Professor Ben Fitzpatrick

Overview

Ben is a Professor of Nursing Research and Development and holds a joint appointment between UU where he is the Research Director of the Institute of Nursing and Health Research, and in the Western Health and Social Care Trust where he is Assistant Director of Nursing (Research and Development). Ben plays a key leadership role between these two organisations and is focussed on enhancing strategic links and research culture across them both.

Ben graduated from the University of Wales, Bangor in 2000 with a degree in Sport and Exercise Science and then worked for a series of community and sport development programmes in his native Wales. A change of career beckoned shortly after moving to Northern Ireland and Ben graduated from Ulster in 2010 as a registered Nurse and worked in acute and emergency medicine departments in the South West Acute Hospital, Enniskillen.

Wanting to combine his sport and healthcare background, Ben completed his PhD in Physical Activity and Health in 2016 and became a permanent lecturer within the School of Sport in September 2016 as the Course Director for the BSc Sport, Physical Activity and Health programme on the Magee campus. Through the efforts of the course team this programme achieved 100% satisfaction in the National Student Survey in 2018 and, in the same year Ben was presented with the UUSU Excellence in Teaching Award for the Faculty of Life and Health Sciences. Ben became Head of School of Sport in February 2019 and led the School through the COVID pandemic before returning to the School of Nursing and Paramedic Sciences in 2022.

Ben’s research interests predominantly lie in physical activity and health, specifically in the fields high intensity interval training (HIIT) in clinical and vulnerable groups and in the area of social prescribing. Ben has disseminated this collaborative work at national and international conferences and as a guest speaker at national conventions

Research Opportunities