Home > Education > Undergraduate education > Quality assurance of undergraduate education > Visitor teams: Edinburgh Medical SchoolVisitor teams: Edinburgh Medical School
As part of the quality assurance process, medical schools are assessed by teams of visitors.
Below are details about the visitors who visited Edinburgh Medical School during the 2007/8 cycle of visits.
Visitor team
Team leader: Prof Anne Garden
Director, Centre for Medical Education, Lancaster University
Anne Garden graduated from the University of Aberdeen in 1973. Having completed her postgraduate training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in hospitals around the North of Scotland by obtaining the MRCOG in 1979, Anne spent a formative year as Senior Registrar in Cape Town, South Africa before returning to the UK in 1981. A brief spell in Glasgow, a Senior Registrar post in Edinburgh and a year as a Research Fellow in Toronto Canada filled in the years before being appointed Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Liverpool in January 1987. She became a Fellow of the RCOG in 1994.
Anne's interest in Medical Education developed in this post particularly in the late 1990s when she was heavily involved developing and delivering the new undergraduate MBChB programme, initially as Phase 2 Director before being appointed Director of Medical Studies in January 2001, Professor of Medical Education in 2003, and Head of School of Medical Education in 2004. She became a member of the Institute of Teaching and Learning in 2001. In 2006, she took up her current post with a remit of developing undergraduate and postgraduate medical education at Lancaster University.
Anne was a Subject Specialist Reviewer for Medicine for the Quality Assurance Agency from 1998 - 2000. She is external examiner at Trinity College Dublin, Barts and for the Graduate Entry Programme at St George's Medical School.
She successfully bid for £4.5million from the Higher Education Funding Council for England to set a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning for developing Professionalism in Medical Students at the University of Liverpool.
Anne maintains her clinical work, having a particular interest in Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecology and has authored/edited two books on the subspecialty.
back to topProf Peter McCrorie
Peter McCrorie was born in Greenock, Scotland, and studied Biochemistry at Glasgow University. He obtained a PhD in Biochemistry at St Thomas's Hospital Medical School and moved to The London Hospital Medical School to take up a post as a Research Assistant in Haematology and subsequently as a Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry. He became Curriculum Co-ordinator for the new course which started at St Bartholomew's and The Royal London in 1990. Funding through the Enterprise in Higher Education Scheme facilitated the introduction of significant curriculum innovations - clinical and communication skills teaching and assessment, community-oriented medical education, medical informatics and work-based projects - and, arising from this, he became the Director of the Medical and Dental Education Network (MADEN). He soon became Head of the Centre for Medical and Dental Education and took a full role in the planning of the 1999 curriculum at St Bartholomew's and The Royal London. He left just before the curriculum was introduced, to take up the post of Director of the 4-year MBBS Graduate Entry Programme at St George's Hospital Medical School. He was granted a personal chair in Medical Education in 2002 and is now Head of the Department of Medical and Healthcare Education.
Peter McCrorie also works on a consultancy basis for the General Medical Council. He is a trainer and Lay Assessor for the GMC Performance Procedures, is a member of the PLAB OSCE Panel and is a trained GMC Visitor. He is also a member of the Training Team for the National Clinical Assessment Service. For the Royal College of Surgeons, he is a member of the Quality Assurance Team reviewing the new Intercollegiate MRCS examinations and also the MFDS clinical and oral examinations. He has been involved in the training of general practitioners and other clinicians at a postgraduate level in Russia, Romania, Macedonia and Brunei. He is leading a St George's team working with the Universiti Brunei Darussalam to help establish a 3 year Bachelor in Health Science degree, which will form a basis for entry to the clinical courses run by specific partner medical schools in the UK, Australia and Canada.
He has been an External/Visiting Examiner for Charing Cross Hospital Medical School, St Mary's Hospital Medical School, Imperial College School of Medicine, University of Liverpool, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff University and Trinity College Dublin. He is currently External Examiner for the University of East Anglia School of Medicine and Visiting Examiner at St Bartholomew's and The Royal London.
His research interests lie in curriculum development, assessment, graduate entry, self directed and problem based learning, community oriented medical education, interprofessional learning and staff development.
back to topProf Steven Heys
Professor Steven D Heys is Professor of Surgical Oncology and an honorary consultant surgeon in the University of Aberdeen and NHS Grampian, with a special interest in the treatment of breast cancer. He graduated in 1981 and obtained an MD and PhD at the Rowett Research Institute, investigating aspects of nutrition and metabolism, particularly focussing on malignant disease
He currently co-ordinates Phase III of the medical curriculum in the school of Medicine and is an external examiner at universities in the UK and has been a member of the visiting team at the UEA since it inception. He has a specific interest in all aspects of undergraduate education and its interface with the change sin postgraduate training.
He leads the Cancer Research Programme and the Translational Medicine programme at the University of Aberdeen and his own interests include the role of nutrition in carcinogenesis, and mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance in breast cancer. Current research programmes include collaborations both nationally and internationally and have resulted in 180 papers and 25 book chapters.
