Honorary Doctorate for pioneering fire chief Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton

Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, Chief Fire Officer at the West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate at the University of South Wales (USW) this week.

Sabrina, originally from Newport, is one of the most senior female firefighters in the UK. After being made homeless as a teenager, she joined the fire service in South Wales aged 18 alongside studying for a bachelor’s degree in Psychology.

Cohen-Hatton later gained a PhD in Behavioural Neuroscience and has since gone on to undertake research into incident command in the emergency services. 

In 2019, she was named one of Marie Claire's Future Shapers.

Upon receiving the honour at Newport’s International Convention Centre Wales (ICC Wales) on Thursday 12 January, Dr Cohen-Hatton said: “It really is such an honour to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of South Wales and to join all my fellow graduates today. I know how special a day this is.

“My advice to all USW graduates is to enjoy every success that you’re going to have, but when you trip up, don’t worry, because that’s when you learn how to get back up again.”