London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) has been named Nurse Education Provider of the Year for registered nurses in the Student Nursing Times Awards 2026.

It won the award for the Professional Diploma in Tropical Nursing (PDTN), which equips nurses to respond to complex global health challenges shaped by infectious disease, inequality, and fragile health systems.

The course provides a unique educational environment that nurtures and develops talent, preparing nurses for further study, leadership and specialist practice. Nurses face many challenges and pressures, and the PDTN helps build confidence, knowledge and skills to deliver safe, effective care when resources are limited.

Originally set up by Dame Claire Bertschinger 30 years ago, in 1996, it was pioneering as the first programme of its kind designed specifically with nurses in mind. Since then, thousands of talented LSHTM PTDN graduates have gone on to contribute to health improvement and leadership in the UK and worldwide.

In recent years, the course has been redesigned to adapt to today’s needs. It is now delivered fully online to make it more accessible to nurses wherever they are. This has resulted in a more geographically and professionally diverse faculty, including nurses in the UK and around the world with expertise in humanitarian response, public health, education and policy.

The move online enabled the PDTN to develop sector-leading virtual laboratory and microscopy teaching, led and developed by long-standing co-course organiser and Principal Scientific Officer Claire Rogers, whose work has been central to enabling nurses to engage directly with diagnostic processes regardless of location. Her innovation has been instrumental in transforming traditionally hands-on laboratory skills into a virtual learning environment, creating one of the programme’s most distinctive and highly regarded components. Alongside this transformation of the programme’s approach and format, more scholarships places have been created thanks to external funding support.

Katie Beck, PTDN course director and Research Fellow at LSHTM, who was also shortlisted for University Educator of the Year in the Student Nursing Times awards, said: “I’m so proud of the amazing team behind the Professional Diploma in Tropical Nursing. By transforming how we teach, our student body is more diverse than ever and is a central element of the PTDN’s ethos. Classroom discussions are shaped by lived experience of outbreak response, resource constraint, migration, conflict and health system inequity.

“It’s extremely rewarding to be part of a global community of nurses who are committed to improving their practice and skills to help people in some of the most challenging situations. This course truly opens doors to understanding the role of nursing in global health and I’m delighted the judges could see its value.”

Teaching staff also includes other LSHTM and visiting experts who are leaders in global health research and practice drawn from diverse disciplines and contexts such as TV doctor Chris Van Tulleken; Felistas Mpachika-Mifipa, Chief Reproductive Health Officer for Malawi; and Marcus Wootton, Director of the Royal College of Nursing International Academy.

PTDN graduate Fatima Salih Abobaker said: “Thanks to the course I can now connect what I see in real life with scientific knowledge. I have already started sharing what I’ve learned with my network and have started organising a series of local seminars for nurses to strengthen the resilience of Sudan’s healthcare system.”

The Student Nursing Times Awards celebrates the UK’s most inspiring student nurses, midwives, and educators, honouring those who have demonstrated remarkable innovation, clinical excellence, and a deep commitment to the values of nursing.

Steve Ford, editor of Nursing Times, said: “The level of innovation, empathy, and leadership shown by this year’s winners is nothing short of extraordinary. These individuals aren't just the nurses, midwives and nursing associates of tomorrow; they are already making a profound impact on patient care today. It is a privilege to shine a spotlight on their achievements and also the dedicated educators, universities, and placement providers who help them reach their full potential.”