Surinder Walia EN, RGN, BSc Hons, PGDipHE, MSc, MA

Principal Lecturer, Deputy Head of Department

Surinder Walia is a Principal Lecturer and Deputy Head of the School of Health Sciences at the University of Greenwich.

Surinder initially joined the university as Lecturer Practitioner in 2001, and has since become deputy head of department in 2013, taking on a range of managerial and leadership responsibilities from line management of staff to networking with internal faculties and external partners.

Her main interest is in clinical leadership and management within the NHS. As programme Executive Lead, she is responsible for delivering the specialist leadership and management teaching across the pre-registration nursing curriculum and the post-registration specialist courses. Surinder has a keen interest and enthusiasm for using the action learning process in order to develop leadership/management behaviors. She has successfully developed bespoke provision within this field and delivers this on site for NHS Trusts across the South East sector.

Her professional background is in cancer nursing and she has worked in lead positions within acute cancer/hematology/medical settings. She has retained her interest in practice as Link tutor in a range of clinical areas within local NHS Trust settings, providing support to students and mentors. She is also a Personal tutor for Adult Nursing pre-registration students, providing pastoral and academic support throughout their programme of study.

Additionally, she is a Key Account Manager liaising with a local NHS partner trust to ensure that education provision meets workforce requirement and demand.

Posts previously held:

  • 2006-13, Senior Lecturer, Adult Nursing, Department of Adult Nursing & Paramedic Science University of Greenwich 
  • 2001-06, Lecturer Practitioner in Medical Nursing University of Greenwich/Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust
  • 2001, Medical Bleep, Holder Darent Valley Hospital, Dartford
  • 2000-2001, Ward Sister, Rosewood Ward: Medical/Haematology/Oncology Ward, Darent Valley Hospital, Dartford
  • 1998-2000, Ward Manager, 9A Ward: Medical/Haematology/Oncology Ward, Joyce Green Hospital, Dartford
  • 1997-98, Acting Ward Manager, 9A Ward: Medical/Haematology/Oncology Ward, Joyce Green Hospital, Dartford
  • 1992-97, Senior Staff Nurse, 9A Ward: Medical/Haematology/Oncology Ward, Joyce Green Hospital, Dartford

Responsibilities within the university
  • Principal Lecturer and Deputy Head of School of Health Sciences
  • Programme Executive Lead and Principal Lecturer for the pre-registration nursing curriculum and the post- registration specialist courses
  • Link tutor
  • Personal tutor
  • Key Accounts Manager for Medway PCT and Medway NHS Trust
  • Membership attendance: Faculty of Learning and Quality Sub-Committee Group; Faculty of Engineering and Science Operations Committee; Faculty of Education and Health Operations Group; Faculty of Education and Health Annual Monitoring Scrutiny Group; Faculty Education and Health Employment Engagement Action Group; and Faculty Education and Health Adult Implementation Group

Research / Scholarly interests

Surinder's research interests include: Leadership development, Management development, and Changing leadership behaviours through the process of action learning.

Recent publications