Having qualified as a pharmacist in 2002 and worked in hospital practice, Catriona (Nina) Walker chose to extend her career into academia at the University of Hertfordshire in 2007 where she has led, inspired and championed excellent teaching practice.
Nina is the Student Experience Lead for Clinical, Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, overseeing a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and Principal Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice teaching across Levels 4-7, with a specific focus on 100+ Level 4 Master of Pharmacy students. She designed and leads the Level 4 Transition to Higher Education module, bridging the gap between secondary and tertiary education in a healthcare profession context.
Nina’s work focuses on designing effective support dedicated to discrete groups of students, recognising the specific challenges that face the unique composition of students within the University of Hertfordshire. This work includes a focus on first-generation students and those experiencing imposter syndrome and has led to her being recruited as a Learning and Teaching Specialist within the Learning and Teaching Innovation Centre, where she leads the Student-Staff Partnership Network and Personal Tutoring support across the institution. Nina’s work has had exceptionally positive effects in terms of retention, student satisfaction and the awarding gap. She has been awarded the Vice Chancellor’s and Dean’s Award for Excellence in Student Experience.
In 2022 she was recognised as an Associate Professor of Learning and Teaching. She is also a Senior Fellow of Advance HE. Outside of her core roles, Nina represents her department within the university’s BAME Student Success Working Group, leading the Student Support subgroup. She created and currently leads the institution-wide Student Experience Forum and regularly shares her practice on a national and local level.
Nina represents her university externally at the Pharmacy Schools Council Student Success Group where she co-created a national Equality, Diversity and Inclusion conference for 300+ academic staff in Schools of Pharmacy across the UK and practice supervisors. Her passions include optimising transitions into, within and out of higher education and building confidence in students, which is where her doctoral focus lies.