Rate My Professor Margaret Rioga

Margaret Rioga serves as Associate Professor of Education and Professional Practice and Head of Practice Learning in the Institute of Health and Social Care within the College of Health and Society at Buckinghamshire New University. She is also Director of Student Success. A registered Mental Health Nurse, Rioga brings over ten years of prior professional experience in Forensic Mental Health Services, where she worked with various mental health conditions. This background informs her expertise in strengths-based approaches to mental health care, public and patient engagement, and the development of Recovery Colleges and peer support worker roles. Rioga is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and is currently completing her professional doctorate titled ‘A conceptual educational support model for under-graduate students in Higher Educational Institutions in England.’ She holds prominent appointments including Chair of the United Kingdom Simulated Practice Learning Group, Trustee of the Society of African Nurses and Midwives, External Examiner for the University of Huddersfield, and Chair of BNU's Race Equality Network, established in October 2020 to foster inclusion, equality, and diversity among staff.

Rioga's career emphasizes innovative teaching and learning in mental health nursing and positive psychology, with curricula designed to be accessible, inclusive, and engaging. She pioneered the Peer Enhanced e-Placement (PEEP) for mental health nursing in England, funded by NHS England, which expanded to North-west and South-west London projects. Additional contributions include the Safe, Compassionate and Reflective Fair (SCARF) Project with Central Northwest London NHS Foundation Trust and the Third Sector Involvement Champions Project, training individuals with learning disabilities and autism as Experts by Experience for service and policy development. Her key publications encompass 'Innovating nursing education through peer enhanced e-placement' (British Journal of Nursing, 2026, with Barry Hill et al.), 'Inclusivity in Practice Education: The Views and Experiences of Nurse Educators Supporting Nursing Students With Mental Health Needs in Mental Health Clinical Placements' (Nursing Open, 2025, with Pras Ramluggun et al.), 'Work-Family Conflict and Mental Distress of Black Women in Employment in South Africa: A Template Analysis' (Social Sciences, 2022, with Peter Thomas Sandy and Tebogo K. Molotsi), 'Mental Health in Higher Education; Faculty staff survey on supporting students with mental health needs' (Health Education, 2022, with Pras Ramluggun et al.), and a chapter in 'Living with Fear: Reflections on COVID-19' (2020). Rioga received the Vice Chancellor’s Award in the 2023 BNU Impact Awards for her work.