Laura Maria Serrant, (born 1963) is a British nurse and academic. She is currently Regional Head of Nursing for North East and Yorkshire at Health Education England and

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

of at

Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, England. The university has over 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Educat ...

where she was previously Head of Department.

Early life and career

Serrant was born in Nottingham in 1963, the daughter of John Serrant and his wife, born Eudora Toussaint. She was not only the first in her family to attend university, but also one of the first nurses to qualify through a degree, graduating in 1986 with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

(BA) degree in nursing from

Sheffield City Polytechnic Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield railway station, while the Collegiate Cr ...

. Serrant's work specialises in sexual and reproductive health, including research into working with sex workers, alcohol and drug dependent individuals and tackling attitudes towards HIV and AIDS alongside policy development nationally and internationally with an emphasis on racial inequalities and cultural safety. In 2016, Serrant appeared in

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

documentary ''Black Nurses: The Women Who Saved the NHS'', discussing the contribution and celebrating the influence of Black nurses in the NHS. In 2017, then Chief Nursing Officer

Jane Cummings Jane Frances Cummings is a former Chief Nursing Officer for England, formerly at the Department of Health and subsequently at NHS England. In November 2013 she was interviewed about the demand for safe staffing levels in NHS hospitals and told ...

appointed Serrant as Chair of the BME Strategic Advisory Group for NHS England. Serrant has held a number of posts, having previously been Professor of Community and Public Health Nursing the

University of Wolverhampton The University of Wolverhampton is a public university located on four campuses across the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire in England. The roots of the university lie in the Wolverhampton Tradesmen's and Mech ...

and Head of Evidence and Strategy in the Nursing Directorate of

NHS England NHS England, officially the NHS Commissioning Board, is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care. It oversees the budget, planning, delivery and day-to-day operation of the commissioning side of the ...

. She was also non executive director of

Sheffield Health & Social Care NHS Foundation Trust Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust is an NHS foundation trust which runs mental health and learning difficulty services in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It runs the Central Health Clinic, Intensive Support Services, Jo ...

from April 2018 to August 2019. From May 2016 to November 2018 she also served as

of Nursing at

Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield railway station, while the Collegiate Cr ...

. In 2018 Serrant was appointed as the Head of the School of Nursing at

becoming the only black head of nursing in UK Universities. Outside of her work in Nursing, Serrant has appeared on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

programme ''

Great Lives ''Great Lives'' is a BBC Radio 4 biography series, produced in Bristol. It has been presented by Joan Bakewell, Humphrey Carpenter, Francine Stock and currently (since April 2006) Matthew Parris. A distinguished guest is asked to nominate the pe ...

'' where she nominated poet and activist

Audre Lorde Audre Lorde (; born Audrey Geraldine Lorde; February 18, 1934 – November 17, 1992) was an American writer, womanist, radical feminist, professor, and civil rights activist. She was a self-described "black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet," who ...

as deserving of the title of having lived a 'Great Life'. Furthermore, her relationship with poetry continued with the inclusion of a poem written by Serrant in a theatre production titled 'Windrush' which toured the UK in 2018.

Honours

In 2014, the

Health Service Journal ''Health Service Journal'' (''HSJ'') is a news service that covers policy and management in the National Health Service (NHS) in England. History The '' Poor Law Officers' Journal'' was established in 1892. In 1930, it changed its name after ...

compiled a list of the 50 people from Black & Minority ethnicities working within the NHS that are inspiring and making a difference and included Serrant for her work in community and public health nursing at the University of Wolverhampton. In 2017 it was announced that Serrant was recognised in the 2018 ''

Powerlist The ''Powerlist'' is a list of the 100 most influential people of African or African Caribbean heritage in the United Kingdom. The list is updated annually and has been published in book format by Powerful Media since 2007. The ''Powerlist'' is ...

'' as the eighth most influential black person in the United Kingdom, and in the same year she was awarded an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

Abertay University , mottoeng = "Blessed is the one who finds wisdom." , established = 1994 – granted University Status 1888 – Dundee Institute of Technology , type = Public , chancellor = Alice Brown , principal = Liz Bacon , head_label = Chair of C ...

. In the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) for services to health policy. Serrant has also been included on the

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

and

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

''Powerlist'' of the 100 most influential Britons of African/African Caribbean descent in recognition of her contribution to medicine. In 2021 she received the Prestigious Nursing Times UK Chief Nursing Officers' Lifetime Achievement award for services to Nursing.

Selected works

* * * * * * *

References

External links

NHS Profile

Manchester Metropolitan University Profile

Publications at Google Scholar
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Serrant, Laura Living people English nurses Nursing researchers British women nurses Academics of Sheffield Hallam University Academics of the University of Wolverhampton Alumni of Sheffield Hallam University Officers of the Order of the British Empire Black British women academics Black British health professionals 1963 births Fellows of the Royal College of Nursing