University of Cumbria appoints Susan Foyle as honorary Professor of Practice

The University of Cumbria has appointed Susan Foyle, a senior nursing and midwifery leader with more than four decades of international experience, as an honorary Professor of Practice in its Faculty of Health.

Foyle, currently Director of Midwifery at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT), will bring extensive clinical leadership, healthcare management and academic experience to the university. Welcoming the appointment, Foyle said she was honoured to take up the role and looked forward to working with university colleagues to inspire future generations of midwives and healthcare professionals.

"Together, I hope we can inspire the next generation of midwives and healthcare professionals while continuing to improve outcomes for the communities we serve," she said. Her distinguished career spans senior healthcare leadership positions in the UK and Australia. During her time in Australia, she served as executive director of nursing, midwifery, quality and safety at Central Queensland Hospital and Health Services, where she provided professional leadership to 2,500 registered nurses and midwives across 15 facilities.

Her contribution to nursing and midwifery leadership was recognised in 2019 when she received the Association of Queensland Nursing and Midwifery Leaders Outstanding Achievement Award. Foyle also brings substantial academic experience, having served as an adjunct professor at Central Queensland University and lectured in midwifery at the University of Nottingham.

In her current position at UHMBT, she provides professional leadership for midwives and neonatal nurses across the trust. Professor Karen Stansfield, dean of the University of Cumbria's Faculty of Health, said Foyle's appointment would bring valuable expertise and international professional networks to the institution.

She highlighted the opportunity to deepen the university's partnership with UHMBT, a key regional NHS partner, particularly in healthcare education, professional development, student learning, workforce innovation and research. The appointment is expected to strengthen links between academic learning and frontline healthcare practice, while helping prepare students for the changing demands of the health and care sector.

The University of Cumbria is ranked number one in the North West and among the UK's top five universities for graduate outcomes.