Welcome to Healthcare Sciences’ new professor, Molly Courtenay

The School of Healthcare Sciences is delighted to welcome Professor Molly Courtenay to the University. A qualified nurse who has previously worked at Southampton, Reading and Surrey universities, Professor Courtenay is well known for her research into the development of advanced practice and new models of care delivery. She is particularly interested in the development of independent prescribing capability for nurses and other health professionals, and her research has informed recent changes to the regulations surrounding non-medical prescribing.

Professor Courtenay comes to Cardiff from the University of Surrey, where she had worked since 2009. She recently spent two years in San Francisco as a Visiting Professor at UC Davis, which ranks 9th among the top public research universities in the USA.

"What did I enjoy about California – other than the sun and the swimming pool in our backyard?! It was fascinating coming to an understanding of the way healthcare works over there, and the ways in which their healthcare professions function. It's obviously very different to the way healthcare is provided in the UK. What was most interesting, is that many UK nurses work in  more advanced roles in comparison to nurses in the States. There seems to be a greater level of professional respect for nurses in the UK that allows them to work to their full level of competency. This made me increasingly appreciative what we have in terms of healthcare culture in the UK."

Professor Courtenay says that working for Cardiff University and the School of Healthcare Sciences had a particular appeal for her:

"I was excited by the opportunities that have been opened up by the creation of the new School, and the fact that it brings nursing and midwifery and the allied health professions under the same umbrella. So much of my independent prescribing work looks at the allied health professions and service delivery, so I felt that my research would be a really good fit for the School. I'm looking forward to exploring collaborations and possible partnerships with the schools of Medicine and Pharmacy as well."

Her ongoing work is focused on antimicrobial resistance and looks at the strategies employed by nurse prescribers to encourage patients with respiratory tract infections to self-manage their condition as opposed to prescribing an antibiotic.

Originally hailing from the English Riviera in the sunny South West, Molly has two grown up children and loves to run in her spare time. She has been enjoying exploring Cardiff and all it has to offer the keen runner.