Working as a cancer nurse in London in the mid-1980s, Dame Jessica Corner’s ambition to do a PhD faced a major barrier.
“I was 26 and had a mortgage, so living on a studentship wasn’t affordable, even though my nurse’s salary wasn’t huge,” recalled the new executive chair of Research England.
Having thrived during her research-based nursing degree at the University of London, an unusual training route at the time, Dame Jessica knew she wanted to follow it up with a doctorate – which was eventually funded by what is now Cancer Research UK. “The crucial thing was that I did it on my salary, and continued with my clinical training,” reflected Dame Jessica, named in 2018 as one of the 70 most influential nurses in the NHS’ history for her research that has led to improved cancer care services.
