20th May 2025
The Institute of Health Visiting was sad to hear of the passing of Professor Dame June Clark DBE on 16 May.
Professor Dame June Clark DBE 1941 – 2025
Professor Clark was an eminent health visitor and trail blazer in raising awareness of the role of the health visitor through her own research and subsequent publications. Her research was in the first tranche of Royal College of Nursing (RCN) monographs to be published. Her nursing and health visitor careers demonstrated her passion for delivering high standards of care across the profession. She went on to complete an honours degree and held a number of nursing posts prior to qualifying as a health visitor.
Professor Clark started her health visitor training in 1966 at the Royal College of Nursing, and she referred to herself being one of the ‘new breed’ of health visitors as the Council for the Education and Training of Health Visitors was newly established. She worked tirelessly raising her children with her husband Roger whilst working and studying to pursue completion of her PhD which she attained in 1985 from South Bank University. Her PhD was entitled “The process of Health Visiting”. The empirical study examined the nature of professional–client interaction which underpins ‘core health visiting practice’. She identified a lack of theory at that time to explain the complex role of the health visitor and described the development of a theoretical framework to allow health visitors to explain their role.
Professor Clark was elected as a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing in 1982 for her work in health visiting and moved into academia in 1990 to become a Professor of Nursing at Middlesex. Professor Clark held various leadership roles across the RCN including the role of President between 1990-1994.
In 1995, Professor Clark received the prestigious honour of being invested as Dame Commander of the British Empire for services to nursing and health visiting; in 1996 she was awarded a Royal College of Nursing Award of Merit. In 1997, she returned to Wales as Professor of Community Nursing at Swansea University until her retirement in 2003, where she remained as an Emeritus Professor. Over her long career, Professor Clark worked internationally and, even when retired, continued to be involved in nursing and healthcare projects locally, nationally and internationally, as well as being an eminent member of the RCN Wales board.
She will be sadly missed and leaves a lasting legacy which will always be acknowledged. Our deepest condolences are sent to her husband and children. Rest in Peace June.
Publications to note:
Clark, J (1981) What do health visitors do? A review of research 1960 -1980. Royal College of Nursing of the United Kingdom: London
Clark, J (2016) Nursing: an exquisite obsession. Quay Books: London
