Professor Cherith Semple is a Professor in Clinical Cancer Nursing, in the Institute of Nursing and Health Research (INHR) at Ulster University which is a clinical academic appointment with South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust (SET).  She is an experienced clinical academic with over twenty-five years of experience in clinical practice, education and research.   Cherith currently leads on two research programmes of work, namely, “Family-centred cancer care: Promoting positive coping when a parent of dependent children has cancer” and “Post-treatment quality of life issues for patients with head and neck cancer”.  She also leads Ulster University’s INHR Cancer Care Research Group. 

Cherith has an extensive publication profile with over 70 peer-reviewed publications (1600+ Scopus citations, H-index 21) in a range of academic journals, two Cochrane reviews, three book chapters and three commissioned reports. Prof Semple is an internationally recognised leader in cancer nursing and has been invited to deliver keynote presentations at key national and international events.

She has a successful history of grant acquisition, embodying collaborative working across institutional boundaries, to include healthcare trusts and Cancer Charities. This has led to the INHR Cancer Care Research Group, developing interactive eLearning resources to equip health and social care professionals to communicate on sensitive topics, such as telling dependent children about parental cancer (http://training.cancerfocusni.org), supporting families at end of life (fccceoled.com) and providing cancer patients and partners with sexual support (https://talkingaboutsex-cancercare.org).  Further resources have been developed for health and social care professionals within the Family-centred cancer care programme of work. This includes a collaborative 10 top tips guide with colleagues at King’s College London and Marie Curie, to promote provision of supportive care to parents with a life-limiting illness in routine practice concerning their dependent children.  Based on empirical research from funded studies, ‘At diagnosis’ and ‘At end of life’ communication frameworks have been developed. These are systematic guides to support the provision of key conversations with parents impacted by cancer, concerning their dependent children.

Current projects:

Suicide and head and neck cancer - Prof Semple is currently a Principal Investigator (PI) on a funded project exploring professionals experience, needs and challenges caring for patients impacted by head and neck cancer who have thoughts of self-harm or suicide.

Family-centred cancer care - Prof Semple is co-PI with Dr Jeff Hanna on a NIHR funded project to explore the support needs of families living in deprivation, when an adult with significant caregiving responsibilities for dependent children (<18) is at end of life with cancer.

Head and Neck Lympheodema - intervention development to promote self-management for patients who have head and neck lymphoedema following treatment for head and neck cancer (PhD led study).

Other most recent achievements include:

• NHS Team of the Year Finalist (Team Leader) (2001)
• Florence Nightingale Travel Scholarship (2005)
• RCN Northern Ireland Nurse of the Year (2015)
• MBE in the Queen’s Honour List  (2017)
• Nursing Times National Finalist in the cancer category (2022)
• British Association of Head and Neck Oncologists Lifetime Achievement Award (2023)
• Cynthia N Rittenberg Award in Nursing Excellence, Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (2025).

External current positions:

• European Oncology Nursing Society (EONS) Research Working Group member
• External Examiner at University College Cork (UCC)
• NI Professional Advisory Group member
• Cancer Focus NI Advisory Group member
• NI Cancer Network Head and Neck Cancer Keyworker Forum member
• Co-Chair of SET Nursing and Midwifery Data, Information and Research group
• Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) - member of survivorship and psychosocial working groups.