Professor Tommy Dickinson is a Professor of Nursing Education and Programme Leader of the Master of Nursing (MNurs) with Registration as an Adult Nurse and a Mental Health Nurse. He is a dual-awarded (adult & mental health) registered nurse. Following a clinical career predominantly in gerontological and social care nursing in the UK and Australia, he moved into an academic role in 2006. He held lectureships at several universities before commencing at King’s in 2016. In 2018, he was awarded the prestigious Talbott Visiting Professor of Nursing at the University of Virginia in the USA, where he taught, conducted research and worked clinically in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences. Tommy is an Honorary Professor of Nursing at Queen's University Belfast.

Tommy’s unique research contributions overlap nursing practice, nursing history and nursing education. His primary focus is on diversity and inclusion in health care and education taking a contemporary and historical perspective with the aim of improving the delivery of nursing care and education. As a nursing education leader, his work focuses on advancing and promoting inclusive education, and he has acted as an External Advisor on this nationally and internationally. He also has an international research profile in gerontological care with a particular focus on inclusive care for LGBTQ+ older people in care homes.

In 2021, Tommy became the first and only UK-based nurse to be selected for a Fellowship in the USA’s National League for Nursing’s Academy of Nursing Education. He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a Fellow of the European Academy of Nursing Science. Tommy is an Editorial Board member of the Journal of Nursing Education and was appointed to the Inaugural Editorial Staff of the Journal of American Nurses Association - New York as an International Editorial Advisory Board member.

In 2013, Tommy established the theatre company called Mad 'Ed Theatre. Mad ‘Ed Theatre aims to educate the public and challenge perceptions regarding mental health. The company writes, directs and produces its own original works and has secured external funding for four of its most recent critically recognised plays.

Tommy earned a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Nursing from Bournemouth University, a Master of Science in Nursing with Education from the University of Bradford, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing from the University of Manchester.

Research interests

• Care home nursing
• Nursing history
• Diversity issues in healthcare and healthcare education
• Innovative approaches to teaching and learning in healthcare education

Enquiring about potential PhD supervision

If you’re thinking of applying for one of our PhD programmes and are looking for potential supervisors, please email nmpc_pgr_enquiries@kcl.ac.uk listing the names of the supervisors you’ve identified as having expertise in your chosen area, along with your CV and a short research proposal. 

Our Postgraduate Research Team will contact supervisors on your behalf and get back to you. If you have any queries in the meantime, please use the email address above, rather than contacting potential PhD supervisors directly, because they are unable to respond to initial enquiries.

Research profile