Dr Alison James
SFHEA RGN

Deputy Head of School

: Welsh speaking
: Available for postgraduate supervision

Alison is a Reader in the School of Healthcare Sciences at Cardiff University and a Senior Fellow of HEA. She is a Registered General Nurse and teaches across the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Healthcare, is an active researcher, supervisor and PhD examiner. She is also Lead for the Interdisciplinary Student Leadership Academy, Campus lead and co-chair of Governance for Upsilon Xi at Large Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

Alison's research interests include leadership, quality improvement, organisational cultures and healthcare education and she has an M.A in Healthcare Law and Ethics(Swansea University), and is a Doctor of Advanced Healthcare Practice ( Cardiff University). Her research includes recently leading a research project funded by the GNCT exploring the experiences of Executive Directors of Nursing in the wake of Covid-19 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jan.16329?saml_referrer .

Alison's clinical background includes Neuroscience nursing at the Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, osteopororsis clinincal research at Oxford University and Fracture Liaison Specialist Nurse at the Nuffield Orthopaedic centre, Oxford. She began her academic career in 2008 in Knowledge Transfer and postgraduate teaching in leadership and management in Health and Social Care at Oxford Brookes University. She returned to Wales and moved to Cardiff University in 2014 where she has held positions of Deputy and Programme Manager for the MSc Advanced Practice and Advanced Clinical Practice programmes, Recognition of Prior Learning Lead and International Academic Student Link as well as Module lead for undergraduate and postgraduate modules.

Alison is a member of the Wales Centre for Evidence Based Care (WCEBC),https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/research/explore/research-units/wales-centre-for-evidence-based-care and has been a Scientific Writer for the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Centre of Excellence. She has presented at conferences in the UK and internationally and is widely published in peer reviewed journals and author of books. Her publications include evidence-based reviews in internationally peer-reviewed and evidence-based databases, peer reviewed journal commentaries, contribution to national reports for Department of Health and books ( most recent publication https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781119869375 )

Alison is a PhD examiner and has experience as an external examiner at Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, King’s College London (MSc Programme for Leadership), Manchester University, De Montford University and Learna and she has experience of external reviewing programmes for validation in the UK and Greece. She is a member of the editorial board for RCNi Nursing Management.

2024

James, A. H., Dimond, R., Jones, A., Watkins, D. and Kelly, D. 2024. Leading through the COVID-19 pandemic: Experiences of UK Executive Nurse Directors. Journal of Advanced Nursing (10.1111/jan.16329)
James, A. H., Kelly, D. and Bennett, C. L. 2024. Nursing tropes in turbulent times: Time to rethink nurse leadership?. Journal of Advanced Nursing 80(1), pp. 8-10. (10.1111/jan.15766)
James, A. and Clouston, T. 2024. Developing and evaluating an interdisciplinary student leadership academy. Presented at: NET Conference 2024: Igniting change: breaking boundaries with digital innovation and creativity in healthcare education, virtual, 11 December 2024.
James, A. H. and Stanley, D. 2024. Notes on nursing leadership. Wiley & Sons Ltd.

2023

Sheeran, L., James, A. and Hawkins, J. 2023. Co-production of BACK-on-LINETM, a work-based digital self-management of low back pain, for implementation and scaleup the rail industry. Presented at: 11th Interdisciplinary World Congress on Low Back and Pelvic Girdle Pain, Melbourne, Australia, 1-4 Nov 2023.
James, A., Kelly, D. and Dimond, R. 2023. Nurses in the Boardroom: Exploring the changing role of the Executive Nurse Director -Identifying priorities and actions for leadership strategies post pandemic: the CovLead study.. Presented at: RCN International Research Conference 2023, Manchester UK, 6-8 Sept 2023.
James, A. H. 2023. Valuing the emotions of leadership learning experience in nursing education. Nurse Education in Practice 71, article number: 103716. (10.1016/j.nepr.2023.103716)
James, A. H. and Clouston, T. J. 2023. Developing compassionate leadership and quality improvement skills for interprofessional healthcare students in Wales. Presented at: AoME-INHWE joint international conference, UK, 27-29 June 2023INHWE 3rd International Congress of Health Education and Research & AoME Annual Academic Meeting Abstracts Book. pp. 23-23.

2022

James, A. H. and Bennett, C. L. 2022. Chapter 10: leading teams. In: Stanley, D., James, A. H. and Bennett, C. L. eds. Clinical Leadership in Nursing and Healthcare. Vol. 3rd Ed. London: Wiley, pp. 227-244., (10.1002/9781119869375.ch10)
Bennett, C. L. and James, A. H. 2022. Leading change. In: Stanley, D., James, A. H. and Bennett, C. L. eds. Clinical Leadership in Nursing and Healthcare. London: Wiley, pp. 157-182., (10.1002/9781119869375.ch7)
Bennett, C. L. and James, A. H. 2022. Patient safety and clinical decision making. In: Stanley, D., James, A. H. and Bennett, C. L. eds. Clinical Leadership in Nursing and Healthcare. Wiley: London, pp. 183-204., (10.1002/9781119869375.ch8)
Bennett, C. L. and James, A. H. 2022. Quality improvement. In: Stanley, D., James, A. H. and Bennett, C. L. eds. Clinical Leadership in Nursing and Healthcare. Vol. 3rd Ed. London: Wiley, pp. 337-354., (10.1002/9781119869375.ch16)
James, A. H. and Bennett, C. L. 2022. Chapter 18: power, politics and leadership. In: Stanley, D., James, A. H. and Bennett, C. L. eds. Clinical Leadership in Nursing and Healthcare. Vol. 3rd Ed. London: Wiley, pp. 385-402., (10.1002/9781119869375.ch18)
James, A. H. and Bennett, C. L. 2022. Chapter 19: from empowerment to emancipation – developing self leadership. In: Stanley, D., James, A. H. and Bennett, C. L. eds. Clinical Leadership in Nursing and Healthcare. Vol. 3rd Ed. London: Wiley, pp. 403-420., (10.1002/9781119869375.ch19)
James, A. H. and Bennett, C. L. 2022. Chapter 20: leading through a crisis. In: Stanley, D., James, A. H. and Bennett, C. L. eds. Clinical Leadership in Nursing and Healthcare. Vol. 3rd Ed. London: Wiley, pp. 421-437., (10.1002/9781119869375.ch20)
Bennett, C. L. and James, A. H. 2022. Leadership and management. In: Stanley, D., James, A. H. and Bennett, C. L. eds. Clinical Leadership in Nursing and Healthcare. Vol. 3rd Ed. London: Wiley, pp. 119-135., (10.1002/9781119869375.ch5)
Stanley, D., Bennett, C. L. and James, A. H. eds. 2022. Clinical leadership in nursing and healthcare. London: Wiley. (10.1002/9781119869375)
James, A. H. and Arnold, H. 2022. Using coaching and action learning to support staff leadership development. Nursing Management 29(3), pp. 32-40. (10.7748/nm.2022.e2040)
James, A. H., Watkins, D. and Carrier, J. 2022. Perceptions and experiences of leadership in undergraduate nurse education: A narrative inquiry. Nurse Education Today 111, article number: 105313. (10.1016/j.nedt.2022.105313)
James, A. H., Teena, C. and Aled, J. 2022. Developing compassionate leadership and quality improvement skills for healthcare students. Presented at: NETNEP 8th International Nurse Education Conference, Barcelona, 19-23 October 2022.

2021

James, A. H., Carrier, J. and Watkins, D. 2021. Nursing must respond for social justice in this ‘perfect storm’. Journal of Advanced Nursing 77(11), pp. e36-e37. (10.1111/jan.14957)
James, A. H., Bennett, C. L., Blanchard, D. and Stanley, D. 2021. Nursing and values-based leadership: a literature review. Journal of Nursing Management 29(5), pp. 916-930. (10.1111/jonm.13273)
James, A. H. 2021. Experiences and perceptions of leadership: a narrative Inquiry. Presented at: RCN International Nursing Research Conference 2021, Virtual, 7-9 September 2021.
James, A. H. 2021. Preparing for leadership: experiences and perceptions of pre-registration nurse education.. Presented at: NET2021 Conference, Virtual, 1-3 September 2021.
James, A. H. 2021. Experiences of leadership learning: student nurse narratives. Presented at: 40th Annual International Nursing & Midwifery Research and Education Conference 2021, Virtual, 23 February - 03 March 2021.
Watkins, D. and James, A. H. 2021. Enhancing the leadership knowledge and skills of Namibian and Welsh qualified nurses and student nurses. Presented at: 3rd European Conference of Health Workforce Education & Research 2021, Virtual, 7-8 January 2021.

2020

James, A. H. 2020. Leadership for health promotion. In: Bennett, C. and Lillyman, S. eds. Promoting Health and Wellbeing. Lantern Publishing Ltd, pp. 167-180.
Bennett, C., James, A. and Kelly, D. 2020. Beyond tropes: Towards a new image of nursing in the wake of COVID-19. Journal of Clinical Nursing 29(15-16), pp. 2753-2755. (10.1111/jocn.15346)
James, A. and David, S. 2020. Values-based nursing leadership: a way to restore integrity. Nursing Management 27(1), article number: 18. (10.7748/nm.27.1.18.s10)
James, A. H., Bennett, C. and Stanley, D. 2020. How to maintain enthusiasm and demonstrate values-driven leadership in challenging times. Nursing Management
James, A. 2020. Perceptions and experiences of leadership: a narrative inquiry of leadership in undergraduate nurse education. , Cardiff University.

2019

James, A. H. and Stacey-Emile, G. 2019. Action learning: staff development, implementing change, interdisciplinary working and leadership. Nursing Management 26(3) (10.7748/nm.2019.e1841)
James, A. H. 2019. Evidence Summary. Medical emergency teams.. The Joanna Briggs Institute.
James, A. H. 2019. Inter-professional leadership education at postgraduate level.. Presented at: 2nd European Conference of Health Workforce Education., Dublin, 9-10 January 20192nd European Conference of Health Workforce Education Abstracts Book. pp. -.
James, A. H. 2019. Compassionate leadership. [Online]. Caring Practitioner: https://caringpractitioner.co.uk/index.php/. Available at: https://caringpractitioner.co.uk/index.php/compassionate-leadership
James, A. H. 2019. Evidence Summary: Leadership style: Nursing staff satisfaction.. Joanna Briggs Institute.
James, A. H. 2019. Evidence Summary. Wound management: Hydrogel dressings without additional therapeutic additives. Joanna Briggs Institute.
James, A. H. 2019. Evidence Summary. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): Fish oil (Omega-3 fatty acids). The Joanna Briggs Institute.
James, A. H. 2019. Evidence Summary. Parental Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) disclosure to their children: Interventions. The Joanna Briggs Institute.
James, A. H. 2019. Evidence Summary. Diabetes Mellitus: Vitamin D. The Joanna Briggs Institute.
James, A. H. 2019. Evidence Summary. Hypertension: Vitamin D. The Joanna Briggs Institute.
James, A. H. 2019. Evidence Summary: Impact of magnet designation. The Joanna Briggs Institute.
James, A. H. 2019. Evidence Summary. Pre-diabetes: Risk assessment tools. The Joanna Briggs Institute.
James, A. H. 2019. Evidence Summary. Antimicrobial stewardship programs in children. The Joanna Briggs Institute.
James, A. H. 2019. Evidence Summary. Pediatric tuberculosis (low and middle income countries): Treatment adherence.. The Joanna Briggs Institute.

2018

James, A. H. 2018. Heart failure (self-care): Interactions between patients and healthcare professionals. Evidence summary.. Joanna Briggs Institute EBP Database.
James, A. H. 2018. Cardiovascular disease (prevention and management): Tai chi exercise. Evidence summary.. Joanna Briggs Institute EBP Database.
James, A. H. 2018. Cardiovascular risk reduction: Xanthine oxidase inhibitors. Joanna Briggs Institute EBP Database.
James, A. H. 2018. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Prophylactic antibiotic therapy. Evidence Summary.. Joanna Briggs Institute EBP Database.
James, A. H. 2018. Postoperative MRSA Infections: Antibiotic Prophylaxis. Evidence summary.. Joanna Briggs Institute EBP Database.
James, A. H. 2018. Atopic eczema: Management. Evidence summary.. Joanna Briggs Institute EBP Database.
James, A. H. 2018. Child immunization in developing countries: Interventions to increase coverage. Evidence summary.. Joanna Briggs Institute EBP Database.
James, A. H. 2018. Heart failure: Cardiac resynchronization therapy plus implantable cardioverter defibrillator. Evidence summary.. Joanna Briggs Institute EBP Database.
James, A. H. 2018. Cardiac resynchronization (heart failure): Left ventricular vs biventricular pacing. Evidence summary.. Joanna Briggs Institute EBP Database.
James, A. H. 2018. Action learning: A process to support change implementation. British Journal of Healthcare Management 24(9), pp. 426-427. (10.12968/bjhc.2018.24.9.426)
James, A. H. 2018. Action learning can support leadership development for undergraduate and postgraduate nurses. British Journal of Nursing 27(15)
James, A. H. 2018. Action learning: Presentation at the European Conference of Health Workforce Education & Research in Athens. [Online]. Student Mobility Site. Available at: https://studentmobilitysite.wordpress.com/2018/06/29/alison-james-presentation-at-the-european-conference-of-health-workforce-education-research-in-athens/
James, A. H. 2018. Evidence Summary. Ankle sprain (Chronic): Physical therapy management. Ovid: Joanna Briggs Institute.
James, A. 2018. Leadership development for undergraduate nursing students through Action Learning.. Presented at: European Conference of Health Workforce Education and Research 2018, Athens, Greece, 24-25 May 2018.
James, A. H. 2018. What are the perceptions of final year undergraduate nursing students of their personal development in leadership skills following Action Learning Sets in the higher education university setting?. PROSPERO.

2000

James, A. 2000. Osteoporosis cause and treatment. Nursing Times 96

My interest in research is focused on leadership development in the healthcare workforce and how this impacts delivery and quality of patient care. I am particularly interested in values-based leadership theory and practice, and how this influences cultures within healthcare environments and I aim to translate evidence into practice by informing the work of healthcare practitioners, academics and policy. I am interested in understanding how leaders in healthcare have chosen to approach leadership during the current pandemic and how this has impacted patients and staff.

I recently led a research project funded by the GNCT, exploring the experiences of Executive Directors of Nursing in the wake of Covid-19: identifying priorities and actions for recovery and future learning from the pandemic.

I am a qualitative researcher and am particularly interested in the use of narrative inquiry and visual methodologies such as photographic elicitation.My doctoral research focused on experiences and perceptions of leadership, of student nurses, academics and senior nurses using narrative inquiry and photographic elicitation.

As well as being a registered nurse, I have also worked within clinical research in osteoporosis genetics, dementia and Cretzfeldt Jacob disease. From 2008-14 my rolw included applied research and Knowledge Transfer in public care, contributing to publications and reviews of public services, developing leadership and integration within teams in Local Councils and Health Authorities in England and working with Local Authorities in Wales on Commissioning strategies.

I am a Senior Fellow of Advance HE and mentor and evaluate HEA fellowships at Cardiff University. I am a member of the InternationaI Society of Teaching and Learning ( ISSOTL) ad the Society for Research into Higher Education (SHRE). I am co lead for the Interprofessional Student Leadership Academy and I teach on a range of healthcare programmes including undergraduate and postgraduate modules and am module lead for Transforming care, Sytems and Services through Leadership, a level 7 mutidisciplinary module. I continue to develop my scholarship and pedagogical interest in leadership, emotional intelligence and quality improvement and have a special interest in experiential learning and Action Learning. I have previous experience as a deputy and programme manager, curriculum and programme design and am personal tutor for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Previous teahing experience includes leadership development with nurses in Namibia, leadership and quality improevment for Social care managers across Wales and programmmes developing outcomes focused care in health and social care in south west England.

