{{Short description|British nurse and healthcare system modeler}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox scientist | name = Alison Leary | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|MBE|FRCN|size=100}} | alma_mater = St Thomas' Hospital <br /> King's College London <br /> University of London (PhD) | workplaces = Millwall F.C. <br /> London South Bank University | thesis_title = Quality of life in patients receiving platinum based chemotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer | thesis_url = https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.439330 | thesis_year = 2006 | website = {{URL|http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/about-us/people/people-finder/prof-alison-leary}} }}
'''Alison Leary''' {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|MBE|FRCN|FQNI}} is a Chair of Healthcare & Workforce Modelling at London South Bank University.<ref name=epmc>{{EuropePMC|ORCID=0000-0001-7846-5658}}</ref> and a Senior Consultant, World Health Organization Human Resources for Health Group where she works on the modelling of private and public healthcare systems. Leary is the deputy president of the Royal College of Nursing and a fellow of the Queen's Nursing Institute.
== Early life and education == Leary grew up in South East London where she lived on a council estate.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rcn.org.uk/magazines/People/2025/Jun/Get-to-know-RCN-deputy-president-Alison-Leary|publisher=Royal College of Nursing|title='My biggest career achievement? Getting a standing ovation from Millwall supporters'|date=19 June 2025}}</ref> She worked in engineering and biomedical sciences for ten years before studying a Diploma of Higher Education in adult nursing at St Thomas' Hospital.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://patientsafetycongress.co.uk/speakers/alison-leary|title=Alison Leary {{!}} Patient Safety Congress 2019|website=patientsafetycongress.co.uk|access-date=2019-09-04|archive-date=2019-09-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904165607/https://patientsafetycongress.co.uk/speakers/alison-leary|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nursingtimes.net/home/alison-leary-04-09-2018/|title=Alison Leary|date=2018-09-04|website=Nursing Times|language=en|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref> In 1996 she qualified as a registered nurse and later completed a master's degree in biomedical science (haematology).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nahh.org.uk/uploads/2022_Conference/Speaker_Bios/Alison_Leary_2022_Bio.pdf|title=NAHH Conference 2022|publisher=National Association for Hospice at Home}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.qni.org.uk/people/professor-alison-leary/|title=Professor Alison Leary|website=The Queen's Nursing Institute|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.londonhigher.eu/site/researchers/our-members/professor-alison-leary-phd-rn-frcn-fqni|title=Welcome to London Higher Europe|website=www.londonhigher.eu|access-date=2019-09-04|archive-date=2019-09-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904165604/http://www.londonhigher.eu/site/researchers/our-members/professor-alison-leary-phd-rn-frcn-fqni|url-status=dead}}</ref> She completed a PhD in clinical medicine, with a focus on lung cancer, at the University of London in 2006.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=aphd>{{cite thesis|degree=PhD|publisher=University of London|url=http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1444926/|title=Quality of life in patients receiving platinum based chemotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer|first= Alison|last=Leary|date=2006|id={{EThOS|uk.bl.ethos.439330}}|website=ucl.ac.uk}} {{free access}}</ref> She has since completed an advanced study program in data science and leadership at the MIT Sloan School of Management in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-leary-094108a/details/education/|title=Education|publisher=LinkedIn}}</ref>
== Research and career == Leary spent most of her clinical and analyst career in cancer, and worked with the National Cancer Action Team from 2005 to its dissolution in 2013 as part of the Lansley reforms. She was subsequently appointed a Chair in Healthcare and Workforce Modelling at the London South Bank University in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/about-us/people/people-finder/prof-alison-leary|title=Prof. Alison Leary|last=University|first=London South Bank|website=www.lsbu.ac.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref> She is interested in the complexity of healthcare and ways to use non-linear mathematics to model hospital staffing and outcomes.<ref name=":1" /> She has argued that the healthcare workforce should be evaluated based on outcomes, rather than outputs. This could be achieved through improving staff working conditions and pay, as well as streamlining immigration processes for shortage occupations.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2019/05/31/alison-leary-the-healthcare-workforce-should-be-shaped-by-outcomes-rather-than-outputs/|title=Alison Leary: The healthcare workforce should be shaped by outcomes, rather than outputs|date=2019-05-31|website=The BMJ|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref> Leary believes that better planning could greatly improve the healthcare system, focussing on better understanding demand and risk.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://reform.uk/the-reformer/staffing-nhs-why-we-need-invest-community-workforce|title=Staffing the NHS: Why we need to invest in the community workforce {{!}} Reform|website=reform.uk|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref> She has questioned the protection of the job title of nurse, emphasising that it is important to use it only for the highly trained specialists within the National Health Service.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/2017/nov/08/what-nurse-baffling-number-job-roles-leaves-patients-bosses-confused|title=What is a nurse? Baffling number of job roles leaves patients and bosses confused|last=Leary|first=Alison|date=2017-11-08|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-09-04|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> and led a successful campaign culminating in 2025 with the Secretary of State for Health announcing that the term "Nurse" would be protected in law in the UK [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/fake-nurse-crackdown-to-boost-public-safety].She has previously held the position of Chief Nursing Officer to St John Ambulance.
