Inspirational educator gets award
Shrewsbury-based palliative care lecturer Robert Becker has been presented with a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the Royal College of General Practitioners in London.
Mr Becker is a retired senior lecturer for Staffordshire University Faculty of Health based at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital campus and also ran the education department at Severn Hospice
Professor Bridget Johnston who presented the award on behalf of the International Journal of Palliative Nursing said. “Bob’s contribution to palliative care education in the UK and internationally has been exemplary. His academic teaching and humanitarian work in several countries has been inspirational. Combined with his extensive publishing, including web based courses, he has made a huge difference to the knowledge and skills of nurses across the globe.”
After receiving his award Rob said: “To be recognised by my peers in this way is a huge honour. The challenges of educating nurses about the importance of caring for the dying in whatever settings are huge in these times of austerity, but I know the immense value that nurses place on such skills. It goes to core of what caring is all about and keeps us in touch with our humanity.”
Mr Becker, who now writes fiction, is credited with developed a teaching and advisory role in a number of European countries and regularly leading palliative care study tours for health professionals.
He remains an associate lecturer at Worcester University’s Centre for Palliative Care.
