Recognition highlights Dr Duncan Smith’s outstanding contributions to nursing education, clinical practice and research
By Mr George Wigmore (Senior Communications Officer), Published
Dr Duncan Smith, Senior Lecturer in Nursing at City St George’s, University of London, has been shortlisted for the Nurse of the Year honour at the prestigious British Journal of Nursing (BJN) Awards 2025. The recognition highlights his outstanding contributions to nursing education, clinical practice and research.
The BJN Awards celebrate excellence in nursing across multiple disciplines, recognising individuals who go above and beyond to improve patient care, education and healthcare outcomes. The winners of the BJN Awards 2025 will be announced at a ceremony later this year.
A career dedicated to nursing and education
Dr Smith has an extensive clinical background in acute and critical care nursing, with a particular focus on cardiac care, resuscitation, and improving care of clinically deteriorating patients. Alongside his teaching role at City St George’s, he serves as an Honorary Consultant Nurse with the Patient Emergency Response and Resuscitation Team (PERRT) at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Beyond his UK-based practice, Dr Smith has also worked internationally, spending two years in Uganda with Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO). During this time, he taught pre-registration nursing students and supported nursing staff development in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). His experiences in low- and middle-income healthcare settings have shaped his commitment to global nursing education.
Advancing nursing through research
Dr Smith’s commitment to research and nursing education has been instrumental in developing new interventions and improving clinical practice. In 2018, he was awarded an NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship to complete his PhD, where he developed a theory-based behaviour change intervention to enhance nurses’ responses to clinically deteriorating patients. His research interests span implementation science, behaviour change, and clinical-academic career development, all of which contribute to improving healthcare standards.
Speaking about the nomination, Dr Smith said:
“I am both surprised and delighted to have been nominated for this award. I feel very lucky to have had a varied and interesting career as a registered nurse which has included clinical practice, leadership, education, and research. In all aspects of my work, I have been supported and encouraged by knowledgeable and generous mentors.
"Working in healthcare (research) is demanding, and surrounding yourself with the right people really helps you to identify opportunities that you may not have known existed and challenges you to think differently and more carefully. When these opportunities have come your way, it seems only right to pass it forward and support others in the way you have been supported. This benefits our workforce and the patients we care for.”
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