University News Last updated 17 February 2009
A life peer in the House of Lords and a Deputy Speaker, Baroness Gould of Potternewton, will receive a prestigious Honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University today (Tuesday 17th February), in recognition of her outstanding contribution to public life.
Baroness Joyce Gould is a campaigner on health and sexual health. She has worked with local, national and international projects that interface with health services.
She is the Chair of the Government's Independent Advisory Group for Sexual Health and HIV, making her one of the top health policy-makers in the country. She is an Honorary Fellow of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, and was made the first Fellow of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV.
She is the President of Straight Talking, an organisation that raises young people's awareness of teenage parenthood and is President of fpa (formerly the Family Planning Association). She is also the Patron of the Foundation for Women's Health, Research and Development - an organisation that campaigns against female genital mutilation.
In recognition of her campaigning work to raise the profile of epilepsy, she was voted Health Champion at the Charity Champion Awards. She is a past Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Epilepsy.
Baroness Gould's other main interest is issues important to women and she is Chair of the Women's National Commission, the official independent advisory body providing the views of women to Government. The Commission represents approximately eight million women.
Baroness Gould is a regular speaker on issues affecting women both in the House of Lords and nationally. For the past five years she has organised full debates in the chamber of the House of Lords for International Women's Day. She is again organising and opening this year's debate which will take place on Thursday 12 March and entitled ‘The role of women in the Global Economic Crisis'.
Baroness Gould will be given her Honorary Doctorate at 10.30am tomorrow (Tuesday 17th February) at the Awards Congregation ceremony in Symphony Hall which will celebrate the work and achievements of students graduating in Women's Health Studies, Clinical Nursing Studies, Nursing Studies, Midwifery, DPS Acute/ Critical/Continuing/Health Care, Mental Health Nursing/Mental Health Studies, Leading Change in Acute & Critical Care, Operating Department Practice, Perioperative Practice, Cancer Care, Palliative Care, Case Management of Patients, Public/Community Health Nursing Advanced Practice Nursing and DipHE Nursing: (Child) and (Mental Health).