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2025 International Day of Women and Girls in Science

Professor Jo McPeake

Photo of Dr Joanne McPeake

Could you explain what your job title is?


I have a joint appointment between the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as Professor of Nursing.

 

What you do on a day-to-day basis?


I have two roles: firstly, I undertake a programme of research, which is primarily focused on health and social inequalities and how these influence access to healthcare. My research has a particular focus on the outcomes of people who have been acutely unwell and have been admitted to intensive care.  Specifically, my research aims to understand what happens to people and their family members in the long term and how social circumstances and social inequalities may influence recovery.

I also support nurses, midwives and allied health professionals (NMAHPs) within the Cambridge ecosystem, to develop clinical academic careers. I support people taking their first steps into research and those who are undertaking research aimed at improving patient outcomes. I also support NMAHPs who plan to submit fellowships applications with the aim of developing clinical academic careers.   

 

What is the highlight of your job?

I have the best job in the world! For example, today I spent the day with NMAHPs at an event called ‘Opening the Doors to Research’ in collaboration with the Cambridge Clinical Academic Training Office.  This event was for professionals who haven’t traditionally had access to research opportunities during their undergraduate training. We held a workshop to help people understand the varied routes into research.   

 

I am also passionate about my own research. A highlight of my role is getting the opportunity to understand how we can improve the patient journey and how we can make things better, even on a small scale, for people who have been through life-threatening illnesses.

Would you say you enjoy the whole research process, from the initial idea right through to the final stage?


Listening to the patient experience underpins all of my research. Most recently I chaired the UK James Lind Alliance priority–setting exercise for sepsis. I worked with patients, families, clinicians and researchers from across the UK to think through what the priorities are for managing sepsis and how we can make sure our research and care is safe, effective and equitable.  

Could you outline how you got into this career?

I think what drove me in my clinical role and motivated me to develop a career in research, was working with patients and understanding the problems that matter to them.  I could see that research was most impactful when there was a true understanding of what was going to make a difference from a patient perspective. 

I worked in the East End of Glasgow for 20 years and each day I would see the impact of health inequalities and what that did to people’s health and how they accessed healthcare – that has been a driving force in my research.   

Can we find out more about any mentors that particularly inspired you?


One of my most influential role models was a nurse mentor I had. He was a very dynamic leader and a Chief Nurse across several large teaching hospitals. He valued the importance of evidence and saw the essential role nurses could play in generating that evidence.  He saw that nurses could do high quality research and practise at the same time, producing better patient and healthcare system outcomes. 

Nurses form the largest part of the NHS workforce and have much to offer in terms of research, gathering evidence and asking the questions that are clinically important. Nurses also play a crucial part in the implementation of evidence; they can help inform the best way the of implementing new technology and innovation safely and effectively.  

One of the other inspiring role models I had was a female medic that I worked with. She pushed me to keep an open mind when it came to thinking about how to answer questions. She also encouraged me to talk to different people, especially those with different expertise. I’ve been incredibly lucky with the mentors I have had.  I’ve always been made to feel anything is possible.   

 

What challenges / difficulties have you faced as a female researcher?


I recognise that not everyone has had the same experience, but I can’t say I have had major barriers.   Since arriving in Cambridge, I have felt included, everyone has been very welcoming.

To conclude, how important is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science?


Days like International Day of Women and Girls in Science are important because they provide space for reflection and celebration. The reality is that sometimes it’s hard working in research, you can go through periods where you feel like you’re not achieving very much, and that can be hard. Having days like the International Day of Women and Girls in Science gives you a chance to stop and reflect on where we are now in science and think about the great historical female scientists in whose footsteps we’re following. I think it’s a day of celebration and it’s also a day to just stop and think about how lucky you are to be doing something that you’re really passionate about!   

 

The NIHR Cambridge BRC is part of the NIHR and hosted by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with the University of Cambridge. We are at the heart of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Europe’s largest health research area.

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13 Feb

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cambridgebrc NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre @cambridgebrc ·
11 Feb

Happy #InternationalDayofWomenandGirlsinScience
To commemorate this annual celebration, we interviewed three women from our Cambridge BRC. Look out for Rona Smith's full interview on our website in the coming days..
@CUH_NHS @Cambridge_Uni @NIHRresearch @UNESCO @WomenScienceDay

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cambridgebrc NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre @cambridgebrc ·
11 Feb

Happy #InternationalDayofWomenandGirlsinScience
For this global celebration of women in science, we interviewed 3 women from our Cambridge BRC. Look out for Jo McPeake's interview on our website in the coming days
@CUH_NHS @Cambridge_Uni @NIHRresearch @UNESCO @WomenScienceDay

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cambridgebrc NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre @cambridgebrc ·
11 Feb

Happy #InternationalDayofWomenandGirlsinScience
To celebrate this global day, we interviewed three women from our Cambridge BRC. Look out for Deborah's full interview on our website in the coming days..
@CUH_NHS @Cambridge_Uni @NIHRresearch @BEARS_CI @UNESCO @WomenScienceDay

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