Dr Alison Gallagher

Dr Alison Gallagher is Head of Lifelong Learning and a Principal Lecturer within the School of Nursing, Midwifery, Allied and Public Health at Canterbury Christ Church University. With over 35 years of experience spanning clinical nursing practice, healthcare education and academic leadership, she has developed a strong reputation for advancing professional learning across the healthcare workforce. Alison leads a diverse portfolio that includes Foundation Year provision, postgraduate education, public health programmes, continuing professional development (CPD), and innovative lifelong learning initiatives designed to meet the evolving needs of health and social care services. Her professional background combines extensive experience in critical care nursing with expertise in curriculum development, quality enhancement and educational leadership. Alison has played a leading role in the design and delivery of advanced clinical practice and postgraduate programmes and is committed to creating flexible, evidence-informed learning opportunities that support workforce development. She is particularly interested in educational innovation, digital learning, artificial intelligence in healthcare education and widening access to lifelong learning.

Alison is an experienced nurse academic and educational leader whose work focuses on postgraduate healthcare education, advanced clinical practice, curriculum innovation and workforce development. As Head of Lifelong Learning, she provides strategic leadership for postgraduate and CPD provision, working collaboratively with academic colleagues, healthcare organisations and professional bodies to ensure programmes remain responsive to contemporary health and social care priorities. Her leadership experience spans teaching and learning, postgraduate education, quality assurance, and staff development, underpinned by a commitment to student success and excellence in healthcare education.

Alison has extensive teaching experience across both pre-registration and post-registration nursing education. She teaches on the MSc Nursing (Adult Pathway), leading modules including Applied Adult Nursing and Complexity in Adult Nursing Practice, and has contributed significantly to the development of new postgraduate nursing curricula. She has a particular expertise in Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP), having led the growth and development of ACP provision and served as Apprenticeship Lead and Module Leader for End Point Assessment. Throughout her academic career, Alison has championed innovative approaches to teaching and learning, including blended and technology-enhanced learning, curriculum redesign and the integration of contemporary educational frameworks. Alongside programme leadership, she supervises postgraduate dissertations for MSc students and supports doctoral research, drawing on her own educational research expertise and extensive experience of healthcare practice.

Alison's scholarly interests focus on healthcare education, lifelong learning, advanced clinical practice, digital pedagogy and the integration of emerging technologies into health professional education. She completed her Doctor of Education at the Open University and was awarded the prestigious Sir John Daniel Award for Excellence in Educational Research. Her publications include peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapter contributions and academic reviews, with topics ranging from critical care nursing to clinical nursing education. She is currently involved in national work examining the use of generative artificial intelligence within healthcare education through the Council of Deans for Health. This work includes contributing to sector-wide guidance and the development of principles for the ethical and effective use of AI in health education. Alison also presents and contributes to professional conferences and scholarly networks, promoting innovation and evidence-informed practice in healthcare education.

Alison actively contributes to the wider healthcare and higher education sectors through external examining, professional leadership and national policy-development activities. She serves as External Examiner for Advanced Clinical Practice programmes and End Point Assessment provision and has previously held external examiner roles at several UK universities. She is a member of the Council of Deans for Health Innovation and Pedagogy Group, the Association of Advanced Practice Educators (AAPE), the NHS Education and Training Network and the Association for Learning Technology. Through these networks, she contributes to national discussions on advanced clinical practice, workforce development, educational innovation and quality standards. Her external activities include participation in the AAPE End Point Assessment National Working Group, the Council of Deans for Health Education Assurance Group for Advanced Practice, the Generative AI Working Group, and initiatives shaping future public health and healthcare education frameworks. These roles enable her to influence policy, inform best practice and support the ongoing development of healthcare education at a national level.