I joined the medical school in September 2005 with a remit to develop a contemporary Masters level programme in Medical Education and to support the development of the medical school’s academic portfolio at the University of Bedfordshire.
I have been actively involved in Clinical Education and
educational development for the past 15 years. I came to the University
of Bedfordshire from
Imperial College London, where I had worked for five years developing and
delivering a vibrant programme of educational development activity for medical
academic and clinical staff engaged in undergraduate medical training.
During this time I acted as academic lead for the College’s Teaching Research Grant Scheme.
I originally trained as a Speech and Language Therapist and
practiced as a clinician in Glasgow before
moving to London to take up an academic post at City University.
At City I began to develop my longstanding interest in the ways in which we
train individuals for professional activity in health.
This led to my
appointment as Director of Clinical Education at City, working with academic
and clinical staff to develop new ways of teaching and working with students
and trainees.
I completed my MA in Higher and Professional Education at the Institute of Education, London in 1996 and am currently working towards completing my EdD at the same Institution, where my research focuses on workplace based learning and faculty development in medicine.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenges involved in the
setting up of a new postgraduate medical school and seeing our first ‘students’
graduate.
It is a real pleasure to work with such a wonderful group of
individuals, who bring experience from medicine, veterinary medicine, nursing,
midwifery and allied health from the NHS, from Higher Education Institutions,
from the Deaneries, from the Royal Colleges and from the Independent
sector.
I am delighted too, to be able to take forward the leadership of East of England Deanery’s Trainer Development Programme and to support fellow medical educators across the region.
My research interests focus on: workplace based learning in medical and healthcare settings; approaches to faculty development; clinical teachers experiences of ‘educational development’ activity and the role of teaching research in higher education institutions.
I love spending time with my husband, three lively children and two equally lively springer spaniels. I am an unashamed Francophile and when not at work, spend as much time as possible across the Channel!
