Professor Ann Gallagher
Professor/Head of Department of Health Sciences

Research area(s)

Professor Gallagher's research areas are, broadly, in the areas of ethics and professionalism in health and social care. She has researched areas such as: dignity in social care; compassion in the NHS; professionalism in paramedic practice; innovative approaches to ethics education; and the application of AI to Fitness to Practise processes.

Examples of recent publications are listed below:

Haddad, A.A., Arber, A., Cox, A. and Gallagher, A., (2025) The Meaning of Being a ‘Good Nurse’ in the ICU During the COVID‐19 Pandemic. Nursing Inquiry, 32(1), p.e12694.

Al Haddad, A., Arber, A., Cox, A. and Gallagher, A. (2024) The Challenges Experienced by ICU Nurses in Kuwait during the COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Nursing Studies Ad

van der Gaag A., Jago R., Gallagher A., Stathis K.,Webster M., Austin Z., Stathis K., Krishnamurthy Y. & Austin Z. (2023) Artificial Intelligence in Health Professional Regulation: An Exploratory Qualitative Study of Nursing Regulators in Three Jurisdictions Journal of Nursing Regulation  14 (2) p.1-8

Gallagher A, Lane A., Egan C., Katsumasa O., Keiko A., Nakayama N., Kasimovskaya N., Fomina E., Geraskina N., Shalakhova A. & Cox A. (2021) Views of Generation Z regarding care and care careers: a four-country study International Journal of Care and Caring (https://doi.org/10.1332/239788221X16308608299691)

Cox A., Parsons T., Watkin S. & Gallagher A. (2021) Supporting the delivery of good maternity care for parents with learning disabilities Midwifery Vol. 102 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2021.103073)

Jago R., van der Gaag A., Stathis K., Petej I., Lertvittayakumjorn P., Gao Y., Caceres Silva J., Webster M., Gallagher A. & Austin J. (2021) Use of Artificial Intelligence in Regulatory Decision-Making Journal of Nursing Regulation 12 (3): 11-10

Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Service Clinical Ethics Group (2020) Resuscitation During the Pandemic:  Optional Obligation? or Supererogation? Clinical Ethics (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1477750920946684) Lead/Corresponding author

Gallagher A., Williams E., Peacock M., Zasada M. & Cox A. (2020) Findings from a Mixed Methods Pragmatic Cluster Trial Evaluating the Impact of Ethics Education Interventions on Residential Care-Givers Nursing Inquiry 28 (2) https://doi.org/10.1111/nin/nin.1283

Gallagher A., Dopson A., Brighton D. & Nicholson C. (2020) Ensuring the Best Possible End of Life Care Experience for Patients with COVID-19: Key Question Areas Nursing Standard (https://rcni.com/nursing-standard/features/covid-19-surge-training-helping-nurses-provide-compassionate-end-of-life-care-165171)

Gallagher A., Banks S., Jago R., Austin Z., Zasada M. & Van Der Gaag (2020) Exploring the context of fitness to practise concerns about social workers in England: Explanations beyond Individuals Ethics and Social Welfare (published online 15th January – https://doi.org/10.1080/17496535.2019.10707846) 

Gallagher A., Peacock M. & Cox A. (2020) Exploring the experiences of domiciliary caregivers simulating the role of care recipients Nursing Standard (published online April 2020 – doi:10.7748/ns.2020.e11382)

 Banks S., Zasada M., Jago R., Gallagher A., Austin Z. & Van Der Gaag (2020) Social Workers under the Spotlight: An Analysis of Fitness to Practise Referrals to the Regulatory Body in England 2014-2016 The British Journal of Social Work 50 (2): 326-347 (see https://academic.oup.com/bjsw/advance-article/doi/10.1093/bjsw/bcz145/5681894)

 Books

Gallagher A., Jago R., Morley G., Monteverde S., Peters E., Sperling D. and Suhonen R. (In press) Handbook of Nursing Ethics Routledge

 Gallagher A., Davies N., Bowen N. & Sicat S. (2026) Interprofessional Ethics Across the Lifespan in Health and Social Care: A Scenario-based Approach Routledge – in press and due for publication in October 2025

 Gallagher A., Deering K. & de Luca E. (Editors) (2023) Nursing Practice and Education: Aspiring to Excellence through Seven Pillars of Learning Routledge, London – co-produced text with students, PPI members & members of the Academy of Nursing, University of Exeter

Gallagher A. (2020) Slow Ethics and the Art of Care Emerald Points, Bingley [Published in Japanese in 2022]

 Gallagher A. & Herbert C. (Editors) (2019) Faith and Ethics in Health and Social Care: Improving Practice through Understanding Diverse Perspectives Jessica Kingsley, London

 Chadwick C. & Gallagher A. (2016) Ethics and Nursing Practice 2nd Edition, Palgrave/MacMillan, Basingstoke

 Gallagher A. & Hodge S. (Editors) (2012) Ethical, legal and professional aspects in healthcare: a practice-based approach Palgrave/MacMillan

 Banks S. & Gallagher A. (2009) Ethics in Professional Life: Virtues for Health and Social Care Palgrave/MacMillan, Basingstoke

McHale J. & Gallagher A. (2003) Human Rights and Nursing Butterworth Heinemann/Elsevier, Edinburgh

Research Interests

Professor Gallagher's overall research interests relate to ethics in health and social care. She has researched a wide range of topic areas (see previous section) and has extensive experience of successfully supervising local and international PhD Students to completion. 

As Editor-in-Chief of an international ethics journal, Professor Gallagher has an in-depth understanding and appreciation of current ethical issues that impact health and social care, locally and globally. She is committed to supporting and co-creating research and scholarship with educators, researchers, members of Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Group and students. Research and scholarship which positively impacts the experiences of patients, families and communities and students on professional programmes.