She has supported the idea of bringing more men into nursing to mitigate for the staff shortfall, but could exacerbate current equality issues within the nursing profession.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nursinginpractice.com/why-men-might-be-answer-staff-shortfall|title=Why men might be the answer to the staff shortfall {{!}} Nursing in Practice|website=www.nursinginpractice.com|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref> Leary studied the gender pay gap in nursing, and found that male nurses reached higher paying posts more quickly and were overrepresented at higher pay grades.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/about-us/news/study-reveals-gender-pay-inequality-uk-nursing|title=New study reveals stark gender pay inequality in UK nursing workforce|last=University|first=London South Bank|website=www.lsbu.ac.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rcni.com/nursing-standard/newsroom/news/gender-pay-gap-male-nurses-disproportionately-represented-professions-top-jobs-145411|title=Gender pay gap: male nurses disproportionately represented in profession's top jobs|last=Jones-Berry|first=Stephanie|date=2019-02-19|website=rcni.com|language=en|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p071h0ty|title=BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Family secrets, Who was Mary Macarthur? Poet Fatimah Asghar, Gender pay inequalities in UK nursing, Why do men still earn more in professions dominated by women?|website=BBC|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref> In 2016 she was awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship to study the use of big data in high reliability organisations.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wcmt.org.uk/users/alisonleary2016|title=alison.leary.2016 {{!}} Winston Churchill Memorial Trust|website=www.wcmt.org.uk|access-date=2019-09-04|archive-date=4 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904165612/https://www.wcmt.org.uk/users/alisonleary2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> This position allowed her to compare healthcare with other safety critical industries in Switzerland and the United States of America.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wcmt.org.uk/fellows/reports/hope-not-plan-can-healthcare-uk-learn-other-safety-critical-industries|title=Hope is not a plan: Can healthcare in the UK learn from other safety critical industries?|website=WCMT|access-date=2019-09-06|archive-date=4 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904170042/https://www.wcmt.org.uk/fellows/reports/hope-not-plan-can-healthcare-uk-learn-other-safety-critical-industries|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Leary served as the clinical lead at Millwall Football Club.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.millwallfc.co.uk/news/2019/june/professor-alison-leary-awarded-mbe/|title=Professor Alison Leary awarded MBE|website=www.millwallfc.co.uk|language=en-gb|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref> In this capacity she helped the football club deploy emergency healthcare, and studied what roles are required for the most effective response team.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|url=http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/about-us/news/lsbus-professor-alison-leary-awarded-mbe-in-queens-birthday-honours-list-2019|title=LSBU's Professor Alison Leary awarded MBE in Queen's Birthday Honours List 2019|last=University|first=London South Bank|website=www.lsbu.ac.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-09-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904215812/http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/about-us/news/lsbus-professor-alison-leary-awarded-mbe-in-queens-birthday-honours-list-2019|archive-date=2019-09-04|url-status=dead}}</ref> Her research on the effectiveness of medical teams is part of Millwall F.C.'s new approach to healthcare services, which can accommodate disasters as well as minor injuries, spectator safety and primary care.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://openresearch.lsbu.ac.uk/|title=Welcome to LSBU Open Research : LSBU Open Research|website=openresearch.lsbu.ac.uk|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref><ref name=":5" /> This work was included in the Sports Safety Ground Authority's 2018 guide, which sets benchmarking standards in British football grounds.<ref name=":5" /> She stood down [https://www.millwallfc.co.uk/news/2020/september/millwall-pay-tribute-to-alison-leary/ after 23 years]. She is a member of the TED Whitehall Women expert group.
She has served as non-executive director of several charities, including the National Lung Cancer Forum for Nurses, the Millwall Community Scheme.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nlcfn.org.uk/trustee/biography/708|title=Alison Leary {{!}} National Lung Cancer Forum for Nurses|website=www.nlcfn.org.uk|access-date=2019-09-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001083418/https://www.nlcfn.org.uk/trustee/biography/708|archive-date=2019-10-01|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the [https://www.basics.org.uk/ British Association of Immediate Care]
Leary was elected as the deputy president of the Royal College of Nursing in 2024, taking office on 1 January 2025.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rcn.org.uk/news-and-events/news/uk-rcn-presidential-and-council-elections-results-announced-131124|title=RCN Presidential and Council elections results announced|publisher=Royal College of Nursing|date=13 November 2024}}</ref>
=== Awards and honours ===
* 2012 Mayor of Southwark Civic Award *2013 Florence Nightingale Foundation Leadership Scholar<ref name=":1" /> *2014 Nursing Times Leaders list<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/workforce/welcome-to-the-first-ever-nursing-times-leaders-supplement-05-06-2014/|title=Welcome to the first ever Nursing Times Leaders supplement|last=Middleton|first=Jenni|date=2014-06-05|website=Nursing Times|language=en|access-date=2019-09-06}}</ref> *2014 Health Service Journal Inspirational Women<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nursingtimes.net/archive/nurses-recognised-on-list-of-inspirational-women-in-healthcare-11-07-2014/|title=Nurses recognised on list of 'inspirational women' in healthcare|last=Ford|first=Steve|date=2014-07-11|website=Nursing Times|language=en|access-date=2019-09-06}}</ref> * 2015 Elected Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing * 2016 Elected Fellow of the Queen's Nursing Institute *2018 Top 70 women in health in 70 years of the NHS<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rcni.com/sites/rcn_nspace/files/NHS%2070_70_Nurses.pdf|title=A celebration of 70 influential nurses and midwives from 1948 to 2018|website=NHS|access-date=2019-09-06}}</ref> * 2019 Appointed an MBE in the 2019 Birthday Honours<ref name=":5" />
=== Selected publications === Her publications<ref name=epmc/> include: *{{Cite book|title=Lung Cancer: A Multidisciplinary Approach|last=Leary|first=Alison|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|year=2012|isbn=9781405180757}} *{{Cite book|title=More Passion for Science: Journeys into the Unknown|last=Leary|first=Alison|publisher=Finding Ada|year=2015}}
== References == {{Reflist}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leary, Alison}} Category:Living people Category:Nurses from London Category:British women academics Category:Fellows of the Royal College of Nursing Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:Alumni of the University of London Category:Academics of London South Bank University Category:British nurses