Meet the Team

Dr Rachael Major

Forum Chair

Rachael qualified as a Registered Nurse (Adult) in 1996, having previously completed a BSc (Hons) in physiology and worked in general medical, general surgical and gynaecology including a practice educator role, before taking up a lecturing position in 2001 and senior lecturer post in 2003. Rachael has led on a number of programmes including pre-registration nursing, mentorship and return to practice. Rachael has worked collaboratively with a number of University’s to develop and deliver validated and NMC endorsed programmes and has an interest in curriculum development. Rachael is currently the post-registration programmes lead which include the BA (Hons) Health and Social Care Practice and Masters in Professional Practice, PGDip in Leadership in Professional Practice and PGCert in Professional Education.

Rachael teaches across a broad range of subjects from research, pedagogy, anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, clinical skills and leadership and she is a National Vocational Qualification Assessor and Internal Verifier. Her Doctorate in Education investigated the experience of registered nurses with dyslexia and she has continued to research the experiences of neurodiverse nurses. Her research interests include neurodiversity in nursing, teaching of biological sciences and transition of newly qualified nurses. Rachael is passionate about supporting students from a wide range of backgrounds to enable them to reach their potential and being part of the development of healthcare professionals across their careers.

Rachael Major

David Barrett

David is the Deputy Head of the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York. His role includes overall responsibility for the Department’s teaching provision, including pre-registration Midwifery and Nursing.

He is a registered nurse with a clinical background in coronary care and cardiology nursing. After moving into academia in 2002, he worked for almost 20 years at the University of Hull, undertaking a variety of teaching, scholarship and leadership roles, before joining the University of York in late 2022.

David has a range of teaching, research and scholarship interests, but focuses particularly on nurse education, healthcare leadership and the use of technology to enhance care.

Sarah Done

Sarah Done is a Senior Lecturer in the College of Human and Health Science, Swansea University, joining the Department of Nursing in 2014. Following completion of her BSc  in Chemistry at the University of Reading, Sarah embarked upon her career in nursing undertaking her BSc Nursing at Swansea University and MSc Advanced Practice in Cardiff University, 

Sarah has a background of 17 years’ experience within the NHS with a primary focus on cardiac nursing.  A Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Sarah strives to promote excellence and innovation within her undergraduate and post-graduate teaching. In addition to teaching responsibilities across the pre-registration nursing programme, Sarah is an advocate of work-based learning.  Sarah has scholarly interests in simulation; inter-professional education; clinical decision making; critical and acute care. She currently sits on the Royal College of Nursing Education Forum Steering Committee.

Paul Irving

Paul started his nursing career as an Auxiliary Nurse whilst in sixth form at School. This role lead him to want to train to be a nurse and he complete his initial nurse education in Edinburgh training at the Astley Ainsley Hospital’s Canaan Lane Campus of Napier University of Edinburgh’s School of Nursing & Health. After a short period post qualifying in Scotland he then moved to Oxford to continue his career in Gerontological Nursing and Rehabilitation. This has been the main focus of his clinical career.  

Paul’s route into education came through a practice development role which inspired a desire to teach and train others. There was a tangential move in senior nurse management before taking the leap into academia in 2012. Paul has taught pre and post registration nursing programmes and been involved in curriculum development and design. Seconded to the NMC test of Competence Centre for two years as their Chief Examiner he was involved in updating the exam to reflect the new standards for Education and Assessment and the increase in numbers taking the exam.  

Internationally Paul has been involved in designing a pre-registration programme for the European Nursing Academy in Bucharest and was part of a team that produced a report for the World Health Organisation into nurse education in North Macedonia and the development of a programme to meet the EU directive.  

Research areas of interest include:

• Clinical Competence and its measurement
• Curriculum Development and Design
• Nursing History/ History of Nurse Education.

Elise Miller

Elise Miller is a perioperative nurse working in NHS Ayrshire and Arran. Elise worked in social care while gaining her MA (hons) in History and then moved into community arts and education. During this time, she completed her PGDE in secondary education and worked to support young people within education and to reintegrate after absence or exclusion. She also worked as a freelance drama tutor, teaching drama and stage production across several local authorities and working with young people with additional support needs in schools and the community. In 2009 she decided to follow a long-held ambition and retrained as a registered nurse (adult).
 
After graduating with a BSc in Adult Nursing, Elise worked in surgical admissions in Edinburgh, then in respiratory in Paisley before taking up her current post in Ayrshire Maternity Unit as a perioperative nurse. During this time, she maintained her interest in education, directing this into supporting students and new staff in the workplace including creating learning packages, mentoring and supporting colleagues to transition to practice assessors. She is a practice link lead and has particular interests in active learning, bridging the theory-practice gap and in use of digital technologies in health care.
 
Elise is also a learning and development representative for the RCN and an NHS Scotland digital champion. In her spare time Elise is a peer supporter for the Breastfeeding Network and the National Breastfeeding Helpline.

Ally Middleton

Ally qualified as a Registered Nurse (Adult) with a BSc (Hons) in 2007 and embarked on a nursing career with the Royal Air Force.  This came with many opportunities to study and work in a variety of acute settings, which included clinical roles in the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine/University Hospitals Birmingham, as well as overseas deployments and postings working with the RAF, Army and Royal Navy Medical Services, and nursing colleagues from other nations. During this time an interest in supporting learning and education developed, supporting junior colleagues, students and support workers. 
 
Following a Diploma in Education whilst delivering clinical training, Ally moved to a military role in Birmingham City University, becoming involved in pastoral support, assessment of placement quality, and teaching, gaining her NMC Teacher status.  After leaving the military in 2016, Ally completed her Masters of Education whilst a Project Manager, successfully delivering the first Nursing Associate cohorts, working closely with local universities and currently is the Lead for Professional Development in Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust. Ally is passionate about high quality education and opportunity for development across the continuum of nursing.

Ally Middleton

Dr Neesha Oozageer Gunowa

Dr Neesha Oozageer Gunowa is an experienced Senior Lecturer and the Pathway Lead for Community Nursing at the University of Surrey.  She combines this role with that of Community Nurse Fellow at NHS England.  During her early clinical years, Neesha was employed as an Associate Matron and District Nurse at a large South London integrated Trust where she provided managerial and clinical professional leadership to Community Nursing Teams.  She then started her academic career at Kingston University & St. George's, University of London as a Senior Lecturer in Community Nursing.

Her passion for community nursing, research and nurse education has fuelled a passion for the exploration of health inequities in nursing. In 2016, Neesha was awarded a scholarship at the Oxford Institute for Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Research (OxINMAHR).  She then completed her PhD focusing on nurse education and the presentation of pressure ulcers among people with dark skin tones. 

She has more recently developed a national reputation and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.  Her work has been recognised by numerous highly reputable nursing organisations including The Florence Nightingale Foundation, the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma, the Council of Deans of Health and the NIHR. Neesha is a proud Queen’s Nurse and is a Trustee of the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI).