The Richard Wells Research Centre at Thames Valley University

Robert J Pratt

CBE FRCN FRSA RN RNT PGDARM DN(Lond) BA MSc
Professor of Nursing and Centre Director

Robert Pratt is Professor of Nursing and Director of the Richard Wells Research Centre in the Faculty of  Health and Human Sciences at Thames Valley University. He gained his Diploma in Nursing at the University of London, a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and his Master of Science in Health Education at Chelsea College, University of London. 

Robert has been associated with the nursing care issues associated with HIV disease since the very beginning of the global pandemic and has acted as an Educational Consultant to a variety of international organisations including the British Council, the UK Overseas Development Administration and the World Health Organization, developing and implementing HIV-related training and education in Eastern Europe, West India, the Arabian Gulf and throughout Africa. In the mid-1980s, Robert worked closely with Richard Wells at the Royal College of Nursing where they established the HIV Nursing Society and developed a variety of professional and clinical responses to the issues emerging out of the evolving UK epidemic.  Robert and his colleagues were awarded the Robert Tiffany International Award from the Royal College of Nursing for their six year action research project in west India and the Arabian Gulf focused on developing clinical confidence and competence in doctors and nurses to appropriately care for persons with HIV disease. This project was later extended into West Africa. 

Since his appointment to Thames Valley University in 1994, Robert has led a team of researchers and educationalists focused on research into communicable diseases and infection prevention. His group has a particular research interest in adherence behaviours, especially in relation to prescribed therapy, clinical practice guidelines and risk reduction guidance. He directs several long-term government funded projects that are collectively known as the ‘epic initiative’ which  are focused on developing the evidence-base for preventing healthcare-associated infections. Recent and current research commissions have been awarded to his Centre from the Department of Health (England), the National Institute of Clinical Excellence, the National Audit Office, the British Council, the National Health Service University and local government agencies in London and National Health Service Trusts.

Robert publishes widely (see publications page) and is the author of one of the best selling nursing textbooks in Europe (HIV & AIDS: A Foundation for Nursing and Healthcare Practice 2003). This text, now in its 5^th edition, has been published in several languages, including a special Arabic edition published by the World Health Organization for the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region. His newest text, Tuberculosis: A Foundation for Nursing and Healthcare Practice, co-written with Professor John Grange (Windeyer Institute for Medical Sciences at University College Medical School, London) and Virginia Williams  (Head of Nursing Division for the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease [UNION], Paris) was published in February 2005.

Robert Pratt presents each year at national and international conferences, including the annual conferences of the Infection Control Nurses Association and the National HIV Nurses Association. He has presented keynote conference addresses (focused on HIV infection, tuberculosis, or an evidence-based approach to preventing healthcare-associated infections) for many professional organisations, both in the UK, in Eastern Europe, India, the Arabian Gulf and in Australia.

Robert was created a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing in 1998 for his international contribution to the promotion of sexual health. He has served as a member of the Chief Medical Officer’s Expert Advisory Group on AIDS and Interdepartmental Working Group on Tuberculosis at the UK Departments of Health. He is the Patron of the UK National HIV Nurses Association and Past President of the Infection Control Nurses Association of the British Isles (1999-2005).  In October 2003, Professor Robert Pratt was appointed a Commander of the Order of The British Empire (CBE) by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his contribution to nurse education. In 2006, Robert was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce.