching and Learning (T&L) and Academic Citizenship and Leadership (AC&L) and significant contribution is Research and Innovation (R&I).

In relation to T&L I have extensive subject knowledge and expert recognition as a mental health nurse and therapist having presented at numerous conferences and events, developed programmes of study and engaged in research and scholarly activity in the field. I have been recognised at Sheffield Hallam with an Inspirational Teaching Award and faculty/college awards and provide inspirational lectures to the college and other universities on my subject expertise. Feedback from students is encouraging and speak of my knowledge and approach to delivery which is engaging and inclusive.

In the past few years I have engaged extensively on several key topics in mental health care and my collaborations include:

• Being appointed as chair/lead for the Mental Health Nurse Academics UK (MHNAUK) policy and practice group
• Being nominated as vice chair of the MHNAUK
• Invited expert on three NHS England / Health Education England (HEE) development groups
• Invited to lead a Royal College of Nursing (RCN) expert interventions forum
• Invited to the Florence Nightingale Foundation expert reference group on clinical supervision
• Invited member RCN MHN Expert Group – ‘Raising the Profile of the Profession’
• Invited to the UK and Ireland Chapter Executive for the International Family Nurse Association
• External Examining at the University of Bournemouth and Munster University (Ireland).

What does it mean personally to you to be an Associate Professor at Sheffield Hallam?

I have been working towards a Chair in mental health since arriving at Sheffield Hallam and this milestone of the additional time for Associate Professor is an important recognition of the work I have been contributing to do over the years I have been a Principal Lecturer. It also shows others in the department that there is a career progression route through the Academic Careers Framework, as it is important to me to see others progress.

Tell us a bit about your career story so far.

I began nursing in 1985, progressing through various promotions which culminated in significant clinical leadership and managerial roles providing excellent care provision to both patients and staff. Joining the University from the NHS some 17 years ago, I was able to bring realism into the students’ learning through my teaching. I have maintained this link between academia and healthcare ensuring the best possible experience for students in their preparation to join the health and social care workforce as graduates.

I came to the University after 20 years in the NHS as I had begun to teach and disseminate knowledge and research there for a while and moving to a full time academic post seemed a natural step. As well as Associate Professor I am professional lead for mental health nursing which keeps me busy, but I am really proud of the teaching, research and scholarly culture we have developed as a team and our grant capture, research outputs and developing CPD portfolio is robust and well thought through.

When I was in practice in the NHS I also held a post for a while as a lecturer practitioner at the University of Sheffield and I am keen to foster clinical academic careers and opportunities for practitioners to develop and experience an academic aspect to their role. I do however maintain practice as a the cognitive analytic therapist and work from a clinic as well as pioneering a green ‘walking’ therapy and am involved closely with the University’s MINDFIT programme an alternative to counselling.

If you could go back in time and give yourself some career advice, what would it be?

I would say I would carry on the same. Take your research opportunities where they come but perhaps refine the focus earlier. Keep your head up, take opportunities where you can but keep a focus on the student experience. ‘We are there to serve them, not them there to serve us’ has always been my attention and approach to students.

What’s next? Tell us about how you want to further develop your contribution.

I want to:

• Consolidate and expand leadership and excellence in teaching, CPD, and research impact.
• Maintain leadership and membership of influential groups bringing back intelligence to Sheffield Hallam.
• Complete supervisors training to progress CPD opportunities in cognitive analytic therapy.
• Maintain scholarly activity, publication record, increasing grant capture in mental health and wellbeing.
• Expand synergies across the University with the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC), mental health, and exercise.
• Further my profession by leading the conversation in therapeutic relationship and develop my lead RCN forum.
• Progress a Principal Fellowship with the HEA.