PhD researcher nominated for Student Nursing Award 2025

Ebenezer Akore Yeboah, a PhD student within Coventry University’s Research Centre for Healthcare and Communities, has been nominated for the Outstanding Contribution to Sustainability Award at the Student Nursing Times Awards for 2025.

This nomination recognise Ebenezer’s efforts to advance sustainability in healthcare and follow his commendation by the Royal College of Nursing, which earned him a spot at their International Research Conference 2024.

Ebenezer moved to the UK from Ghana to further his nursing career with the NHS after completing his nursing qualifications in his home country. He joined Coventry University to undertake his PhD exploring the role nurses can play in reducing the environmental impact of healthcare practices.

Now in his final year, his project gathered data from over 500 nurses across 56 countries, revealing that while many nurses recognise the link between their daily practices and climate change, there’s little awareness of specific sustainability targets. For example, net zero healthcare could mean hospitals switching to clean energy like solar or wind power, upgrading buildings to use less energy and choosing eco-friendly supplies.

His research uncovers gaps in how sustainability is understood and applied in healthcare, particularly in climate-vulnerable regions, and calls for climate change and carbon literacy training to be integrated into nursing education, along with clear sustainability targets for healthcare organisations. It also advocates for empowering nurses to play a bigger role in green practices, from reducing waste and conserving resources to promoting energy-efficient systems.

Ebenezer is also a member of the Florence Nightingale Foundation's sustainability expert group and has recently published a blog on reducing the carbon footprint and promoting sustainability in global healthcare systems.

As his PhD journey nears completion, Ebenezer plans to continue his work in sustainable healthcare, with a focus on postdoctoral research to further develop his career as an independent researcher and advocate for climate action within the healthcare profession.

Visit Ebenezer Akore Yeboah’s profile.

Find out more about the Research Centre for Healthcare and Communities.