Elizabeth Anionwu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dame Elizabeth Nneka Anionwu
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| Born |
Elizabeth Mary Furlong
2 July 1947 Birmingham, England
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| Known for | Nurse, lecturer, administrator |
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Notable work
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Dreams From My Mother (2021) |
| Children | Azuka Oforka (daughter) |
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| Awards | Order of Merit, Pride of Britain Awards Lifetime Achievement Award (2019) |
Dame Elizabeth Nneka Anionwu is a famous British nurse, teacher, and professor. She was born Elizabeth Mary Furlong on July 2, 1947. She is known for her important work in nursing and for helping people with certain blood conditions.
In 1979, Elizabeth Anionwu became the first nurse in the United Kingdom to specialize in sickle cell and thalassemia. These are genetic blood disorders. She helped start a special center in London for people with these conditions. Later, in 1998, she created the Mary Seacole Centre for Nursing Practice. This center is at the University of West London. She has received many high honors for her work. These include the Order of Merit and being made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. She is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing. She retired in 2007. In 2016, she wrote a book about her life called Mixed Blessings from a Cambridge Union.
Contents
Early Life and Childhood
Elizabeth Nneka Anionwu was born in Birmingham, England. Her mother was from Ireland, and her father was from Nigeria. Her mother, Mary Maureen Furlong, was studying at Newnham College, Cambridge. Her father, Lawrence Anionwu, was also studying law at Cambridge University.
Elizabeth's childhood involved moving between different homes. For a while, she lived with her mother. Later, she moved to a Catholic children's home. Nuns cared for her there, including at the Nazareth House convent in Birmingham. She remembers being disciplined sometimes. However, she also felt sad when she had to leave the convent to live with her mother again. After a childhood with many changes, she became a nurse. She then trained as a health visitor. Just before her 25th birthday, she found her father, Lawrence Anionwu. He was a lawyer and had been Nigeria's Ambassador to Italy. She visited Nigeria often and later changed her last name to Anionwu.
Family Connections
Elizabeth Anionwu has said that her father, Lawrence Anionwu, gave her her first career advice. He was a barrister (a type of lawyer) and a diplomat. Elizabeth Anionwu has a daughter named Azuka Oforka, who is an actress.
A Career in Nursing
Elizabeth Anionwu decided to become a nurse after a nun helped her with her eczema when she was four years old. At 16, she finished school and started working as a nurse assistant in Wolverhampton. She continued her education to become a qualified nurse, a health visitor, and a tutor. She traveled to the United States to learn about counseling for sickle cell and thalassemia. At that time, these courses were not available in the UK.
In 1979, she worked with Dr. Milica Brozovic. Together, they opened the first nurse-led center in the UK for screening and counseling people with sickle cell and thalassemia. This center was in the London Borough of Brent. It became a model for more than 30 similar centers across the UK.
From 1990 to 1997, Elizabeth Anionwu taught at the Institute of Child Health at University College London. She became a senior lecturer in Community Genetic Counselling. With Professor Marcus Pembrey, she taught a course for National Health Service (NHS) staff. This course helped them work with communities affected by conditions like sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, Tay–Sachs disease, and thalassaemia.
Elizabeth Anionwu became the dean of the School of Adult Nursing Studies. She was also a Professor of Nursing at the University of West London. There, she created the Mary Seacole Centre for Nursing Practice. She retired from this role in 2007. In 2001, she co-wrote a book called The Politics of Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia. She also became a Trustee and later vice-chairperson of the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal. In 2005, she wrote A Short History of Mary Seacole. After a statue was put up at St Thomas' Hospital in 2016, she became a Life Patron of the Mary Seacole Trust.
She led several projects for the NHS Sickle and Thalassaemia Screening Programme. These projects created guidelines for nurses caring for people with these conditions. One important guide was "Caring for people with sickle cell disease and thalassaemia syndromes: A framework for nursing staff."
Elizabeth Anionwu also supports other charities and groups. She is a Patron of the Sickle Cell Society and the Nigerian Nurses Charitable Association UK. She is also Vice President of Unite/Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association. She is an Honorary Advisor to England's Chief Nursing Officer's Black & Minority Ethnic Strategic Advisory Group.
Awards and Special Honors
Elizabeth Anionwu has received many awards for her important work.
- In 2001, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her services to nursing.
- In 2004, she became a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing (FRCN). This was for her work in setting up the sickle cell and thalassemia counseling center.
- After she retired in 2007, she was named Emeritus Professor for Nursing at the University of West London. This means she keeps her professor title even after retiring.
In 2010, she was added to the Nursing Times Nursing Hall of Fame. This recognized her dedication to creating nurse-led services. She also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Divas of Colour in 2015. In 2017, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). This honor was for her services to nursing and her work with the Mary Seacole Statue Appeal. She also received a Fellowship of the Queen's Nursing Institute in October 2017.
In 2019, the University of St Andrews gave her an honorary Doctor of Science degree. This was for her major contributions to nursing, research, and campaigning. Also in 2019, she received an honorary doctorate from Birmingham City University. This recognized her significant impact on the nursing profession.
At the Pride of Britain Awards in October 2019, Elizabeth Anionwu received the Lifetime Achievement Award. This award honored her passion for nursing and her efforts to reduce health differences. The famous singer Janet Jackson presented her with the award.
On May 31, 2020, Elizabeth Anionwu was featured on the radio show Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4. Later that year, on November 23, she was included in the BBC's list of 100 Women (BBC).
In 2022, she became a member of the Order of Merit. This is a very special honor given by the King. In May 2023, she took part in the Royal procession at the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla. She carried the Sovereign's Orb.
See also
