We are excited to congratulate Dr. Jane Brooks on receiving the prestigious 2024 Lavinia L. Dock Award for her latest book, Jewish Refugees and the British Nursing Profession: A Gendered Opportunity.
Dr. Jane Brooks is a distinguished British nurse historian and serves as a senior lecturer in the Division of Nursing, Midwifery, and Social Work at the University of Manchester. An active member of the RCN History of Nursing Forum, Jane has contributed significantly to the field, including multiple terms as a committee member. Since earning her PhD from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 2005, she has dedicated her research to the history of nursing, with a particular focus on the Second World War. Her expertise is evident in numerous scholarly articles and two prior books: One Hundred Years of Wartime Nursing Practices (co-authored with Christine Hallett, MUP 2015) and Negotiating Nursing: British Army Sisters and Soldiers in the Second World War (MUP 2018).
Her award-winning book, Jewish Refugees and the British Nursing Profession: A Gendered Opportunity, sheds light on the experiences of female Jewish refugees who escaped Nazi persecution and became nurses in Britain. Faced with severe nursing shortages before and during the Second World War, the profession sought out these refugees to fill critical roles. However, their journey was fraught with challenges, as many hospitals were reluctant to employ Continental Jews, leading to mixed experiences for these women. Despite these obstacles, many of these refugees remained in Britain after the war, dedicating their careers to the nursing profession.
Dr. Brooks’s book not only chronicles the evolution of these women’s roles from the war years to the establishment of the National Health Service and beyond, but also ensures that their stories are not lost to history. This recognition is a testament to the meticulous and sensitive research that Jane has undertaken over the years.
The Lavinia L. Dock Award, presented by the American Association for the History of Nursing, is a highly competitive honor that celebrates outstanding historical research by experienced scholars. Dr. Brooks’s achievement is well-deserved and highlights the impact of her invaluable contributions to nursing history.