I am an External Examiner at Manchester University and De Montford University and previously at King's College London and have experience of reviewing external validation programmes at Oxford Brookes University, Derby, Edinburgh Napier, Athens and Middlesex.

I am a Reader at Cardiff University and co lead for the Interdisciplinary Student Leadership Academy I have held roles of RPL lead, International student link, clinical placements and deputy programme manager and programme manager for the MSc Advanced Practice and Advanced Clinical Practice programmes. I am a Senior Fellow of the HEA, member of the editorial Board for RCNi Nursing Management Journal .

From 2008-2014 I worked as a Consultant and Senior Consultant in Knowledge Transfer and applied research at the Institute of Public Care at Oxford Brookes University. During this time I developed further interest in Leadership and Quality Improvement, working with local authorities and health across the UK and was a lead tutor for the Team Management Development Programme in Wales, commissioned by the SSIA.

My nursing clinical nursing background of 22 years began in 1986 in Oxford where I worked within neuroscience nursing, osteoporosis, and as a clinical research nurse with Oxford University, and Fracture Liaison Specialist Nurse at the John Radcliffe Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre.

Honours and awards

Chapter leader for Sigma Theta Tau at cardiff University 2023

membership of ISSOTL and SHRE 2023

SFHEA 2019

FHEA 2017

The Lord Nuffield Trust Fund, Achievement Award 2008

The Lord Nuffield Trust Fund, Girdlestone Memorial Nursing Scholarship Award 2004

Professional memberships

Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing
International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Society for Research into Higher Education
INHWE
Senior Fellow of HEA
Nursing and Midwifery Council

Academic positions

lead for the Interdisciplinary Student Leadership Acaemy
Reader, co-lead for leadership Academy
Senior Lecturer, programme manager for Msc Advanced Practice and Avanced Clinical Pratice, module lead
Lecturer, RPL lead, International mobility lead ( Cardiff University)
Senior Knowledge Transfer Consultant, Oxford Brookes University
Knowledge Transfer Consultant and tutor, Oxford brookes University

Speaking engagements

· Developing an Interprofessional Leadership Academy for Healthcare Students in Wales. Chief Nursing Officer for Wales Research Conference, Cardiff. October 2023

· Nurses in the Boardroom: Exploring the changing role of the Executive Nurse Director Identifying priorities and actions for leadership strategies post pandemic: the CovLead study. Chief Nursing Officer for Wales Research Conference, Cardiff. October 2023

· INHWE International Conference, Developing Compassionate Leadership and an interdisciplinary leadership academy for HealthCare students in Wales June 23

· Applying values and compassion in leading the future of nursing education. December 2022 Academic Nursing Conference, University of Cumbria. (Invited)

· Developing Compassionate Leadership and an interdisciplinary leadership academy for HealthCare students in Wales. 3^rd Annual Conference for Compassion healthcare Education. Collaboration for Compassion in Health and Social Care December 2022. (invited)

Committees and reviewing

Committee member for Honorary Degrees, Cardiff University

Reviewer for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Editorial Board, Nursing Management Journal RCNi

Reviewer for Nurse Education in Practice, Journal of Advanced Nursing, Nurse Education Today

I am interetsed in supervising students in areas of :

Healthcare leadership and quality improvement
Nursing leadership and education
Workplace and organisational cultures
Healthcare education
Values based leadership
Social Justice

Current supervision

Salma Alshammari

Research student

Sumayyah Aldosari

Research student

Contact Details

JamesA43@cardiff.ac.uk
+44 29206 87818

Research themes

Specialisms

Nursing workforce
Nursing
Leadership and management of Healthcare Systems
Education Development

The Interprofessional Student Leadership Academy launch

18 March 2024

Dr Alison James
SFHEA RGN

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2000

Articles

Book sections

Books

Conferences

Other

Thesis