Education

Supervisor: Dr Jennifer Creese (Jennifer.creese@leicester.ac.uk)

Virtual Exchange and Collaborative Online International Learning in Medical Education: Learner Attitudes and Practices  Contemporary medical education equips doctors-in-training not only with skills for practice, but with a broader understanding of health and societal systems and their contextual influences on health and healthcare provision. In an increasingly globalised and mobile world, doctors-in-training need to develop awareness of health practice and policy across multiple contexts, understanding of different cultural and systemic approaches, and think critically about systems and solutions from across the world. Virtual Exchange (VE) and Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) are methodologies for facilitating the development of these skills and competencies. However, despite increasing use of virtual learning platforms and online learning, international VE and COIL are not common in undergraduate medical education. This project seeks to fill a gap in medical education knowledge by exploring the practices and attitudes of student learners to a VE/COIL learning experience within their first-year medical studies. The researcher will observe Leicester Medical School students participating in a VE/COIL programme between University of Leicester and University of Virginia, and undertake focus groups with participating students, to understand how students engage in and perceive this novel learning experience. The researcher will be fully trained and supported in developing core qualitative research skills to undertake this research.

Supervisor: Professor Jeremy Howick (jh815@leicester.ac.uk)

Problem: One in 10 patient safety incidents is caused by poor communication, Within the NHS, this problem is intensified by two trends:

1. AI and other technology are increasingly used to help communicate with patients.
2. In the UK, and in particular in the plural city of Leicester, the growing number of patients without English as their first language, necessitates the use of translators.

Yet, research on (1) how to optimize the use of AI for communication (2) how to express empathy via translators, is underdeveloped. 

Methods: This fellowship will focus on one of the abovementioned problems. The project will begin with a systematic review to map the evidence base and highlight potential interventions. This will be followed by qualitative research exploring the experiences of patients, clinicians, and other stakeholders. Finally, findings will inform an implementation study, such as a pilot trial, to test real-world solutions.

Supervision: You will be supervised by Professor Jeremy Howick, experienced academic with over 250 peer reviewed papers. You will be hosted within the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare.

By the end of the fellowship, you’ll have:

• Contributed to at least one peer-reviewed article per year.
• Advanced your clinical academic career with (if desired) assistance with applying for PhD funding.
• Enhanced your ability to deliver compassionate, patient-centred care.
• Developed your teaching portfolio.

Supervisor: Dr Richard Knox (rak33@leicester.ac.uk)

Leicester Medical School offers an integrated curriculum to prepare students for practice as a doctor. Although the programme is well received by students, and offers good learning opportunities for practice preparation, transition points in the curriculum can prove challenging for students to experience. This project will focus on the transition between phase one (y1 and 2) of the programme and phase two (y 3,4 and 5). Although there are clinical elements to phase one, students do not undertake full-time clinical training until phase 2. 

The project will involve exploring specific local contexts with respect to the transition between phase one and phase two of the LMS programme, and working towards providing evidence informed interventions and processes to augment student experience in this domain.

Supervisor: Dr Bharathy Kumaravel (bk162@leicester.ac.uk)

• Design: Mixed-methods evaluation study.
• Participants: Undergraduate medical students across multiple year groups (years 1,3 and 5).
• Intervention: A structured active bystander training session for each of the above years which progresses and takes a spiral approach (interactive workshop with scenarios relevant to clinical and academic contexts).
• Data collection:
  • Pre- and post-training surveys assessing knowledge, attitudes, and confidence.
  • Follow-up survey at 3 months to assess retention and behaviour change.
  • Focus groups with students to capture qualitative insights.
• Analysis:
  • Quantitative: descriptive and paired analyses of survey responses.
  • Qualitative: thematic analysis of focus group transcripts.

Expected outcomes:

• Improved knowledge and confidence in responding to inappropriate behaviours.
• Increased intention to act as an active bystander in clinical and academic settings.
• Student-driven insights into how training can be improved and sustained.

Significance:

This evaluation will provide evidence on the role of active bystander training in shaping professional behaviours, promoting inclusive learning environments, and preparing medical students for the challenges of clinical practice. Findings will inform recommendations for integrating this training into medical school curricula more broadly.

Supervisor: Dr Farhad Peerally (mfp6@le.ac.uk)

Patient Safety.

Supervisor: Dr Neil Thakrar (neil.thakrar@leicester.ac.uk)

5.1 million UK residents are reported to speak a language other than English as their primary language, and in Leicester specifically, this applies to 30% of citizens. This diversity enriches our nation with culture and new experiences, but language barriers pose their own challenges within healthcare services and consultations. Patients report feeling misunderstood, resulting in longer individual appointments, and more frequent attendances to see clinicians due to misdiagnosis, adding further strain on the existing economic burden within the NHS. 

Organisational policies highlight the need to tackle language barriers in healthcare, including the 2010 Equality Act and Domain 2 of the General Medical Council’s ‘Good Medical Practice’. Despite this, studies have shown that existing services designed to overcome these challenges are underutilised by healthcare professionals, with uncertainty around the use of interpreter services being the most commonly reported reason. 

This systematic review aims to synthesise current perceptions regarding consultations with language barriers among medical students and explore how teaching to address language barriers can be incorporated into the medical school curriculum. This research aims to determine practices to promote awareness, instil confidence, and prepare medical students for clinical practice with an array of patient populations in an increasingly diverse NHS.