Mark Dalauido holding his Alumni Award
Mark Dalauido holding his Alumni Award

Inspirational Alumni Award winner: Mark Dalauido

Intro

A brand-new award for 2023, the Inspirational Alumni Award celebrates the wide range of incredible accomplishments being achieved by members of our Alumni community. A guiding star for students and fellow graduates alike, the Inspirational Alumni Award winner is a prime example of how far an education at UWL can take you. Our inaugural winner is Mark Dalauido, Matron of Infection and Prevention Control at King’s College Hospital Trust.

UWL Alumni

See details of our recent alumni.

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Mark Dalauido

Mark began working as a registered nurse in the Philippines in 2007, falling into it somewhat accidentally after taking a year out. He was not practicing much though, instead stepping away from the wards to work as a freelance National Reviewer, travelling around the country and helping nursing student hopefuls prepare for their licensing exams.  

In 2014, Mark registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and began working in the UK. Here, he eventually found himself working as part of the Infection Prevention and Control team at King’s College Hospital, and it was his desire to improve that led him to an MSc at UWL in 2018, two years earlier than most people working on the ward would be able to pursue the same opportunity. He was studying, working, and raising three young children all at the same time, but he still managed to graduate with a distinction.  

It was challenging, because obviously the pandemic hit. But I still managed to go to uni, which I always looked forward to every single time. I loved the view from the Reading campus.”  

Infection Prevention and Control is a challenging role that connects you to every area of the hospital environment.  

There’s a very wide coverage. If you’re a diabetes specialist nurse, you focus on diabetes. At Infection Prevention and Control you have hundreds of diseases, you’re managing outbreaks, water control, cleaning. If I can illustrate it, you’re probably in the middle, connected to every single pathway in the trust. Even when there’s like a dead bird outside the window, they call us.”  

Mark had very little training in Infection Prevention and Control when he started out, learning on the job and learning at UWL. He navigated the pandemic and before he’d even finished his degree he’d risen to the level of matron, the top nursing position on the ward.

It can be hard to manage a team, but now I’ve got a young, enthusiastic and stable team. I’ve sent four of them to study at UWL. But you know, that’s what I promised them. You work with me, so I’ll give you the tools that you need because that worked with me. I didn’t have much experience with infection control, but my then manager gave me the opportunity to study and that helped me a lot. I wanted to pass that on.” 

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A close up view of a nurse setting up a peripheral venous catheter

Helping others achieve has always been part of Mark’s style. During his job, he provides training to new nursing starters and helps them identify and foster their skills, guiding them in every step of the route.  

I have always been open in what I share, and I’m so happy when I see them succeeding in their own right. I don’t mind if I see them overtaking, I’ll be the first person in the front row clapping, because I’m so proud of them.”

Mark also volunteers, as the regional director for the Filipino Nursing Association. This organisation was formed during the COVID-19 outbreak, and its purpose was to aid Filipino nurses that have been adversely and severely affected by the pandemic. Help ranging from delivering groceries and cooking hot meals to providing continued support well after the pandemic.   

That association was born during the peak of the pandemic, there were loads of Filipino nurses affected by this pandemic and nobody was around to support them. So, on a national level, what we've done is mobilise people and help as much as we can. I don’t know, for me it’s all about giving back.”  

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Mark is not yet done with giving back to the world and is currently in the process of registering his own charity, having already done their first feeding program in Ghana, where he financially supported feeding over 60 children and 20 parents, along with managing the whole program with the help of his mentee. He is currently mentoring a nurse from Ghana to establish this program and is looking towards potentially expanding this project to other parts of Africa and the Philippines. He has done a few quality improvement projects which the chief nursing officer of Ghana is potentially looking towards implementing throughout Ghana.

Now Mark is the winner of UWL's first ever Inspirational Alumni Award, honouring his commitment to his profession and to helping others.

Winning the Inspirational Alumni award just summarises everything I’ve been doing. I’m so grateful that people see and appreciate what I’m doing. To be acknowledged is such a great honour, but above all I’m more empowered to continue what I’m doing. I believe that I could be an inspiration to everyone. Every micro effort has a macro effect, and I hope that other people might hear my story, try to do the same, or do even more.”

College of Nursing, Midwifery and Healthcare

The College of Nursing, Midwifery and Healthcare is a major provider of pre- and post-registration courses in West London and Berkshire.

A female student nurse at a hospital reception

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