Find out about our academics, their work histories and educational interests.
Asim Ali is the Programme Director for Health Professions Education (HPE) at the University of Bristol. With over 15 years of experience in medical education, Asim has held academic and leadership roles at Vanderbilt University, the University of Houston, and Swansea University, as well as in faculty development programmes at the National University-Sudan. As the former Director of CPD at the National University, he led initiatives in curriculum reform, instructional design, and faculty training.
Asim holds a master's in health Professions Education from Vanderbilt University and a medical degree from the International University of Africa (Sudan). He is currently completing a PhD in Medical Education at Swansea University, where his research focuses on the application of Cognitive Load Theory to enhance learning and problem-solving in medical education. His research interests include Problem-Solving, Instructional Design, Cognitive Load Theory, and Quantitative Evidence Synthesis.
Andrew Burnett MBA (S. Wales), LLM (Cardiff), PGCE (Cardiff)
Andrew’s doctoral thesis focussed on the development of specifically Health Professions Educators over 4 years, spanning before and after Covid-19. His research interests currently centre on the identities of educators.
In addition to his doctorate in education, Andrew holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). He is therefore appropriately positioned as the Unit Lead for the certificate unit of Theory & Practice in teaching and learning.
Andrew has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree and has supervised many master’s students’ dissertations on leadership and change over a number of years. He consequently also acts as the academic lead for the diploma unit of Leading in Education.
Andrew is married with two children. His wife is a G.P., who is also a G.P. trainer.
Dr Dani O'Connor is a Lecturer in Medical Education at the University of Bristol, where she has been teaching for the past three years. She initially joined as a Medical Law and Ethics Lecturer at the Centre for Ethics in Medicine before transitioning into her current role.
Dr O'Connor has a background in Law, having completed her LLB at Cardiff University, followed by an LLM in the Legal and Political Aspects of International Affairs. Last year, she was awarded her AHRC-funded doctorate, which explores the adoption of relational autonomy in mental capacity assessments to mitigate the influence of gender stereotypes in medical treatment. Her research has been published in the Medical Law Review, and she has presented her work at both domestic and international conferences, including in Italy and Japan.
In addition to teaching, Dr O'Connor has supervised two postgraduate research projects to completion and is currently working with another student. She is open to PhD supervision. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and is currently working towards her Senior Fellowship.
Dr O'Connor is the Unit Lead for Curriculum Development and Design, as well as for Arts and Humanities in Medical Education. She also serves as co-lead for the Diploma in Health Professions Education, contributing to curriculum innovation and interdisciplinary teaching.
Steve Jennings PhD, Senior Fellow HEA
Steve has extensive experience teaching and supporting health professionals in diverse health and education contexts in master’s and doctoral settings. Steve holds a PhD in public health and education, is the MSc co-lead and unit lead for Research Methods. Steve co-designed the Bristol Medical Education Research Group (BMERG) and was co-chair from its inception to September 2024.
Steve’s research interests predominantly focus on mental health, faculty development, the experiences of people affected by cancer, health professionals’ experiences of oncology and immunotherapy education, professional identity development, inter-professional education and practice and building sustainable research communities. He has been nominated for several Bristol Teaching Awards and was awarded the ASME Educator Development Award in 2023.
https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/persons/steve-jennings
Dr Sarah McLaughlin MSc. Ba (Hons).
Sarah’s most recent publications can be found in the Medical Education Journal, reflecting her interest in qualitative approaches to medical education research. She is Co-Lead for the MSc. Health Professions Education, and her research interests relate to inequalities in education, neurodiversity, widening participation, and the work of Pierre Bourdieu. Sarah is the Principal Investigator of the Dyslexia Journeys project, which seeks to understand the learning journeys of post-graduate health professions educators who have dyslexia.
In addition to a Doctorate in Education, Sarah holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (post-compulsory education), Post Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice, and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. With a background in further and higher education, teaching sociology, inclusive practice, marketing, education and research methods, Sarah brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her role. She is appropriately positioned as Unit Director for the Diploma unit Exploring Contemporary Issues and also lectures across the Certificate and Diploma programme.
Richard is an experienced educator with a focus on supporting health professionals who teach and learn whilst navigating the daily complexities of the clinical workplace. In addition to teaching on the HPE Certificate units, Richard leads the Academy of Medical Educators accredited Foundations in Medical Education programme (FMEd) and Clinical Based Education (CBE) Certificate unit. He also supervises students on the MSc dissertation course.
His current research interests focus on the conflicts and complexities of the diverse clinical workplace, and the strategies and tactics to better support learning.
Richard holds a PGCE in Adult Teaching and Learning, a Master’s degree in education (MEd). He is a practice-based Doctor of Education (EdD) and a fellow of Higher Education Academy.
Stephen Pickering BA (Hons), PGCE with QTS, MA, FHEA
Stephen is co-lead of the Diploma in Health Professions Education and is co-unit lead of Clinical Based Education certificate unit and Exploring Contemporary Issues diploma unit. He also supervises students on the MSc and is a personal academic tutor.
Stephen’s speciality is in teacher training, with two decades of experience in leading programmes in teaching and learning, and delivering QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels.
Stephen’s doctoral research examines how learning places and spaces inform learning. He has presented internationally at conferences: his most recent of which was in 2024 on the contested ethics of empowerment (British Education Research Association and World Education Research Association). Stephen has edited a book on creative teaching pedagogies and has contributed book chapters on teaching pedagogies.
Sally Dowling, PhD, MPH, MA, PGCert, BA, FHEA
Sally is a Senior Lecturer in Medical Education, with extensive experience of teaching health professionals in HE and of working in the NHS (as a mental health nurse and public health specialist). She teaches on all levels of the HPE programme, is Co-Programme Director for the MSc Reproduction and Development and Year 1 Choice Academic Lead for the MBChB programme. She is a personal tutor, professional mentor and postgraduate research tutor. She is currently leading two pedagogical research projects (funded by BILT) and working on another.
Sally has supervised PhD and M- level projects in a range of topics and has five doctoral completions. She has experience of publishing with PhD and MSc students and is happy to support anyone wanting to publish from their under- or postgraduate work. She has many publications, including journal articles, book chapters and an edited book (see Sally Dowling - University of Bristol). She is co-author of Doing inclusive research: Qualitative inquiry with and about people with intellectual disabilities (with Dr Emma Douglass, Sage Publications, forthcoming).