A top community nursing researcher has been appointed to a senior clinical academic leadership post at Cambridge University, the first time a nurse has held such a role.
Dr Ben Bowers, practices as an honorary nurse consultant in palliative care at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), will become assistant professor of primary care.
“I’m delighted to be taking on a senior research leadership role within a world-leading, interdisciplinary department”
Ben Bowers
Dr Bowers is widely respected clinical academic community nurse, specialising in palliative and end-of-life care, who also works with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
Following his new appointment, he will join the primary care unit, based at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Public Health and Primary Care.
He is the first nurse to hold such a post with Cambridge and is building research capacity within nursing and the trust’s older people and adult community services.
In his new role, he will continue his research with the trust to address complex, system-wide end-of-life care problems and work with our nursing teams to improve care for people dying at home.
Dr Bowers said: “I’m delighted to be taking on a senior research leadership role within a world-leading, interdisciplinary department.
“This highlights the value and unique insights nursing teams and clinical academic nurses bring in advancing evidence-based, person-centred care,” he said.
“I would encourage anyone working in healthcare to become research active in practice, starting with a service evaluation or improvement project.
“That’s how my research journey began when working as a community nurse in Cambridgeshire,” he added.
Trust chief nurse Rachel Gomm said: “It is fantastic that a member of our nursing team is the first to achieve an assistant professor role with the University of Cambridge and we are very proud of Ben.
“This role rewards and recognises his commitment to community nursing research and improving palliative care for people at home,” she said.
She added: “We hope he will inspire many other nurses to develop in research to advance practice as he shares his knowledge and expertise with CPFT.”
As deputy theme lead of palliative and end-of-life care at the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration East of England, Dr Bowers is currently working on research projects around the region.
He also co-founded and leads the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing (QICN) research forum, which offers free research support and resources and has around 600 members.
Dr Bowers was awarded the prestigious title of fellow of the QICN in 2024, one of a number of accolades given to him by the profession in recent years.
He received the Queen Elizabeth Award for Outstanding Service in 2022, for exceptional long-term contributions and leadership in advancing community nursing and palliative and end-of-life care.
In addition, he was awarded the European Association for Palliative Care Early Researcher Award in 2023, for outstanding contributions to palliative care research and clinical practice.
Also in 2023, he was among a list of 75 nurses and midwives who have contributed in a significant way to the NHS, which was compiled by Nursing Times to celebrate the service’s 75th anniversary.
