Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare
Facilitators and Speakers
Course coordinator
Professor Jeremy Howick PhD, MSc, PGCert
Jeremy is a professor at the University of Leicester and the first Director of the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare. His mission is to ensure that a dose of empathy is included in all healthcare consultations. He is leading a growing team of academics and clinicians to embed a novel empathy curriculum into the medical school, and to cascade to other healthcare organisations.
Jeremy has pioneered fundamental research in evidence-based medicine, placebo effects, and empathy and published over 150 papers and three books: The Philosophy of Evidence-Based Medicine, Doctor You and The Power of Placebos.
He has founded several highly successful courses and research groups, including the Oxford Empathy Programme and is passionate about communicating the results of his research to the outside world, appearing on the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4, as well as The Guardian, The Times, Men’s Health, the Daily Mail and the Huffington Post.
Find our more about Professor Jeremy Howick
Lead facilitator
Dr Andy Ward MBChB, MSc, MRCGP, PFHEA
Andy is the Director of Education and Training for the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare, University of Leicester, Associate Professor in Medical Education, and Honorary Senior Academic General Practitioner.
Andy's role is to develop innovative and evidence-based teaching interventions across the medical curriculum that will increase and sustain empathy in medical students. He has wide experience in producing teaching around patient-centred care and has presented his work at international conferences and in peer-reviewed journals.
Andy also works as an inclusion health GP, providing primary care services to people experiencing homelessness in Leicester.
Find out more about Dr Andy Ward
Event speakers
Dr Rabia Imtiaz
Rabia is a Medical Director at NHS England and an experienced transformational coach. Raised in Dubai, she studied medicine at Fatima Jinnah Medical University, Pakistan before moving to the UK for specialist training in Aberdeen. Over more than 15 years, she established herself as a consultant in High-Risk Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine in the UK. She holds an MBA with Distinction, is a certified Project Management Professional and a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, with advanced ICF and EMCC coaching credentials. The first female Muslim Medical Director of South Asian origin in an Acute NHS Trust, she now mentors emerging healthcare leaders. A compelling speaker, she champions compassionate, inclusive leadership and has received multiple accolades, including Doctor of the Year, Best Trainer and Patient Choice awards.
Find out more about Dr Rabia Imtiaz
Dr Dinesh Palipana
Dinesh is a medical doctor, lawyer, researcher, and disability advocate. He has completed a Bachelor of Laws at the Queensland University of Technology, a Doctor of Medicine from Griffith University, and holds several postgraduate qualifications. He works in the emergency department at Gold Coast University Hospital and lectures at Griffith University, where he co-leads the BioSpine spinal cord injury research team. Dinesh advises and serves on multiple boards, including the Disability Royal Commission and the Human Rights Commission’s Includeability program. Widely recognised for his leadership and advocacy, he has received numerous national honours and awards, including the Medal of the Order of Australia and Queensland Australian of the Year.