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Professor Olwyn Westwood
Director of Postgraduate Education / Professor of Medical Education

Summary

Professor Olwyn Westwood is recognised internationally within the diverse contexts of Higher Education for curriculum design, and shaping an environment where learners flourish. Having worked in routine diagnostic NHS pathology, she took a Ph.D in immunology and cell biology research, before making a successful transition into pedagogic practice and research, which led naturally to academic and leadership roles within post-1992 and Russell Group institutions.
As an enthusiastic educator, she is keen that disciplines are accessible across the range of student demographics, and relevant and transferable to the 'World of Work'. Her research and pedagogic practice have been chiefly across the NHS and HE, working and collaborating with scientists and clinicians.  She is a senior editor, and reviewer for a number of medical and healthcare education journals.  
As Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Olwyn is also an assessment advisor for the National Prescribing Safety Assessment, a Royal College membership examinations, and has a successful track record in research supervision and examination of Ph.D. and Masters Awards. With 10 years’ experience as a visitor for a Professional and Statutory Regulator, she is well-versed in education quality assurance and enhancement.
As an international consultant for curriculum development in Malaysia, Brunei, China, Georgia, Australia, South Africa and Mexico with around 30 years’ experience in education design and delivery, she has a keen interest in technology-enhanced learning and developing flexible learning frameworks. Accordingly, cross-institution, faculty and external partnerships have facilitated her personal insight into the cultural, social and political requirements of professional and discipline-specific knowledge, skills, and assessment within the UK and for global education and research.

Qualifications

B.Sc. (Hons) Nutrition, University of Surrey (1980)

Ph.D. Biochemistry UMDS (Guy’s Hospital, now Kin's College London), University of London (1989)

Title of thesis: Placental Protein 14 (PP14): A study on the isolation, purification, physical characteristics and molecular biology of a protein

Fellow of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences (1999)

Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2015)

 

Responsibility

NATIONAL

10 years as a Visitor on behalf of the General Medical Council (GMC) for undergraduate and postgraduate medical education from 2006

Adviser to the GMC on the Bologna Declaration and implications for UK degrees

National Prescribing Safety Assessment: Member of the Stakeholder Committee: for a National skills assessment for UK medical undergraduates.

Curriculum advisor, Modernising Scientific Careers postgraduates, Health Education England

Foundation Chair of the National Examination for the Physician Assistant, for and on behalf of the NHS

External examiner / critical friend for medical education initiatives for 15 UK universities

INTERNATIONAL

Curriculum/Quality Assurance advisor: Medical School accreditation with GMC, UK and overseas initiatives:  China, Brunei, Malta.

Caribbean: Chair of Review Panel for the medicine award of University of the West Indies

Member of the Board of the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Medicine and Health Professions (CAAM-HP; 2019-2022). Chair of Accreditation and Reaccreditation teams for Medicine (2020- current)

China 2008-current: Multiple visits to China, advising on integration of multi-disciplinary curricula.

European Science Foundation: Member of the Medical Research Education in Europe Policy Committee: to design a curriculum to equip postgraduate students for higher research degrees.

Georgia: Chair of accreditation panels for medicine, dentistry and healthcare programmes for and on behalf of the National Centre for Education Quality Enhancement, Tblisi, Georgia.

Malaysia: International Advisory Board of the Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology for curriculum developments and degree accreditation with professional regulators.

Non-Governmental Organisations 2011-current:

Centro de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicals, Ottawa: Education Consultant for delivery of Masters’ education as distance learning and face-to-face in South Africa and Mexico

The Salvation Army – an NGO in 134 countries with a healthcare education activities portfolio.