17 August 2023
UKONS are pleased to announce the election to the board of two new members. We went out to ask our membership if anyone was keen to join our board and we were thrilled to receive seven very strong nominations. We were particularly interested in maintaining our four-nation representation on the board and we are pleased to say we have managed to accomplish this. Our two successful candidates are:
Dr Barry Quinn Barry is a Senior Lecturer in Cancer and Palliative Care at the Queen’s University Belfast and spent much of his career in working in London in roles including, CNS, consultant/lead nurse, director of nursing, and senior lecturer. As a native of Northern Ireland he understands the regional challenges and opportunities and is keen to engage with nurses Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK to support the work of UKONS. He is the current chair of the UKONS Haemato-Oncology MIG.
Dr Linda Sherwood Linda is a colorectal CNS at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre and has worked as a nurse for more than 20 years. She recently completed her PhD, and is enthusiastic about widening the horizons and opportunities of the cancer nursing workforce, with a particular emphasis on a four-nation approach.
The ballot was very successful and there were a high number of votes cast, despite this, it was a very close result with single votes separating some candidates. This speaks to the very high standard of candidate we were able to field. I would like to thank everyone who put themselves forward and I am looking forward to working with Barry and Linda on the UKONS board.
I am also thrilled to announce that, following a board vote, Dr Mary Tanay will replace Dr Karen Campbell as the President-Elect later this year when Karen takes over the UKONS presidency. Mary is Lecturer at King’s College London Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care and has recently completed her NIHR-funded PhD. She leads on communication for UKONS and is also a Communications Group Member of European Oncology Nursing Society.
All of the above changes will formally begin following our AGM at our conference in November 2023.
Mark Foulkes
UKONS President