Mrs Claire McGuigan

Claire McGuigan

Advanced Clinical Practice Academic & Policy Influencer

Strategic Leadership & Policy Impact

• Central Academic for Advanced Clinical Practice at The Open University (2018-present)
• Former Royal College of Nursing Board Member and Professional Nursing Committee Representative (2017-2019)
• Represented Northern Ireland's nursing profession in landmark legislative reforms as NI Representative on RCN Professional Nursing Committee (2017-2019):

- Abortion decriminalization legislation

 - Organ donation opt-out legislation

• Provided expert testimony and professional nursing perspective in policy development
• Guest author to Pivotal Northern Ireland's Independent Public Policy Forum.  Here you can read my policy brief calling on the government to do more and to help everyone to take food allergy seriously:   https://www.pivotalppf.org/our-work/pivotal-platform/126/food-allergies-a-public-health?

Expertise & Innovation

• 25+ years as a nursing; specialist area Oncology & Palliative Care
• Leading food allergy management research and policy development in Northern Ireland
• Lead academic and featured expert on:

--  BBC Ideas at The Open University - Health, Wellbeing and Sports | BBC Partnership

-   Dating with a severe food allergy - BBC

• Chair of NI Food Allergy Network and policy advocacy group

Key Projects & Partnerships

Food Allergy Management Innovation (2021-2023)

• Led cross-sector collaboration between education and hospitality sectors
• Developed evidence-based training programs and digital solutions
• Creator of podcast series  ‘Making Food Allergies Your Business’ Podcast Series on safer dining | OpenLearn - Open University
• Established partnerships with Belfast Metropolitan College and industry leaders

Knowledge Exchange & Impact

• Pioneered research on safe dining experiences for food allergy sufferers
• Developed practical tools for business adaptation and consumer safety
• Influencing regional policy through evidence-based advocacy
• Created scalable training solutions for hospitality sector
• Integrating food allergy education into Further Education curricula.

Professional Memberships & Influence

• British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI)
• Nursing Midwifery Council
• Royal College of Nursing
• Certified Wahls Practitioner specializing in nutrition and inflammation management

Current Focus Areas

1. Policy Development
• Regional allergy strategy development
• Healthcare professional education reform
• Public health intervention design
2. Research & Innovation
• Digital solutions for allergy management
• Cross-sector training programs
• Evidence-based policy recommendations
3. Partnership Development
• Education sector collaboration
• Industry engagement
• Public sector reform

Contact for Collaboration

Available for:

• Policy consultation
• Research partnerships
• Training & education program development
• Strategic advisory roles
• Media engagement