Elizabeth Pearson
Vice chair and Trustee
Mary Seacole Trust UK
Elizabeth is a proud diaspora Ugandan Nurse, Nurse leader, and Lecturer (Adult Nursing).
AdDipN, RGN, BSc (Hons) Nursing, MBA (Health and Social Care)
Nurse / Lecturer Adult Nursing
Vice Chair and Trustee, Mary Seacole Trust UK
Founding Director, Diaspora Uganda Nurses Midwives Society (DUNMS)
Co-founder & Inaugural President, Uganda Nurses and Midwives Association - UK (2020-2023)
*Tradename for NHCC Uganda CIC*
- Qualified as a registered Adult General nurse at the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom (UK) and holds an advanced diploma (2005) and a bachelor’s degree in nursing science (2008) and recently obtained her master's degree (2023) from Anglia Ruskin University UK, where her research centred around the role of Diaspora healthcare professionals in strengthening healthcare systems. As a third-generation nurse, she has worked in various capacities in the UK public, third, and independent sectors. She also proudly volunteered professionally at a Regional Referral Hospital in Uganda in 2019 for six months and gained much experience.
- In 2016, she founded her “giving back initiative” called the Diaspora Uganda Nurses Midwives Society (DUNMS)* a Community Interest Organisation registered in England and Wales as an independent platform to raise the profile of Nurses and Midwives, fostering shared learning, conducting research that informs practice and provides Continued Professional Development opportunities (CPD) for Nurses and Health care professionals especially in Low to Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) through conferences, workshops and seminars (www.nhccuganda.com - *Trade name for National HealthCare Conferences (NHCC) Uganda.). The CPD training is designed to empower nurses and midwives to learn new skills, obtain competencies, and gain tools to help them improve and deliver quality care. See some reports here https://issuu.com/nhccuganda.
- Elizabeth is the Vice Chair of Mary Seacole Trust (MST) UK, a position that Elizabeth holds dearly, as it honors Mary's legacy. Mary Seacole was a Jamaican diaspora nurse who nursed the wounded soldiers during the Crimean War. Her contribution to nursing the injured in Crimea was not highlighted for nearly 100 years, alongside Florence Nightingale. MST work aligns with the advocacy for fair treatment of Black Asian Minority Ethnic health care professionals in the UK, among other objectives.
- She is co-founder and Inaugural President of the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Association - UK (UNMA-UK), an organization she formed at the tail end of the second wave of the pandemic (2020 - 2023). This work included writing the concept note and drafting the constitution, creating an umbrella organization for Ugandan Nurses, Midwives, and students living and residing in the UK, and designing the annual activities and events. See the full report here https://isu.pub/XaNrTrB.
- Elizabeth is also the former Chairperson of her local community centre in North West London - a position she held for 7 years. More about her community advocacy work - Former finance chief to stand for Lib Dems | Camden New Journ
- A research survey to assess the nurses’ readiness and their role in health promotion during COVID-19. See Nurses, midwives issue Covid-19 demands to government | Monitor
- Uganda Nurses and Midwives Letter (NML) - A newsletter enacted in April 2020 to bridge the communication gaps from the leadership and raise the profession’s profile. It is now in the second edition and is published quarterly. See more here https://issuu.com/nmltt/docs/nml_issue_12--final_draft and https://issuu.com/nmltt
- End of the Year student nurse/midwife competition reward to encourage and inspire our future nurses (The Next Gen). The reward competition is run annually, rotating between a winning student nurse and a student midwife. The inaugural End of the Year 2024 Student Nurses competition was launched in November 2024.
- Survey and report on the diaspora nursing and midwifery organizations in the UK available here: https://issuu.com/nhccuganda/docs/diaspora_consortium_report_20.
- CPD training UK-based Diaspora Leaders Training seminar called Compassionate leadership.
- CPD training Uganda-based for early career nurses and midwives, Virtually Simulated Placement (VSP) program globally co-designed and produced specifically, including digital literacy skills.
- Advocacy in the UK parliament - for unemployed international recruitment for nurses and midwives. See the full report here https://isu.pub/XaNrTrB.
- Advocacy in Uganda for the additional inclusion of the Diaspora category in the Health In Heroes' Awards (HIHA). This included drafting the proposal and making a presentation to the stakeholders and organizers. The category was successfully included in 2024, and a UK diaspora nurse was awarded a merit.