diff --git a/resources/i18n/en.json5 b/resources/i18n/en.json5
index 82f295f28e..a9cee1bd6f 100644
--- a/resources/i18n/en.json5
+++ b/resources/i18n/en.json5
@@ -1353,6 +1353,8 @@
 
   "nav.mydspace": "MyDSpace",
 
+  "nav.profile": "Profile",
+
   "nav.search": "Search",
 
   "nav.statistics.header": "Statistics",
@@ -1421,9 +1423,9 @@
 
   "profile.head": "Update Profile",
 
-  "profile.metadata.form.error.firstname": "First Name is required",
+  "profile.metadata.form.error.firstname.required": "First Name is required",
 
-  "profile.metadata.form.error.lastname": "Last Name is required",
+  "profile.metadata.form.error.lastname.required": "Last Name is required",
 
   "profile.metadata.form.label.email": "Email Address",
 
@@ -1435,6 +1437,10 @@
 
   "profile.metadata.form.label.phone": "Contact Telephone",
 
+  "profile.metadata.form.notifications.success.content": "Your changes to the profile were saved.",
+
+  "profile.metadata.form.notifications.success.title": "Profile saved",
+
   "profile.security.form.info": "Optionally, you can enter a new password in the box below, and confirm it by typing it again into the second box. It should be at least six characters long.",
 
   "profile.security.form.label.password": "Password",
diff --git a/src/app/app-routing.module.ts b/src/app/app-routing.module.ts
index da2b896241..a2c3713861 100644
--- a/src/app/app-routing.module.ts
+++ b/src/app/app-routing.module.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,12 @@ export function getAdminModulePath() {
   return `/${ADMIN_MODULE_PATH}`;
 }
 
+const PROFILE_MODULE_PATH = 'profile';
+
+export function getProfileModulePath() {
+  return `/${PROFILE_MODULE_PATH}`;
+}
+
 export function getDSOPath(dso: DSpaceObject): string {
   switch ((dso as any).type) {
     case Community.type.value:
@@ -68,7 +74,7 @@ export function getDSOPath(dso: DSpaceObject): string {
       { path: 'submit', loadChildren: './+submit-page/submit-page.module#SubmitPageModule' },
       { path: 'workspaceitems', loadChildren: './+workspaceitems-edit-page/workspaceitems-edit-page.module#WorkspaceitemsEditPageModule' },
       { path: 'workflowitems', loadChildren: './+workflowitems-edit-page/workflowitems-edit-page.module#WorkflowItemsEditPageModule' },
-      { path: 'profile', loadChildren: './profile-page/profile-page.module#ProfilePageModule', canActivate: [AuthenticatedGuard] },
+      { path: PROFILE_MODULE_PATH, loadChildren: './profile-page/profile-page.module#ProfilePageModule', canActivate: [AuthenticatedGuard] },
       { path: '**', pathMatch: 'full', component: PageNotFoundComponent },
     ])
   ],
diff --git a/src/app/profile-page/profile-page-metadata-form/profile-page-metadata-form.component.ts b/src/app/profile-page/profile-page-metadata-form/profile-page-metadata-form.component.ts
index 6c5b9acb55..cf59f2d331 100644
--- a/src/app/profile-page/profile-page-metadata-form/profile-page-metadata-form.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/profile-page/profile-page-metadata-form/profile-page-metadata-form.component.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { Component, Inject, Input, OnInit } from '@angular/core';
+import { Component, Inject, Input, OnInit, ViewChild } from '@angular/core';
 import {
   DynamicFormControlModel,
   DynamicFormService, DynamicFormValueControlModel,
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ import { LangConfig } from '../../../config/lang-config.interface';
 import { EPersonDataService } from '../../core/eperson/eperson-data.service';
 import { cloneDeep } from 'lodash';
 import { getRemoteDataPayload, getSucceededRemoteData } from '../../core/shared/operators';
+import { FormService } from '../../shared/form/form.service';
+import { FormBuilderService } from '../../shared/form/builder/form-builder.service';
+import { FormComponent } from '../../shared/form/form.component';
+import { NotificationsService } from '../../shared/notifications/notifications.service';
 
 @Component({
   selector: 'ds-profile-page-metadata-form',
@@ -25,6 +29,12 @@ export class ProfilePageMetadataFormComponent implements OnInit {
    */
   @Input() user: EPerson;
 
+  /**
+   * Reference to the form component
+   * Used for validating the form before sending update requests
+   */
+  @ViewChild(FormComponent, { static: false }) formRef: FormComponent;
+
   formModel: DynamicFormControlModel[] = [
     new DynamicInputModel({
       id: 'email',
@@ -72,6 +82,8 @@ export class ProfilePageMetadataFormComponent implements OnInit {
 
   ERROR_PREFIX = 'profile.metadata.form.error.';
 
