Vanya Aquilina has been awarded the degree of Doctor Of Health from the University of Bath's Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. 

Dr Aquilina's thesis was entitled 'The leadership experience: a qualitative study exploring the perceptions of middle managers in an acute healthcare setting.' She conducted research and analysis to explore the leadership perceptions of nurse and allied health middle managers. Their perceptions of the impact of leadership training and professional development practices were also explored.

Dr Aquilina's supervisor was Associate Professor Zeynep Yalabik with Dr Maria Cassar serving as co-supervisor.

Her studies were partly funded by the Malta Government Scholarship Scheme.