Dr Naomi Watson

Professional biography

Distance Nursing Education and Practice.

Cultural Competence in  Healthcare.

Ethnicity, diversity and inclusion in nursing careers.

Health Inequalities in health and social care.

 Nursing, Midwifery and Heath Visiting  Practice in Pimary Care.

Research methods include qualitative/quantitative and mixed methodologies, with experience of  narratives,  storytelling and participatory/action research enquiries. Cross cutting  interests range across  discourses inclusive of intersectionality, and the extent to which  gender,  race, social class  and other characterstics impact on the experiences of global majority people in health, education, social care and nursing practice. 

Funded  research projects:  

2021 - 2022    Internal:  (As PI) RESDEV & PRAXIS Co-Funded Project: Student nurses, nursing curriculums and emergency responses to Covid-19-: a scoping review: £ 3043.76 

2022-2023      Internal:  (As PI) RESDEV & PRAXIS Co-Funded Project: The Impact of Covid-19 on the mental health and wellbeing of current students and recent graduates of OU professional programmes -  £3804.53

Fellowships:

2023-2024:   Open University  Early Career Researchers'  (ECR)  Fellowship Award  £5000.  

  Conference Presentations

July 2023: Impact and implications of the continued drain of qualified nursing and health care personnel from the Global South to support failing Wealthy Health Care Systems in the Global North: The Case of the British NHS.   University of Lusake Zambia. 

October 2022: Student Nurses, nursing curriculums and emergency rsponses to Covid-19: a scoping review: NET/NEP, Barcelona. 

2015: Cultural competence and its impact on African Caribbean Seniors.   BASW Conference, Glasgow Caledonia University

2018: Cultural Competence and the role of the Doula in disadvantaged communities.  Caribbean Studies Association.

Collaborative projects include the following:

2013: Resistance, Resilence and renewal- The health and wellbeibg of black women across the diaspora. (collaborative).

2000: An evaluation of the 1998 developent for Black and Minority Ethnic Managers in the NHS. (University of Warwick and DeMontfort University.

2000: A study to investigate the need for appropriate respite care provision for African Caribbean carers and  elders. (Leicestershire Health, Leicester City Council, DeMontfort University).

She is a member of the faculty's research group, the nursing research group, the Black women's health and wellbeng research network and the Wellbeing of Women Research Network.

Doctoral Supervision:

Previous:

Narratives of Care:  Kip Jones - DeMontfort University-   PhD  Successful Completion. 

   A Holistic Approach to the assessment of students with Learning Difficulties.- EdD;  Elizabeth Smith,  Successful Completion  

Current: 

Whats the story? Exploring inequalities in outcomes through the narratives of Black and Brown students in a distance learning setting.  In progress. 

 Recruitment of BAME Nursing students at the OU -   EdD In Progress. 

Open to acccept  Doctoral students wishing to explore topics relating to nursing participation, education, practice, cultural competence, equality, diversity and inclusion and Black Women's Health and Wellbeing. .

Naomi brings  wide ranging expertise from clinical practice, educational and interdisciplinary perspectives to her teaching, having vast experience of curriculum  develpoment, design and delivery at undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels. She has a keen interest in fostering student success and is passionate about prioritising this through excellent teaching, inclusve learning and  effective student  and tutor support. She teaches at undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels along with Doctoral supervision responsibilities..  Areas she has taught include the following:

Change Management in education and healthcare practice.

Care management and governance in health care.

Child  Care and Health promotion.

Communication and diversity

Cultural understanding and Cultural Competence in health care.

Diverse perspectives in health and illness, including, menopause, safeguarding, formal care, health, illness health and care, safeguarding, biological perspectives in nursing, disabiity in healthcare.

Diversity/Ethnicity, Nursing, Health, education and Social Care.

Distance Education,

Independent Learning,

Interprofessional learning in clinical practice and  nursing education.

Primary Care Nursing

Public  Health and Private Medicine.

Specialist Practice in Health Visiting.

Naomi fosters and encourages partnerships and collaborative relationships with third sector organisations and individuals that support the health and wellbeing of black women.  She  works with individuals and groups serving these communities and continues to provide academic leadership and guidance to those needing such support for their endeavours. 

She was an invited speaker to the Retired  Caribbean Nurses Conference, London in 2015, and the Windrush  Conference 70 years of the NHS, Birmingham University in 2018.  

She has Previously served as Associate editor of the Journal of Ethnicity and Health,

 Is a Fellow of Higher Education Academy (HEA -Advancedd HE), 

 Reviewer for the Journal of Nursing Management,  

Reviewer for the  Journal of Qualitative Research in health and a

Reviewer for Science Talks- Elsevier.

External Examiner Bournemouth University 

External Assessor  Bournemouth University. 

She is  an active volunteer mentor and coach to women and girls from disadvantaged backgrounds, having served as a mentor to the Girls Network. (TGN) and as a volunteer with Barnados, the childrens charity.

Naomi is a Member of the  Caribbean Studies Association. (CSA)