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Professor Catherine Henshall

MN, RN, MA, PhD

Professor of Nursing

Oxford School of Nursing and Midwifery

Catherine Henshall

Role

Cathy Henshall is a Professor of Nursing at Oxford Brookes University and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, and Associate Director (Research Leadership) of Nursing and Midwifery at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Cathy is Research Lead for the Oxford School of Nursing and Midwifery and leads the Workforce Research Group within the Centre for Healthcare Research.

Cathy’s research is focused on nursing and research leadership. She is widely cited and has collaborated with a range of national and international colleagues to secure grant funding, including from NIHR, the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, and the Burdett Trust for Nursing. Current research awards include 1) the Lung I-ACT: Improving access and recruitment to clinical trials for lung cancer patients and 2) PROMISE: Principles of Engagement: Developing Methods to Increase Representation of Black Mothers in Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare Research.

Cathy holds professional registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (PIN: 00I4192E). She has advised on national and international funding committees, including NIHR’s Research for Patient Benefit panel. She provides direct leadership and oversight of the NIHR Senior Research Leadership Programme for Nurses and Midwives and was formerly co-Director of the NIHR Oxford Health Clinical Research Facility.

Teaching and supervision

Supervision

Catherine supervises three PhD students:

  • Aasia Rajpoot
  • Suriya Kirkpatrick
  • Kate Culligan

She welcomes enquiries from doctoral candidates.

Research

Catherine’s research is focused on nursing and research leadership. She has expertise in developing and evaluating interventions to promote nurses' leadership capabilities and promote culture change within healthcare settings. Her research is often set within the context of cancer care, with a particular focus on lung cancer and mesothelioma.

Research impact

Metrics

 All Since 2019
Citations 2908 2708
h-Index 23 22
i10index 37 36

Centres and Institutes

Projects as Principal Investigator

  • PROMISE: Principles of Engagement: Developing Methods to Increase Representation of Black Mothers in Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare Research (co-led by University of Nottingham and Oxford Brookes University (Oct 2024 to Sept 2025), funded by National Institute for Health and care Research: £149,554;
  • Lung I-ACT: Improving access to clinical trials opportunities for lung cancer patients (June 2023 to 25), funded by Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation: £150,000)
  • A mixed methods study to explore factors influencing patient safety and care quality in non-UK trained registered nurses: (Sept 2022 to 25), funded by Health Education England: £70,799.

Projects as Co-investigator or Academic Lead

  • INSIGHT: Inspiring Students into Research: (April 2024 to March 2026), funded by National Institute for Health and Care Research: £2,658,480
  • Exploring the experiences and needs of never smokers diagnosed with lung cancer: (September 2024 to August 2025) funded by Ruth Strauss Foundation: £49,992.61.
  • STREAMLINE: Smarter Therapeutic and Diagnostic Intervention in Malignant Pleural Effusion - a Feasibility Randomised Study with Qualitative Components (led by University of Oxford) (October 2022 to 25), funded by National Institute for Health Research: £24,412 (to OBU).

Groups

Projects as Principal Investigator, or Lead Academic if project is led by another Institution

  • PROMISE: Principles of Engagement: Developing Methods to Increase Representation of Black Mothers in Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare Research(Led by University of Nottingham) (01/10/2024 - 30/09/2025), funded by: National Institute for Health Research
  • Improving access and recruitment to clinical trials for lung cancer patients (01/07/2023 - 30/06/2025), funded by: Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, funding amount received by Brookes: £147,021
  • Evaluation of intervention to support nursing students at risk of leaving the programme (27/03/2023 - 26/09/2024), funded by: Health Education England, funding amount received by Brookes: £38,536
  • Smarter Therapeutic and Diagnostic Intervention in Malignant Pleural Effusion (STREAMLINE) - a Feasibility Randomised Study with Qualitative Components (led by University of Oxford) (01/10/2022 - 30/09/2025), funded by: National Institute for Health Research

Projects as Co-investigator

  • Exploring the experiences and needs of never smokers diagnosed with lung cancer(01/09/2024 - 31/08/2025), funded by: Ruth Strauss Foundation, funded by: Ruth Strauss Foundation
  • A mixed methods study to explore factors influencing the learning environment, patient safety and care quality in non-UK and UK trained registered nurses(01/09/2022 - 31/08/2025), funded by: Health Education England, funding amount received by Brookes: £70,799, funded by: Health Education England

Publications

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Professional information

Memberships of professional bodies

Professional body

  • Nursing and Midwifery Council

Committees and board memberships

  • NHS England Clinical Academic Nursing Professoriate Network
  • Clinical Academic Roles Implementation Network (CARIN)
  • Nursing and Midwifery Council Research Community of Interest Group
  • NIHR Academy Training and Development Working Group
  • International Thoracic Oncology Forum Research Subcommittee
  • University of Oxford and University of Toronto Operational Research Committee
  • SE Region Nursing Research Steering Group