Award-winning Environmental Health course leader looks ahead to graduation

Programme Leader for the Environmental Health at Liverpool John Moores University, Graeme Mitchell, was recently recognised by students at the Liverpool John Moores Student Union (JMSU) Student Experience Awards 2025, taking home the Outstanding Teacher prize.
In this blog, Graeme looks ahead to graduation, what it means for students and teachers and why he feels the future of environmental health is in good hands...

It will soon be graduation and final year students across the country will transform into graduates, taking the next step on their environmental health journey. Graduation day is one of those rare days when everyone is happy, with students being acknowledged for their hard work and commitment, in front of their peers, family and friends. It’s also a very proud day for academics, having seen their students grow and develop over the past 3 or 4 years, becoming the future of the profession.

Success for academics isn’t just measured by the number of “good” degrees their students achieve (although universities do look at these things) it’s about the individual journey and achievements for each student. For some students achieving a 1st class degree is almost a given, for others achieving a 3rd is outstanding – education is not a race, the only competition you face is with yourself.

As academics we are the first environmental health role models for many students, so how we organise and present ourselves to students, sets the foundations for their future careers. That’s the bit I like about being an academic, knowing you are putting someone on the path to becoming a professional and giving them the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed (the worst part by the way is the marking).

Education is also a two-way street and it's great to learn from students, understanding their perceptions of environmental health and how it is applied. Like every academic my greatest fear is that one day a student will tell me the Health and Safety at Work Act was repealed 3 years ago and I’ve still been teaching it!

What encourages me, is the genuine interest of students and their willingness to learn. Many come into the degree knowing little about the breadth of the profession, thinking that it’s all about food safety or similar but then discovering the range of functions that EHPs carry out and the variety of roles they can fill. I’m also encouraged by the willingness of colleagues in practice who give up their time to support students, either by doing guest lectures or providing training opportunities. The profession is in good hands, we just need more of them.

Whilst graduation is often seen as the end of the academic year, in many ways, it is also the beginning. I’m often asked if academics get the summer off, like schoolteachers – sadly, the answer is no. The summer is spent getting everything ready for the new academic year: checking presentations, creating assessments and booking guest speakers. Before you know it

A-level results day and clearing are upon us and academics nervously wait to know how many students will turn up this year. And so, it starts again, as one cohort leaves, another soon arrives to take their place.