Elsie Stephenson Memorial Lecture 2026

Please note that ALL attendees must register for entry to this event.

The Elsie Stephenson Memorial Lecture 2026, celebrates the work of Elsie Stephenson, the first director of the first academic department of nursing in Europe. The memorial lecture was founded by Nursing Studies in recognition of Elsie’s visionary qualities, dynamism and her significant contribution to the development of the nursing profession on the world stage.

In this year’s lecture, Professor Lynn Calman presents “Sowing in Difficult Ground: Growing Clinical Academic Careers in Nursing”, reflecting on the challenges and opportunities in building sustainable clinical–academic pathways for nurses today.

Elsie Stephenson’s visionary leadership in establishing nursing as a university-based discipline laid out the groundwork for integrating research, education, and clinical practice. Yet, despite significant progress, many barriers remain for nurses seeking to combine frontline care with academic research.

Drawing on her extensive experience in nursing research and leadership, Professor Calman will explore how these challenges can be addressed. The lecture will offer practical insights into strengthening clinical academic careers, fostering research engagement, and shaping the future of nursing as both a profession and a scholarly field.

This event will be of interest to nurses, healthcare professionals, researchers, students, and anyone invested in the future of healthcare education and practice.

Join us for an inspiring and thought-provoking lecture honoring the past while shaping the future of nursing.

Light refreshments will be available at this Lecture from 5.30pm. Please note that tickets must be presented.

The organisers intend to record the lecture and for it to become available the Elsie Stephenson webpages here within 2 weeks.

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Host or Publisher School of Health in Social Science