Mrs Nicole Pollock

Nicole Pollock is Associate Dean of Education within the School of Nursing, Midwifery, Allied Health Professions and Public Health at Canterbury Christ Church University. A registered nurse and experienced academic leader, she brings more than 20 years of experience across clinical practice, healthcare education, professional development and university leadership.

Nicole is committed to advancing inclusive, evidence-informed healthcare education and creating environments in which students, educators and professionals can thrive. Her leadership encompasses educational quality enhancement, student experience, curriculum innovation, apprenticeships, practice learning, simulation-based education and workforce development. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has held senior academic responsibilities across programme leadership, educational strategy and practice learning.

She is undertaking a Doctor of Education (EdD), researching nursing academics’ motivation to engage in continuing professional development. Her work considers how professional identity, life experiences, institutional cultures and access to opportunities shape academic learning and development. As an author and editor, she also contributes to scholarship on simulation-based education and kind leadership.

Areas of expertise

Academic leadership and quality enhancement • Nursing and healthcare education • Simulation and immersive technologies • Continuing professional development • Apprenticeships and practice learning • Student experience and retention • Widening participation • Inclusive and compassionate leadership • Curriculum transformation • Artificial intelligence in education • Professional identity and workforce development

Nicole believes that meaningful education should be compassionate, inclusive, research-informed and connected to real-world professional practice. Her approach recognises the value of diverse backgrounds and experiences, promotes curiosity and professional growth, and seeks to remove structural barriers to participation and success. She champions supportive academic cultures, innovation and partnership working as drivers of lasting educational improvement.

Nicole’s research interests span academic professional development, professional identity, inclusive leadership, simulation and immersive learning, widening participation, student engagement and educational innovation. She is also interested in the thoughtful use of artificial intelligence in higher education and in evaluating initiatives that improve teaching quality and learner experience.

Her interdisciplinary collaborations address health inequalities, sexual health, professional stigma and access to care in underserved rural and coastal communities. She is particularly interested in research that translates into practical improvements for educators, healthcare professionals and the communities they serve.

Selected publications and scholarly outputs

Books and edited volumes

Pollock, N. (Ed.), Banfield, S., Anderson, S., & Gray, H. (2026). Practice Learning Through Simulation: A Guide for Nursing Academics and Facilitators. Wiley. ISBN: 9781394330140. Research record / publisher: https://pure.canterbury.ac.uk/en/publications/practice-learning-through-simulation-a-guide-for-nursing-academic/

Book chapters

Pollock, N. (2026). Sexually acquired infections. In Emergency Nursing: At a Glance. Wiley. [Chapter details as listed on LinkedIn; full bibliographic information to be verified.]

Pollock, N. (2026). Practice Learning Through Simulation; Adaptation to Different Learning Styles; Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Simulation; Conclusion. In Practice Learning Through Simulation: A Guide for Nursing Academics and Facilitators. Wiley. [Authored chapters; also co-author of Challenges and Considerations.] Research record / publisher: https://www.wiley-vch.de/en/areas-interest/medicine-health-care/practice-learning-through-simulation-978-1-394-33014-0

Research reports

Pollock, N., & Hart, M. (2026). An Evaluation of a Pilot Elective Placement Model for Second-Year Undergraduate Nursing Students. Canterbury Christ Church University. Research record / publisher: https://pure.canterbury.ac.uk/en/publications/an-evaluation-of-a-pilot-elective-placement-model-for-second-year/

Professional and educational writing

Pollock, N. (2019, 2 April). To Tweet or Not to Tweet, That Is the Question: A Case Study on Using Twitter with Undergraduate Nursing Students. Canterbury Christ Church University blog.

Poetry Is Truth, Beauty, Freedom and Love. [Listed on LinkedIn; publication details not provided.]

To Senior Fellowship and Beyond... [Listed on LinkedIn; publication details not provided.]

Bibliographic verification note: “First year nursing students use of social media within education: Results of a survey” is shown on LinkedIn, but its displayed authors do not include Nicole Pollock; it has therefore not been included as an attributed publication. Some LinkedIn entries have incomplete citation details.

Alongside her university role, Nicole serves as an external governor at North Kent College and as a Higher Education Ambassador for Bett. She works with NHS organisations, Kent County Council and professional partners on education, workforce development and public health initiatives, and shares practice through academic publications, conferences and professional networks.