I am honoured to have been appointed as Funding Committee Chair for the NIHR’s Health and Social Care Delivery Research Programme. I look forward to working with the NIHR on its mission to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research in partnership with universities, local government, other research funders, patients, and the public. I believe our efforts can positively impact people’s health and wellbeing in the UK and serve as a model for other countries. I am grateful to the King’s leadership team under Vice-Chancellor & President Professor Shitij Kapur for their commitment during my tenure as Executive Dean.
Professor Irene Higginson, Executive Dean, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care
08 July 2024
Professor Irene Higginson to step down as NMPC Executive Dean to take up NIHR role
Professor Higginson will continue as Professor of Palliative Care & Policy at King’s College London
Professor Irene J. Higginson, OBE, FMedSci, FKC will be stepping down as Executive Dean of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care to take up an appointment as Funding Committee Chair for the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research Programme (HSDR), effective 1 September 2024. Professor Higginson will continue as Professor of Palliative Care & Policy at King’s College London.
In addition to her new role, Professor Higginson will continue her research and education at King’s to build better health and care futures through her research into innovative, evidence-based community, self-care, and co-production approaches, focussing on global health and care challenges, individuals with the most complex illnesses or symptoms and on scalable solutions.
Professor Higginson has held leadership roles in the Faculty since 2018, initially as Vice Dean for Research and, since 2021, as Executive Dean. During her tenure, she strengthened the Faculty’s research, education, and international portfolios, achieving year-on-year growth in research income and quality.
She led the REF2021 effort for applied and allied health research at King’s, resulting in King’s being ranked first in the UK for research quality, impact, environment, and power in these fields. She led enhancing education and student experience, as evidenced by rising satisfaction in national student undergraduate and postgraduate surveys, while maintaining the Faculty’s tradition of excellence in training nurses and midwives and in promoting career development in applied health research.
Professor Higginson’s leadership as Executive Dean and her upcoming role as Funding Committee Chair for the HSDR build on her world-leading reputation in palliative care, applied health care, and outcomes research. She remains active in education and teaching and has extensive experience in leading and delivering national and international multidisciplinary collaborations. Professor Higginson is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, an NIHR Senior Investigator (Emeritus), is listed among the top 30 female scientists in the UK and is in the top 1% in the world in her field by citations.
Professor Higginson has been exemplary in her leadership as Executive Dean of the Faculty. We are delighted that she will continue her research and education at King’s which complements the NIHR’s HDSR programme to produce rigorous and relevant evidence to improve the quality, accessibility, and organisation of health and social care services.
Professor Shitij Kapur, Vice-Chancellor & President, King’s College London