News | Friday, 9th October 2020
Professor of Nursing named in top 50 most influential BAME health leaders
Prof Laura Serrant features in the Health Service Journal’s new BAME50 list
Professor Laura Serrant OBE, Professor of Nursing at Manchester Metropolitan University, has been recognised as one of the most influential health figures in the country, in a new list from the highly regarded Health Service Journal (HSJ).
The ‘BAME50’ lists the black, Asian and minority ethnic figures who will exercise the most power and influence in the English NHS and health policy over the next 12 months.
The list is a collaboration with NHS England, judged by 16 of the most prominent figures in healthcare, including Dame Donna Kinnair, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing and Lord David Prior, Chairman of NHS England.
Prof Serrant has previously been head of the nursing department at Manchester Metropolitan University, starting in 2018, the only black head of nursing in a UK university at that time.
Her influence across the University’s nursing programmes has been substantial, which she credits to working alongside a talented, supportive and highly professional colleagues in the Faculty of Health, Psychology and Social Care.
The department has continued to grow and prosper across education, research and internationalisation, most recently recognised as one of the top 10 programmes in the country in the Guardian University Guide 2020.
Prof Serrant’s career has been defined by her determined and impassioned voice for equality, chairing the Chief Nursing Office for England's BME strategic advisory group and advising on black and minority ethnic issues for the government. She is also an ambassador for the Equality Challenge Unit for Higher Education.
In February this year, she delivered her inaugural lecture 'Equal chance? On silences, speaking and the importance of being heard' to a packed-out lecture theatre and via livestream across the world. The lecture, which drew a standing ovation, detailed her personal and professional life as a Black female nurse academic. She impressed the importance of reflection on our own identities and that of our communities, to effectively serve and care for the health needs and challenges of our diverse population.
The HSJ recognised many notable achievements of Prof Serrant's career so far, including her work as head of evidence and strategy in NHS England’s nursing directorate and her appointment as chair of the BME strategic advisory group for NHS England in 2017. She was also credited for her work as a non-executive director of Sheffield Health and Social Care Foundation Trust.
They also recognised her work as an influential public speaker on global diversity and inclusion and has appeared on radio. She was awarded an OBE for services to nursing and health policy in 2018.
Much of her academic work has focused on racial and ethnic inequalities and cultural safety. She is passionate about hearing the voice of marginalised communities and has developed a framework for conducting research in this area.
Professor Serrant said: “I am proud and honoured to be listed in the top 50 BAME influencers for 2020. It has been a challenging year for nursing and healthcare in general, however, we have learned more than ever of the vital role that nurses and health care professionals play in the health and wellbeing of our communities.
“As a leading department in the education and training of the next generation of nurses, our work to support the future diverse workforce has never been more important.”
