Professor Laura Serrant “8th most influential Black person in the UK” October 2017, by Powerlist 2018, receives an OBE from the Queen
On October 31st Professor Laura Serrant OBE PhD MA BA RGN PGCE Queens Nurse, received an OBE from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, on the occasion of becoming an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for Services to Health Policy. She joins the elite list of other prominent Dominicans to achieve this prestigious award.
Professor Laura Serrant is born of Dominican parents from St. Joseph, Dominica. She is currently Professor of Nursing in the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at Sheffield Hallam University, one of the few black Professors of Nursing (out of 262) in the UK. She was also one of the first to qualify as a nurse with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She has frequently found herself as the sole voice representing nurses and minority communities; a position which she has striven to challenge throughout her career by empowering others to come forward to join her, in a unique call to 'lift as you climb'. Professor Serrant's research interests relate to community and public health, specifically health disparities and the needs of marginalized and ‘seldom heard’ communities.
She is one of few academics to have developed and published a new theoretical framework for conducting research in this area of work ‘The Silences Framework’ (Serrant-Green 2010). Professor Serrant has an extensive experience in national and international health policy development with particular specialist input on racial and ethnic inequalities and cultural safety. It was her work in this area which led to her being awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list 2018 for services to Health Policy. Her OBE was in recognition for her activities in shaping international and national health policy in England. She spent time in Dominica State College creating strong links with the Faculty and gave the key address at the State College Conferment ceremony in 2011.
She is one of the 2017 BBC Expert women, Chair of the Chief Nursing Officer for England's BME Strategic Advisory group and a 2017 Florence Nightingale Scholar. She is an ambassador of the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue and the Equality Challenge Unit Race Equality Charter for Higher Education. Her work has been recognized with numbers awards and prizes, including Queens Nurse status and Fellowship of the Queens Nursing Institute to those who have shown leadership in community nursing.
In 2014, she was named as one of the top 50 leaders in the UK by The Health Services Journal in three separate categories: Inspirational Women in Healthcare, BME Pioneers and Clinical Leader awards. In October 2017 she was listed as the 8th most influential Black person in the UK by the Powerlist 2018.
Congratulations Professor Laura Serrant
The High Commission had the honor to then host a reception to celebrate this outstanding achievement with other Caribbean High Commissions, colleagues, friends and family.
On behalf of the Government and people of Dominica, the Dominica High Commission takes this opportunity to join in commending and congratulating Professor Serrant on this prestigious accomplishment. We wish her the very best in her future endeavors.
A Word from Professor Laura Serrant...
“I am proud as a Dominican, Nurse and Educator to have received this award, made even more special in the week we Dominicans celebrate our 40th year of independence. It represents the hard work of my late parents, My John Bonnie Serrant and Mrs Eudora Serrant ( nee Toussaint) when they left St Joseph and travelled many hundreds of miles to England by ship - driven by their strong belief in a brighter future for their children. They raised us all with a pride in ourselves, Dominica as our homeland and the importance of family - these are the values that have sustained me to this point and will do into the future. I believe they were smiling down on us that day and they continue to guide me. I would like to thank the High Commission of Dominica, and especially Ms Janet Charles, Acting High Commissioner, for their continued help, support and for hosting a wonderful celebration to commemorate my investiture as an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Nursing and Health Policy.”