He is a council member of the Association of Breast Surgery at the British Association of Surgical Oncology (BAS0), representing Scotland. In addition, he represents the Association of Breast Surgery at the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), is specialist advisor to UICC, is a referee for national and international journals and grant-awarding charities and is sub-editor of the World Journal of Surgical Oncology.
back to topDr Ian Fraser
Ian is a general surgeon at University Hospitals Coventry with a special interest in hepatopancreobiliary (HPB) surgery. He is Associate Director of Medical Education to the Trust and an Associate Professor of the University of Warwick.
Born in London, he graduated from Birmingham Medical School in 1972. 3 years were spent travelling the world and working in a mission hospital in Kwazulu. Postgraduate training in Leicester included lab research for a higher degree in cancer immunology. After moving to a consultant post in Coventry, this research interest was continued in conjunction with Warwick University. His interest in medical education grew as tutor to the college of surgeons (England) then as hospital Clinical Tutor. He founded and developed a large junior surgical training rotation in the West Midlands. He was intimately involved with the development of clinical attachments to Coventry of medical students from Leicester, and subsequently the hospital placements and establishment of the joint Leicester Warwick Medical School. This led to his appointment as Director of Undergraduate Clinical Studies and, 3 years ago, as Associate Director of Medical Education. He is completing a Masters Degree in Medical Education and has an additional interest in recruitment to medical school and issues relating to broadening access.
back to topDr Rafik Taibjee
Currently a GP Registrar in Stourbidge, West Midlands, Rafik is doing an innovative post with Dermatology, and is preparing for the nMRCGP, hoping to qualify in February 2009.
His areas of interest include health inequalities and health promotion, especially relating to LGBT communities and sexual health.
Rafik also has an interest in complementary therapies having had some training in ayurveda and acupuncture, and also The Law after studying it as an undergraduate at Birmingham before changing courses to Medicine.
Currently:
- Board Member - Royal College of General Practitioners Midlands Faculty, and West Midlands Postgraduate School of General Practice
- Chairman- BMA Junior Members Forum
- Executive Committee of the Gay & Lesbian Association of Doctors and Dentists
- Director – Freshwinds – a charity providing complementary therapies and social support for those with life-limiting illnesses
Whilst a student, Rafik represented students at a national level through the BMA, and co-designed the student academic representation structures at the University of Birmingham. He also facilitated the establishment of widening participation strategies at the medical school. As chair of the student advice centre and through volunteering on various student support and charitable organisations, Rafik sat on the university welfare forum, whose role was to ensure students were adequately supported. He also did project work on redesigning the SSC structure at Birmingham, and sat on the University working party on feedback.
back to topDr Martin Rowan-Robinson
Half time GP in based in Derby City Centre Practice and the other half as assistant Clinical Sub dean (Community) Nottingham University based in Derby.
Main areas of responsibility
- Clinical and communication Skills for the first 18 months of the Nottingham Graduate Entry programme
- PPD for first 18 months of the Nottingham Graduate Entry programme
- Community placements for Nottingham students based in Derby
- Expanding community based learning for Nottingham students based in Derby
- QA and recruitment for primary care in Southern Derbyshire
- Member of SIFT allocation committee
- Member of committee which reviews quality of all placements in Southern Derbyshire
My interests lie in Assessment, Curricular content and structure and my strengths are held within clinical communication skills, PPD, community and clinical skills - particularly in the early years.
back to topDr Fiona Sim, BSc(hons), MB, BS, DFFP, MSc, LLM, FRCP, FFPH
Currently, Coordinator of the London Teaching Public Health Network and part-time inner city GP. Fiona Sim has held senior posts in public health, NHS management and in medical education in London, including Director of Public Health, Trust Medical Director, associate Dean of postgraduate medical education; formerly Head of Public Health Development at the Department of Health.
Former hon Director of Training of Faculty of Public Health.
Other current professional interests include: hon senior lecturer, UCL; joint editor of Public Health; member, Board, UK Voluntary Register for PH Specialists; member, Board, Faculty of Public Health; vice-chair, Royal Institute of Public Health; and General Medical Council Fitness to Practice panel member.
back to topDr Rebecca Dobson
Rebecca graduated from Leicester-Warwick Medical School in 2005, and is currently working as a Foundation Year 1 doctor in East Cheshire NHS Trust.
She has been a member of the UEA Visiting Team for the past 3 years.
back to topMs Barbara Wright
back to topMr Thomas Foley
Tom Foley is a 3rd year Graduate Entry student at Newcastle. Before studying Medicine, he was a Management Consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers and BDO Stoy Hayward. He specialised in Economic and Public Policy Evaluation in a range of sectors including Health and Education.
Tom is currently Deputy Chair of the BMA Medical Students Committee and Chair of the Finance Sub Committee.
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