1996 - 2026

Celebrating 30 years of excellence, innovation and enterprise in Health and Social Care

In 1996, The School of Health and Social Care at Edinburgh Napier was formed out of the merger of the Lothian College of Health Studies and the Scottish Border College of Nursing.

In the subsequent three decades, the School has established itself as the foundational career stepping stone for tens of thousands of nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals, and social workers.

We remain the only University in Scotland to offer pre-registration training in all four nursing specialisms (adult, child, mental health and Learning Disabilities) and midwifery, as well as training allied health professionals in Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy, and Social Workers. For a multi-disciplinary health and care profession, this means we have a unique environment for the health and social work professionals of tomorrow to learn.

Edinburgh Napier has been rated #1 University in Edinburgh for student satisfaction every year since 2020 in the annual National Student Survey and in the School of health and Social Care we are proud of our record in supporting all students: students with specific learning support needs, mature students retraining, men moving into nursing, or students from a care background.

Our training is second to none:

We are a top 10 UK modern university for Nursing (The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025)
Our Simulation and Clinical Skills Centre provides state-of the-art facilities and a safe space to practise the essential skills before students go out on placement
And our 99% of our graduates go into careers in health and social care throughout Scotland, the UK, and internationally.

Throughout the past three decades we have continually innovated to ensure students are at the forefront of their profession; with research centres delivering internationally recognised research in cardiovascular care and mental health practice, policy and law; providing insight and support into the use of technology in clinical care settings; and offering ongoing professional development for practitioners - such as our PG Certificate in Transitional and Specialist Neonatal Care.

In the academic year spanning our 30th anniversary we look forward to welcoming many graduates, professionals, and applicants onto our campus to learn more about our courses, our research, and our track record.

Academic Profiles of our staff below highlight our expertise in research and teaching.
Dr Michael Leavitt also highlights research on neurotrauma and the future of men's health.

Please bookmark this page, or use the URL: napier.ac.uk/SchoolofHealthandSocialCare, to visit us often and keep up to date with events and opportunities to engage with our staff and students throughout the 2025-26 academic year.

Read the anniversary feature from The Scotsman

Upcoming Events

Postgraduate Information Evening - 26 February from 5-7pm at The Johnnie Walker Experience - Register now
Professorial Lectures, "International Women's Day " - 6 March (Registration information coming soon)
Offer Holder Day (by invitation) at Sighthill – 28 March

Past events

Professorial Talk by Dr Iain Atherton – 7 October Watch now
Witches: Exploring motherhood and maternal mental health - 13 November at Craiglockhart FREE but Pre-registration required. Book here
Postgraduate Studies Open Night at Sighthill - 20 November Postgraduate Events
Postgraduate Studies Open Night at The Johnnie Walker Experience, Edinburgh - 20 November Postgraduate Events

Dr Fiona Maclean

"My professional journey as an occupational therapist began in 1988, when I was interviewed by Professor Averil Stewart, then Head of Occupational Therapy at Queen Margaret College, Edinburgh. After a brief conversation—one I was not sure had gone particularly well—I was delighted to learn I had been accepted onto the BSc Occupational Therapy programme. That moment marked the beginning of a career I could never have imagined, and I remain deeply grateful to Professor Stewart for the opportunity she gave me.

From the outset, my undergraduate studies taught me that occupational therapy is a discipline rooted in understanding and valuing human purpose. Through engagement in meaningful activities—known as occupations—people can flourish, fostering a sense of belonging within families, communities, across broader environments. This has influenced my interest in the need to understand people, and their occupations, within diverse environments – or PEO – a concept which has guided my practice ever since.

After graduating, I carried the principles of PEO into my early career in NHS Grampian and Fife, working primarily with older adults, many living with dementia. I became curious about how occupational therapy could better support hospital discharge and promote independence at home. This led me to apply for a secondment with the (then) Scottish Office Home and Health Department, where I undertook research training as a remedial fellow and completed my first study exploring the reliability of an assessment designed to evaluate everyday activities with older people.

This experience allowed me to apply to a research assistant role on a project evaluating how cataract surgery impacted the ability of older adults to maintain their occupations to remain at home. The work culminated in an MPhil and marked the beginning of my academic career at Queen Margaret University (QMU), within the Occupational Therapy and Arts Therapies subject group.

At QMU, I contributed to occupational therapy education and research, taking on leadership roles and collaborating with Professor Elaine Hunter, AHP Consultant at Alzheimer Scotland. Together, we developed innovative learning approaches to support AHPs to work confidently with people living with dementia, their families, and caregivers.

A pivotal moment in my academic journey was working with Professor Brendan McCormack, a leader in person-centred practice, and Dr Sarah Kantartzis, who co-supervised my PhD. Their mentorship shaped my thesis, which explored drinking alcohol as an occupation and the ways in which this area of study could be taught and learning delivered in professional education.

Throughout my career, I have published widely and presented at national and international conferences. In 2022, I embraced a new opportunity as Associate Professor in Occupational Therapy at Edinburgh Napier University (ENU). This coincided with the publication of my co-edited textbook on occupational therapy and dementia, and the launch of one of the first continuing professional development (CPD) courses focused on a rights-based approach to AHP-led rehabilitation in dementia.

