Claire graduated from Northumbria University with a first-class honours degree in adult nursing, and a distinction in midwifery (postgraduate diploma). Claire received an academic achievement award for both her nursing and midwifery studies and received the ‘Heath medal’, which was awarded for both academic and clinical excellence in nursing. In 2016, she, alongside her colleague Laura Park, was a finalist for the student ‘Nursing Times Award – Teaching Innovation of the Year’, for the creation and development of the Skills for Practice website, which acts as a repository for over 100 clinical skills videos, posters and virtual reality resources.

Claire’s role as Assistant Professor includes contributing to the delivery of a range of modules across BSc and MSc pre-registration healthcare programmes, both nationally and internationally. This has incorporated involvement in a simulation-training programme for Thailand Nurse Educators, simulated clinical skills sessions for medical students from St George’s University and participation in the delivery of nursing modules to undergraduate students in Malta. As co-programme lead, Claire also helps to shape and enhance the MSc Nursing programmes and plays a crucial role in the development and organisation of the university's 'SkillsFest' simulated practice learning programme. Claire has been nominated on several occasions, for the Student Led Teaching Awards, and won the award for ‘Outstanding Staff Member for Health and Life Sciences’ in 2020. In 2022 she was awarded a ‘GEM’ award for going the extra mile and in 2023 along with her fellow SkillsFest team was shortlisted for the NU ‘SHINE’ awards. 

Claire’s interests are centred on clinical skills, perioperative care, gynaecology and women’s health and pedagogical teaching methods, which encourage learning through a variety of media, including those methods that employ more technological interventions. She is actively involved in designing, planning, and delivering learning, teaching and assessment activities via various teaching methodologies and is currently engaged in various nursing practice research initiatives, alongside research studies that concentrate on teaching activities and techniques. These efforts aim to assess professional practice, establish productive learning environments, provide assistance to students, and advance the field of nursing teaching pedagogies.

In conjunction with her university activities, Claire is also co-chair of the UK Simulation Practice Learning Group (UKSPLG), is a member of NHS England’s Simulation and Immersive Technologies Publications Editorial Review Group, is a published author of several book chapters and journal articles which contributes to the body of knowledge surrounding healthcare education, teaching pedagogy and perioperative care.  

Claire is involved in several research projects. Her PhD study examined perioperative care and pain planning using both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods and was underpinned by a critical ethnographic methodology. She is also involved in research projects, which explore the use of technology-enhanced learning, and virtual reality to augment undergraduate students learning experiences of clinical skills and the use of simulated practice learning within nursing programmes.

2023 Shortlisted for SHINE award

2022 Winner of GEM award

2020 Winner of NSU Teaching Awards - Outstanding Staff Member for Health and Life Sciences

Co-creator and Leader for Skills for Practice Website - Finalist Student Nursing Times Award (SNTA) – Teaching Innovation of the Year 2016

Co-chair of the UK Simulated Practice Learning Group UKSLPG

Member of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP)

Member of the British Association of Day Surgery (BADS)

Member of the IFNA UK and Ireland