Few figures in modern obstetric anaesthesia embody both clinical excellence and educational vision as fully as Prof. Nuala Lucas, MBBS, FRCA, MBE. This year, she receives the ESRA Recognition of Education in Regional Anaesthesia Award 2025—an honour that underscores her lifelong commitment to advancing safe, evidence-based practice through teaching and mentorship. In 2020, she was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, in recognition of her services to anaesthesia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prof. Lucas has authored countless publications of clinical value, shaped training through her leadership roles, and inspired generations of anaesthetists worldwide.
We had the pleasure of speaking with her about the award, her journey, and the person behind the science.
Q1. Looking back, which educational initiative or moment made you think, “This is working—this is reaching clinicians and patients the way we hoped”?
I can’t point to a single moment, but one area I’ve always believed in is the power of well-crafted guidelines to standardise care. When guidelines are clear, evidence-based, and practically written, they don’t just educate, they unify practice, reduce variation, and give clinicians the confidence to do the right thing, even under pressure. Seeing that happen across different hospitals and countries feels like real impact.
Q2. Education in RA is often a moving target. What one misconception about regional techniques in obstetrics do you most want to retire in 2025?
That regional anaesthesia in obstetrics is ‘simple.’ It’s anything but! It’s nuanced, dynamic, and requires fine clinical judgment in pressured, time-sensitive situations. The technical block may be straightforward, but the context, mother, baby, urgency and physiology is uniquely complex!
Q3. You lead across multiple platforms—OAA, MBRRACE-UK, and journals. How do you decide what becomes a course, what becomes guidance, and what becomes research?
It depends on the question! If we already know the answer, it becomes a course. If we think we know but need to standardise, it becomes guidance. If we don’t yet know or suspect our assumptions may be wrong it becomes research. The trick is recognising which type of uncertainty you’re dealing with.
Q4. If you could place one practical skill into every trainee’s “carry-on” for labour ward anaesthesia, what would it be—and how should they practise it?
Calm situational awareness (and I know it’s hard sometimes even for the most experienced of us). It’s the ability to take a mental step back, even when the room is loud and everyone’s talking at once. Simulation helps but so does old-fashioned watching how experienced clinicians stay composed under pressure, and learning that steadiness isn’t passive, it’s active.
Q5. ESRA’s mission is pan-European, but your work also shows global relevance. What’s the next frontier for widening access to high-quality RA education in resource-variable settings?
We need to shift from exporting courses to building collaborative capacity. That means co-developing teaching materials, sharing open-access digital content, and supporting obstetric anaesthetist to lead locally. The most sustainable model is when education grows from within, not parachuted in from elsewhere!
To bring our readers closer to the personality behind the professional excellence, we end with a few short, light-hearted questions. After all, even the most rigorous scientist has a human side—and a sense of humour.
Q6. Coffee before a 7 a.m. list: essential ritual or unnecessary luxury?
TEA (not coffee) Essential ritual. If I’m not working properly, it’s probably because I haven’t had enough tea.
Q7. A teaching pearl you repeat so often your trainees can finish the sentence.
In critical situations, what matters most is stepping up to the mark and making a decision. You may not always be sure it’s the right one , none of us are (!), but the ability to act calmly and decisively under pressure is one of the components that defines safe practice. And being kind!
Q8. A book or podcast you recommend to every new registrar (medical or non-medical).
I don’t recommend anything specific. I just tell them to read widely, including non-fiction. Understanding life – people, systems and the world beyond medicine makes you a better clinician than any textbook ever will!
Q9. If you had an extra hour each week on the labour ward with no interruptions, how would you use it?
Honestly? I’d love to say something noble about reflection or teaching, but realistically, I’d probably use it to catch up on emails.
Q10. Your harmless professional superstition before a complex case.
Pray I don’t see a magpie on the way to work.
Prof. Nuala Lucas
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