Elizabeth G. Pearson is a Ugandan Diaspora Nurse and Lecturer in Nursing. She has recently obtained her master’s degree and her research looked at the retention, integration and role of Diaspora healthcare professionals in strengthening healthcare systems.
Elizabeth qualified as a nurse in 2005 and holds an advanced diploma and a bachelor’s degree in nursing science from the University of Sheffield, UK. She then worked in various capacities in the public, third and independent sectors and gained much experience.
She is the co-founder and Inaugural President of the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Association – UK (UNMA-UK). Elizabeth is the former Chairperson of Sidings Community Centre, London (2013 to 2019) and Patch Resource Services trustee (2014 to 2022).
In 2017, she founded the National Health Care Conferences (NHCC) Uganda – the knowledge-sharing platform for nurses and Midwives, a Community Interest Organisation registered in England and Wales as an independent platform to foster training and be recognised for influencing the promotion of nurse specialisation and advancement nationally, continentally, and globally.
At the onset of the pandemic in 2020, as an amateur nurse researcher, she conducted a research survey to assess the nurses’ readiness: how well prepared (Knowledge and Competence), their role in health promotion during the COVID-19 outbreak, and their impact on overall well-being. The preliminary report findings were used to inform the nurse leaders in Uganda to create a think tank group and prioritise advocacy for the frontline health care professionals. She is also then initiated and is co-editor of the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Letter (NML). A newsletter first of its kind in Uganda, enacted in April 2020 to bridge the communication gaps from the in-country leadership, provide guidance and support to the frontline healthcare workers, and raise the profession’s profile. It is now in the second edition and is published quarterly.
Until September 2021, she was the operations manager at zone1hearing, an independent hearing care organisation in London. Before that, she played a crucial role in developing the strategic one health initiative at Boots Hearingcare flagship store, ensuring collaborative partnerships with the health care professionals and supplier relationships are flexible in response to an increasingly demanding marketplace.
Elizabeth is passionate about world development and driven to make a difference by helping eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities and exclusion by promoting and fostering evidence-based practice and knowledge sharing for Low to Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). She is currently looking to publish her research and undertake a study on inequalities in maternal health outcomes in the UK.