+  NOTIFICATION_PREFIX = 'profile.metadata.form.notifications.';
+
   /**
    * All of the configured active languages
    */
@@ -79,13 +91,24 @@ export class ProfilePageMetadataFormComponent implements OnInit {
 
   constructor(@Inject(GLOBAL_CONFIG) protected config: GlobalConfig,
               protected location: Location,
-              protected formService: DynamicFormService,
+              protected formService: FormService,
+              protected formBuilderService: FormBuilderService,
               protected translate: TranslateService,
-              protected epersonService: EPersonDataService) {
+              protected epersonService: EPersonDataService,
+              protected notificationsService: NotificationsService) {
   }
 
   ngOnInit(): void {
     this.activeLangs = this.config.languages.filter((MyLangConfig) => MyLangConfig.active === true);
+    this.setFormValues();
+    this.updateFieldTranslations();
+    this.translate.onLangChange
+      .subscribe(() => {
+        this.updateFieldTranslations();
+      });
+  }
+
+  setFormValues() {
     this.formModel.forEach(
       (fieldModel: DynamicInputModel | DynamicSelectModel<string>) => {
         if (fieldModel.name === 'email') {
@@ -99,12 +122,7 @@ export class ProfilePageMetadataFormComponent implements OnInit {
         }
       }
     );
-    this.formGroup = this.formService.createFormGroup(this.formModel);
-    this.updateFieldTranslations();
-    this.translate.onLangChange
-      .subscribe(() => {
-        this.updateFieldTranslations();
-      });
+    this.formGroup = this.formBuilderService.createFormGroup(this.formModel);
   }
 
   updateFieldTranslations() {
@@ -122,8 +140,13 @@ export class ProfilePageMetadataFormComponent implements OnInit {
   }
 
   updateProfile() {
-    const newMetadata = Object.assign({}, this.user.metadata);
-    this.formModel.forEach((fieldModel: DynamicFormValueControlModel<string>) => {
+    if (!this.formRef.formGroup.valid) {
+      this.formService.validateAllFormFields(this.formGroup);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const newMetadata = cloneDeep(this.user.metadata);
+    this.formModel.filter((fieldModel) => fieldModel.id !== 'email').forEach((fieldModel: DynamicFormValueControlModel<string>) => {
       if (newMetadata.hasOwnProperty(fieldModel.name) && newMetadata[fieldModel.name].length > 0) {
         if (hasValue(fieldModel.value)) {
           newMetadata[fieldModel.name][0].value = fieldModel.value;
@@ -142,6 +165,11 @@ export class ProfilePageMetadataFormComponent implements OnInit {
       getRemoteDataPayload()
     ).subscribe((user) => {
       this.user = user;
+      this.setFormValues();
+      this.notificationsService.success(
+        this.translate.instant(this.NOTIFICATION_PREFIX + 'success.title'),
+        this.translate.instant(this.NOTIFICATION_PREFIX + 'success.content')
+      );
     });
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/app/shared/auth-nav-menu/user-menu/user-menu.component.html b/src/app/shared/auth-nav-menu/user-menu/user-menu.component.html
index fef47b395b..ac55a211e9 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/auth-nav-menu/user-menu/user-menu.component.html
+++ b/src/app/shared/auth-nav-menu/user-menu/user-menu.component.html
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 <ds-loading *ngIf="(loading$ | async)"></ds-loading>
 <div *ngIf="!(loading$ | async)">
   <span class="dropdown-item-text">{{(user$ | async)?.name}} ({{(user$ | async)?.email}})</span>
+  <a class="dropdown-item" [routerLink]="[profileRoute]" routerLinkActive="active">{{'nav.profile' | translate}}</a>
   <a class="dropdown-item" [routerLink]="[mydspaceRoute]" routerLinkActive="active">{{'nav.mydspace' | translate}}</a>
   <div class="dropdown-divider"></div>
   <ds-log-out></ds-log-out>
diff --git a/src/app/shared/auth-nav-menu/user-menu/user-menu.component.ts b/src/app/shared/auth-nav-menu/user-menu/user-menu.component.ts
index e3c21b4e24..2d57a837c7 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/auth-nav-menu/user-menu/user-menu.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/auth-nav-menu/user-menu/user-menu.component.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { EPerson } from '../../../core/eperson/models/eperson.model';
 import { AppState } from '../../../app.reducer';
 import { getAuthenticatedUser, isAuthenticationLoading } from '../../../core/auth/selectors';
 import { MYDSPACE_ROUTE } from '../../../+my-dspace-page/my-dspace-page.component';
+import { getProfileModulePath } from '../../../app-routing.module';
 
 /**
  * This component represents the user nav menu.
@@ -36,6 +37,11 @@ export class UserMenuComponent implements OnInit {
    */
   public mydspaceRoute = MYDSPACE_ROUTE;
 
+  /**
+   * The profile page route
+   */
+  public profileRoute = getProfileModulePath();
+
   constructor(private store: Store<AppState>) {
   }