Professor Joanne McPeake has joined the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Cambridge, based at THIS Institute
Joanne McPeake has been appointed Professor of Nursing at the Department of Public Health and Primary Care. The role is a joint appointment between the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Joanne will be based at THIS Institute (opens in a new tab), where she will play a leading role in its Health Foundation-funded mission to improve the evidence base for improving quality and safety in healthcare and build research capacity.
Joanne’s clinical background is critical care nursing. She has a long-standing research interest in the integration of health and social care and how social inequalities can influence healthcare access and outcomes.
Joanne joins Cambridge from Healthcare Improvement Scotland, where she was Team Lead for Evidence and Evaluation for Improvement and an Honorary Nurse Consultant in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. She was awarded a THIS Institute postdoctoral fellowship in 2019. Before that, she held a Chief Scientist Office (Scotland) Clinical Academic Fellowship. Nationally, Joanne is Clinical Chair of the James Lind Alliance Research Priority Partnership for Sepsis (opens in a new tab), which aims to establish research priorities for sepsis care in the UK. Her research and work with patients, carers and the public has informed the Scottish Chief Medical Officer’s 2022/23 annual report (opens in a new tab) and the Scottish Government’s Health Literacy Action Plan (opens in a new tab). Joanne has also led the development of an international white paper examining the use of peer support as a mechanism to support recovery in critically ill patients.
In her position as Professor of Nursing at Cambridge, Joanne will be leading an exciting and high impact programme of research on improving health and care, with a particular focus on health inequalities and critical care. She will have a leading role in education, including coordinating the Mixed Methods module of the MPhil in Population Health Sciences. At Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, she will support the academic training and development of nurses, midwives and allied health professionals.
Joanne said:
“I first came into contact with THIS Institute in 2019 when I was awarded a fellowship to explore how to improve health and social care delivery in the acute care environment. I’m thrilled to now have the opportunity to join the institute as Professor of Nursing. I am particularly excited about working in partnership with Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to support the building of research capacity for nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals, following on from the pioneering work of my predecessor, Professor Christi Deaton. I am delighted to be coming to the University of Cambridge to join leading academics and talented colleagues in a vibrant, innovative institute that is so well aligned with my values and research interests.”
Joanne McPeake
Lorraine Szeremeta, Chief Nurse at Cambridge University Hospital, said: “We are delighted that Joanne has joined us at Cambridge University Hospitals. With her extensive experience and knowledge, we are very much looking forward to working with her, developing further the research capabilities and opportunities for our nursing, midwifery, and allied health professional colleagues.”
Mary Dixon-Woods, Director of THIS Institute, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Joanne to Cambridge and THIS Institute. Joanne is an outstanding research and professional leader whose skills, values and personal strengths make her a huge asset for the academic field of healthcare improvement studies and for the NHS.”
Joanne will give an inaugural lecture during 2024.