Precious Reuben

My research looks at how organisations shape careers, and why some groups of workers progress more slowly than others. Most of my work focuses on the healthcare workforce.

My PhD examines how organisational practices shape career progression and inequality among ethnic minority nurses in the NHS. It combines a survey of 503 nurses with 35 in-depth interviews with nurses and nurse leaders, carried out in partnership with 13 NHS Trusts. My supervisors are Dr Wen Wang and Professor Gregory Maniatopoulos.

Migrant nurses in the study were much more likely than UK-qualified ethnic minority nurses to have been turned down for promotion three or more times, even when compared with nurses of the same age, qualifications and experience. They were also much more likely to be at Band 5, the entry grade for nurses.

With my supervisors, I have analysed how NHS workforce race equality policy developed between 1978 and 2023, and whether it has moved from compliance towards inclusion. In 2022, I worked as a research assistant synthesising NHS workforce data for a policy impact report that was later presented at the UK Parliament.

I am Co-Investigator on Two Sides of the Coin: A Collaborative Approach to Resident Training, funded by the ESRC Impact Acceleration Account and led by Dr Wen Wang. My planned role covers the NHS ethics application, co-creating and sharing a toolkit, and longer-term evaluation using NHS Staff Survey and GMC data. I am also co-authoring a study of racism, othering and belonging in the lives of UK migrant domiciliary care workers.

I share findings directly with the organisations involved. I have written Trust-specific reports for three NHS Trusts and presented findings to senior nursing, EDI and workforce leaders, with discussion focused on how to embed them in practice.

Since 2022 I have held a Graduate Teaching Assistant Studentship at the University of Leicester School of Business, teaching on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, including postgraduate Healthcare Management cohorts. I lead seminars of around 30 students, have given a first-year lecture to around 200, and have supervised four MSc dissertations.

My teaching is built around application. I use case studies, structured debate, group discussion and gamification so that students put concepts to work and learn from the different professional and academic perspectives in the room. Peer observation and student feedback have highlighted clear explanations, inclusive teaching, effective pacing and strong links between theory and practice.

Modules I have taught or assessed include Principles of Human Resource Management; Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Organisations; The Future of Work; Managing Digital Technologies; Human Resource Management in Practice; Management Decisions and Risk Analysis; High Performance Work Practices; and Equality and Diversity.

Outside the university, I designed a research-based course for school pupils as a PhD Tutor with The Brilliant Club and taught it through three school placements. My teaching began at a secondary school in Nkana, Nigeria, where I taught financial accounting.

From 2023 to 2026 I was Postgraduate Researcher Representative for the College of Business, contributing to successful representations on revised progression criteria and the protection of PGR workspace, and helping to organise the College’s first PGR conference. I also co-manage the LinkedIn presence of the Healthcare Innovation, Policy and Management Research Centre, and I am a member of the British Sociological Association and the Digital Education Council.