Since joining ENU, I have also collaborated with colleagues from the School of Law to explore the right to access meaningful occupation(s) as a foundation for living well. We are also leading research into the role of robotics in dementia rehabilitation, to consider how emerging technologies can be integrated into occupational therapy education and practice.

As ENU celebrates 30 years of the School of Health, I reflect with gratitude on the colleagues—past and present—who have shaped not only what I think, but how I think about health and the contribution occupational therapy can make. This milestone is not only a moment to honour the past, but also a platform to envision the future: one where occupational therapy and allied health profession colleagues continue to build inclusive, resilient communities that can support, enable and empower people to lead healthful lives."

Lynne Turnbull

"This year, I celebrated with my peers, our graduation from the Glasgow School of Occupational Therapy in 1985; at that time, I could not have imagined my future. There are so many milestones in my professional life, diversity of jobs and roles: the people, I have met, and the places I have visited. Now, as Professor of Occupational Therapy, I reflect on my early days as an occupational therapist at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital (REH), passionate about occupational therapy, working in a range of mental health settings from rehabilitation, day care, acute admission and intensive psychiatric care. Working with people who were at their most vulnerable and being able to contribute positively to their recovery: helping them to do the things they needed to do and wished to do in their lives at home and in their wider community.

Whilst at REH, and for a while at Rosslynlee Hospital, I developed experience in leadership and led and supervised occupational therapy staff. I also began developing my teaching and learning expertise and my research skills whilst undertaking my BSc (Hons) in Health Studies. I had the opportunity to shape services and developments within Lothian and Midlothian for example; developing primary care outreach. I also presented my first paper at an international conference in Melbourne at the World Federation of Occupational Therapists Conference (1990).

I always had an interest in education, so I made the move to university becoming Practice Placement Coordinator at the then York St John. This offered a unique link to occupational therapy practice in Yorkshire and North-West England developing partnerships with new and existing stakeholders designing educational resources that would support practice staff and our student’s learning experiences.

Academic jobs followed at St Matins Lancashire, (now University of Cumbria) and at Brunel University, London, where I was latterly the Programme Lead for the post registration MSc Occupational Therapy. During this period, I completed my MSc developing my qualitative research skills; my thesis examined professional reasoning of novice and expert occupational therapists in mental health; My first edited book ‘Thinking and Reasoning in Therapy: Narratives from Practice (1999) with Professor Susan Ryan was published. A unique opportunity arose for me to mentor occupational therapy staff working at Broadmoor State Hospital, and this enabled me to gain a greater understanding of such roles and constraints in forensic settings and to develop an interest regarding women in secure settings.

In 2002, I completed my PhD. This qualitative study examined through narrative inquiry the lived experience of women living with enduring mental illness in the community, and the perspectives of occupational therapists working, with these clients. Never one to shy from an opportunity, I applied and was successful to be the Foundation Head at the University of Limerick setting up the pre-registration, Master in Occupational Therapy. During this time, as Principal Investigator, I undertook a range of research however the most impactful was in conjunction with Milford Hospice - research funded by Atlantic Philanthropies to examine Hospice to Home from a range of perspectives including patients, relatives, and staff.

Due to my educational expertise, I was appointed by the Irish Minister for Health, as the National Occupational Therapist on the Health and Social Care Professions Council (now CORU) equivalent to UK Health and Social Care Professions Council. I was invited to join the Irish Mental Health Commission Research Committee (Ireland). My second edited book, Advanced Practice in Mental Health Occupational Therapy was published in 2008, and I continue to contribute chapters to leading text books.

In 2009, I was the Barbara Sexton Lecturer at the University of Western Ontario, Canada and in 2011 was visiting Professor at University of Newcastle, Australia.

I returned to Brunel University in 2010 as Head of the Department of Occupational Therapy, while there I awarded a Fellowship from the Royal College of Occupational Therapy. I made the move back across the border in 2018 to set up the MSc (Pre Reg) in Occupational Therapy, here at ENU, where I have had a range of roles. Throughout this time, I continue to be an active researcher presenting at national and international conferences and publishing in peer reviewed journals. I have supervised 15 PhD students to completion; thirteen of these are occupational therapists set within a range of topics and methodologies. Most recently with colleagues, our research has examined the experience of UK, Black and Minoritised Ethnic occupational therapists. Research on substance abuse being led by Dr Ciara Ryan is just commencing. Most recently with Professor Peter Robertson and others, we have been awarded an NIHR grant to examine ‘Career guidance for older workers.

So, to conclude, my decision to leave the Royal Bank of Scotland and study occupational therapy was a good one – I did think going to work and hoping the branch would be raided was not great for my mental health. My legacy is the people, I have worked with; as students at all levels of qualification from Diplomas to PhD students. My colleagues, my research collaborators, nationally and internationally and all the occupational therapists who I have met across the world – who continue to inspire me and my passion for occupational therapy."