Six new Drs enjoy their own graduation celebrations

University graduation ceremonies are a time of the year when most attendees are undergraduate students who celebrate getting letters after their names.

But amongst the other graduates are usually a small number of university staff who have themselves been hard at the text books and research papers, as students and not lecturers.

A researcher and five lecturers from the Faculty of Health and Society and a lecturer from the Faculty of Business and Law joined their students and donned mortar boards and capes for the annual summer graduation ceremony at the Royal & Derngate theatre. They were:

·         Dr Fiona Barchard, Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing (Doctor of Philosophy)

·         Dr Nicola Smithers, Senior Lecturer in Law (Doctor of Philosophy)

·         Dr Alison Ward, Researcher, Health and Society (Doctor of Philosophy)

·         Dr Claire Clews, Senior Lecturer in Midwifery (Doctor of Professional Practice in Health and Social Care)

·         Dr Sarah Cross, Associate Lecturer in Paramedic Science (Doctor of Professional Practice in Health and Social Care)

·         Dr Kim Stuart, Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy (Doctor of Professional Practice in Health and Social Care).

The Doctor of Professional Practice in Health and Social Care offers senior managers and advanced practitioners working in health and social care a professional development opportunity.  Previous ‘Prof Doc’ graduates have spoken about why they took the course and how their careers have been subsequently enhanced because of it.

The University of Northampton also has a number of other postgraduate qualifications in health and social care, education and the humanities, business and law and arts, science and technology.