Dr. Jo Bird, nurse consultant at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Honorary Senior Lecturer, Division of Clinical Medicine, University of Sheffield, has been elected as President-Elect of the UK Oncology Nursing Society (UKONS).
Jo takes up the post with immediate effect. She will support incoming President, Dr. Mary Tanay (Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust), for a period of two years before becoming President herself from December 2027.
Speaking about her appointment, Jo said: “It is a great privilege to be elected president elect of UKONS. The charity provides educational opportunities for cancer nurses to improve the outcomes of people with cancer. This year has been the 20th anniversary, and the celebrations have showcased the supportive community that has developed and how standards for clinical practice have been implemented. I look forward to working with colleagues from across the UK to build on these achievements.”
Jo is a nurse consultant in melanoma and immunotherapy late effects at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and an honorary research fellow at the University of Sheffield. Her research interests include the long-term effects of immunotherapy, survivorship and palliative care.
In her clinical role Jo conducts a pioneering nurse-led late effects service for patients who have received immunotherapy, one of the first of its kind established in the UK. She is a past Nursing Times Ingrid Fuchs Cancer Nursing award winner (Late Effects Service, led by Professor Diana Greenfield, 2024).
She previously worked as clinical research nurse across a variety of cancer sites and early phase trials and continues to maintain a clinical academic career having completed an NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship. She is keen to support nurses to integrate research into cancer care as well as those undertaking their own projects.
