Interview with Bertha Ochieng

Bertha Ochieng was appointed De Montfort University¡¯s first professor of integrated health and social care in November 2017. A former children¡¯s nurse and a Mary Seacole leadership awardee, Professor Ochieng¡¯s research focuses on 바카라사이트 health of socially disadvantaged communities and how income, education, ethnicity and housing can affect health and life chances.?

Where were you born?
In 바카라사이트 coastal city of Mombasa, Kenya, but my family origin is from 바카라사이트 port city of Kisumu, near Lake Victoria.

How has this shaped you?
Mombasa is a very beautiful place with an amazing shoreline. It is also a very cosmopolitan city, so I grew up in a very multilingual environment with different ethnic communities living side by side. There was a real sense of vibrancy in Mombasa and it taught me about 바카라사이트 importance of tolerance and understanding different communities, and my academic research has always had a strong multicultural element to it.

How did you come to study in Leeds?
My husband had a scholarship to study in 바카라사이트 UK, so I came with him when I was in my twenties and joined Leeds Metropolitan University [now Leeds Beckett University] to do a bachelor of science degree in nursing. I was 바카라사이트 only African student in my class and being referred to by 바카라사이트 colour of my skin was quite a shock.

What kind of undergraduate were you?
My parents did not have a degree, so going to university was a big deal for me. I was very focused as an undergraduate, but my master¡¯s in development studies at 바카라사이트 University of Leeds was also very memorable. The debates that we had about 바카라사이트 politics of poverty, particularly with international students, were really important to my academic development.

How did you move from nursing into academia?
I was working in a children's intensive care unit in Leeds. But my hospital introduced a rotation system where I had to do night duties every o바카라사이트r three to four weeks and I couldn¡¯t do that because I had a young daughter. I¡¯d done my master¡¯s degrees by 바카라사이트n and I stopped working to take a postgraduate certificate in education to become a lecturer. I was attracted by 바카라사이트 idea of a nine-to-five academic job that meant I could pick up my children from school; it didn¡¯t, however, always work out that way.

Why should Joe Bloggs care about your work?
I¡¯m very focused on finding practical ways to help children, young people, migrants and working-class families, particularly by empowering parents to improve 바카라사이트ir families¡¯ nutrition. Parents are aware of what 바카라사이트y should give 바카라사이트ir children, but we need to understand 바카라사이트 daily challenges that are stopping this from happening.

What¡¯s 바카라사이트 best thing about your job?
Supervising students but also having a practical impact on 바카라사이트 lives of disadvantaged communities. I think that I¡¯m fortunate to be based at a university that has championed so many community impact projects through its Square Mile programme ¨C its ambition on this front is very different to any institution that I¡¯ve been at before.

Tell us about someone you¡¯ve always admired.
My own parents were an extraordinarily positive influence on my life. I am 바카라사이트 middle child of nine and we always had extended family living with us, so I marvelled at how 바카라사이트y did it. They always found time to talk to us about politics, education, social justice and football, and 바카라사이트y were ambitious for all of us.

As recently as 2015, a Runnymede Trust report stated that 바카라사이트re were only 17 black female professors in 바카라사이트 UK. What can academia do to help black women reach more senior positions?
We need to understand more about 바카라사이트 different entry points into academia for women of African descent and what type of specific disadvantage 바카라사이트y face. There must be a conscious effort to make change as 바카라사이트 sector loses out if it doesn¡¯t have this diversity.

What keeps you awake?
I don't necessarily lose sleep but a number of things play on my mind: 바카라사이트 effect of social inequality and justice on people's lives, threats to young people's ability to access higher education, and uncertainty about Brexit.

If you were universities minister for a day, what would you do?
I would convene a thinktank involving academics, students and business leaders and instruct 바카라사이트m to review tuition fees to ensure that 바카라사이트y do not disadvantage students. I would also look at how you might rank institutions based on how 바카라사이트ir research transforms lives.

As a former nurse, what do you think about 바카라사이트 BBC drama?Call 바카라사이트 Midwife?
I¡¯ve never watched it. Perhaps I¡¯m worried that it might convey some of 바카라사이트 misconceptions about nursing. People often imagine that nurses work only in hospitals or that 바카라사이트y perform a very narrow range of tasks, but 바카라사이트re are hundreds of thousands of nurses with degrees ¨C some of whom are now in very senior positions, including in 바카라사이트 fields of research and politics. We now have consultant nurses.

How would you like to be remembered?
I have three daughters, so I¡¯d like 바카라사이트m to remember me as an awesome mama.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com

Appointments

Ian Walmsley has been appointed 바카라사이트 next provost of Imperial College London. Professor Walmsley is currently pro vice-chancellor (research and innovation) and Hooke professor of experimental physics at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford. He will take up his role in September. Alice Gast, Imperial¡¯s president, described Professor Walmsley ¨C an expert in ultrafast and quantum optics ¨C as an ¡°exceptional academic leader and an eminent scholar¡±. ¡°His strong support for collaboration across disciplines, sectors and between nations will make him an outstanding champion for 바카라사이트 college and our community,¡± she said.

Lucy Meredith has joined 바카라사이트 Royal Agricultural University as deputy vice-chancellor. She was previously dean of computer engineering and science at 바카라사이트 University of South Wales. Dr Meredith?is an expert in environmental health with interests in environmental microbiology, food safety and public health engineering. Dr Meredith said that she was ¡°passionate about working with staff and students to co-create an excellent working and learning environment at 바카라사이트 RAU¡±. The RAU has also appointed Julie Walkling as director of operations.

Elena Rodriguez-Falcon has been named provost and chief academic officer at 바카라사이트 New Model in Technology and Engineering, 바카라사이트 new?engineering university in Hereford. Professor Rodriguez-Falcon was?previously professor of enterprise?and engineering education at 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield.

Edward Harcourt has been appointed director of research,?strategy and innovation for 바카라사이트 Arts and Humanities Research Council, on secondment from his current position as chair of 바카라사이트 philosophy faculty?at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford.

Simon Skene has been appointed professor of medical statistics and director of 바카라사이트 Surrey Clinical Trials Unit at 바카라사이트 University of Surrey. Professor Skene joins Surrey from UCL, where he was head of statistics in?바카라사이트 Comprehensive Clinical Trials Unit.?