Cecilia Akrisie Anim former president of the

Royal College of Nursing The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is a registered trade union and professional body in the United Kingdom for those in the profession of nursing. It was founded in 1916 as the College of Nursing, receiving its royal charter in 1928. Queen Eliz ...

(RCN) (2015 – 2018), and a clinical nurse specialist in sexual and reproductive health at the Margaret Pyke Centre in London.

Early life and education

Born in

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

, Anim attended school there and completed her midwifery training at Komfo Anokye Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana in 1968. Anim moved to the UK in the 1970s and completed the UK general nursing course at

Hull Royal Infirmary Hull Royal Infirmary is a tertiary teaching hospital and is one of the two main hospitals for Kingston upon Hull (the other being Castle Hill Hospital in nearby Cottingham). It is situated on Anlaby Road, just outside the city centre, and is r ...

. She later completed her

clinical nurse specialist A clinical nurse specialist (CNS) is an advanced practice nurse who can provide advice related to specific conditions or treatment pathways. According to the International Council of Nurses (ICN), an Advanced Practice Nurse is a registered nurse w ...

training in advanced

family planning Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marit ...

at the Bloomsbury School of Nursing.

Career

Anim started her nursing career in her native Ghana where she worked as a midwife from 1968-1972. In 1977, having completed her UK general nursing course at Hull Royal Infirmary she took up post there as a staff nurse in paediatrics. In 1979 she began working at London's Margaret Pyke Centre, where she continues to work as a clinical nurse specialist in sexual and reproductive health, alongside her RCN presidency. A member of the RCN for over 30 years, Anim served as deputy president (2010 – 2014) before being elected president in 2015. She served her second term as RCN President having been re-elected in 2017. Anim was the first BME president of the RCN.

Community

Anim is also active in her local community, being particularly involved with

St Augustine's, Kilburn Saint Augustine's, Kilburn, is a Church of England church in the area of Kilburn, in North London, England. Because of its large size and ornate architecture, it is sometimes affectionately referred to as "the Cathedral of North London", althou ...

and the parish schools. She is Chair of Governors at St Augustine's CE Primary School.

Awards

Anim was awarded the Bevan award for Health and Wellbeing in 2013. 2016 saw Anim receive an honorary Doctor of Health degree from the

University of Bradford The University of Bradford is a public research university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A plate glass university, it received its royal charter in 1966, making it the 40th university to be created in Britain, but ...

. In the Queen's 2017 New Year's Honours list Anim was appointed a

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in recognition of her role as a nurse, RCN president and contribution to her community. Anim was awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Nursing in 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anim, Cecilia Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Ghanaian nurses British nurses British nursing administrators Presidents of the Royal College of Nursing Fellows of the Royal College of Nursing Commanders_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire