King's College London

On Friday 16 January 2026, King’s hosted the second graduation ceremony for graduates from the Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care.

Friday’s ceremony saw students graduate from postgraduate programmes in: Nursing with Registration as an Adult Nurse, a Children’s Nurse and a Mental Health Nurse; Undergraduate programmes in Nursing with Registration as an Adult Nurse, a Children’s Nurse and a Mental Health Nurse; and Undergraduate programme in Midwifery with Registration as a Midwife.

Professor Dame Jessica Corner DBE returned to King’s as an alumni graduation speaker, which saw her deliver an inspiring speech to all the new graduates.

Professor Dame Corner first studied Nursing Studies at Chelsea College, graduating in 1983. Chelsea College merged with King’s College London in 1985. She then returned to King’s for a PhD in Nursing Studies, finishing in 1990.

In her speech, Professor Dame Corner said that she grew up in Wiltshire as part of a large family on a farm. She was the first in her family to go to university, and wanted to train as a nurse but also study at a university which was unusual for the time. King’s offered one of just three nursing degree programmes in the country; Professor Dame Corner joined the third intake in a class of 25.

“What drew me to the programme was its emphasis on research,” Professor Dame Corner said. “All our lecturers were research-active clinicians with a vision: they wanted to develop the future leadership of nursing and clinical practice more broadly.

“They were also deeply committed to what we now call patient experience [...]. They challenged how care was organised and delivered and they taught us something that I have never forgotten: that it isn’t only medicine that helps people get better, but understanding people. Listening, communicating and recognising that how care is given can matter just as much as what care is given.”

Professor Dame Corner has held multiple leadership roles in nursing and education throughout her career: Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at the University of Nottingham; Chair of the Council of Deans for Health; Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Southampton; and Director of the Centre of Cancer and Palliative Care Studies and Deputy Dean of Nursing at the University of London’s Institute of Cancer Research, to name but a few. She said in her speech, “I still proudly tell people I am a nurse—because nursing brings something distinctive and powerful, and because all health and care professions benefit when we work together with mutual respect and shared purpose.”

Professor Dame Corner ended with three pieces of advice for the Faculty’s new graduates:

• Follow what genuinely interests you, as that interest and passion for it will carry you through the hard work and more difficult things that you will encounter.

   

• Say yes more often than no, especially when an opportunity feels risky.

• If something looks wrong, don’t walk past it. Try to change it, even if that change feels small. In clinical practice, small changes can make the biggest difference.

King’s is hugely proud of its alumni community, and we’re currently conducting a short alumni survey to better understand your needs and motivations. Your feedback will have a direct impact on the work we do in future so have your say today!