Karen Luker

Karen Luker is the Queen's Nursing Institute Professor of Community Nursing at the University of Manchester, a position held since 2015. Previously, she served 15 years as Head of the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work (1999-2015) and held professorial roles at the University of Liverpool including Head of the School of Health Sciences and William Rathbone Professor of Community Nursing.

Her academic credentials include a Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Manchester (1975) and a PhD from the University of Edinburgh (1980), which pioneered research on health visitor interventions for elderly women living alone.

Luker's research expertise spans primary care, community nursing, and palliative care with specific contributions in cancer follow-up, carer support, self care, home care, and end-of-life care. Her work directly bridges research, policy formulation, and nursing education curriculum development.

Her distinguished honors include:

• Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services to Nursing and Health Services Research (2016)
• Honorary Doctorate of Science from University of Alberta (2011)
• Honorary Doctorate of Medicine from University of Lund (2010)
• Election as Fellow to Academy of Medical Sciences (1998), European Academy of Nursing Science (2000), and The Queen's Nursing Institute (2003)
• Catedra Professor Carlos Lloyd Braga (Honorary Chair) at University of Minho, Portugal (2015)
• Frances Bloomberg Distinguished International Visiting Professorship at University of Toronto (2017-2018)

Professor Luker has secured research funding in the national top quartile and chaired major panels including the MRC Public Health and Health Services Research Advisory Board (1997-2003) and NIHR Clinical Academic Pathways Training Fellowship Panel for Nurses and Allied Health Professionals.

She founded and serves as editor of the leading international journal Health and Social Care in the Community, ranked among the world's top ten social work journals for 27 years.