The Young@Heart (Y@H) team is an interdisciplinary group based at Newcastle University, delivering a student-led cardiovascular disease screening clinic operating in Newcastle’s Grainger Market and across community venues. The team brings together academic staff, researchers, technicians, local authority partners and voluntary-sector specialists to provide authentic clinical learning while addressing unmet community health needs. The team includes Hamde Nazar and Charlotte Richardson as academic leads; research associates Angela Long and Matt Cooper; technical experts Andrea Small and Alison Gregory; academic lecturers Holly Cuskin, Daniel Okeowo, Adam Gardner, Orieoma Chukwu-Etu and Nehal Hassan; and external partners Karen Inglis from Newcastle City Council and Abbie Rance from the voluntary sector, supported by administrative coordinator Rachel Clark. The clinic provides cardiovascular screening, health checks, and lifestyle advice in city-centre and community locations.
The team’s core activity is the design, delivery and continual enhancement of high-quality clinical placements for pharmacy students. These placements are student-led, with supervisors supporting learners to develop clinical, communication and professional skills. The team’s collaborative model is intentionally horizontal, valuing contributions from all members and enabling rapid innovation, shared accountability and sustainable growth. This approach has allowed the clinic to expand significantly since 2019, with more than 8,000 appointments delivered and over 600 pharmacy students benefiting.
Y@H’s impact spans student learning, community health and sector-wide educational practice. Students gain confidence, professional identity and a sense of civic responsibility. The clinic also provides accessible health checks to underserved populations, with evaluations showing high levels of need and strong intentions to change health behaviours following appointments. The team’s interdisciplinary composition is central to its success: academic leads bring pedagogical and clinical expertise; research associates support evaluation; technical staff ensure safe, consistent equipment and environments; and partners from Newcastle City Council and the voluntary sector ensure the service aligns with local priorities and reaches diverse communities. This model has been adopted by multiple UK and international universities, demonstrating significant influence.
Collectively, the Y@H team exemplifies how collaborative, community-embedded clinical education can transform student learning, strengthen local health outcomes and reshape sector expectations of placement-based training.
Advance HE recognises there are different views and approaches to teaching and learning; as such, we encourage sharing of practice, without advocating or prescribing specific approaches. NTF and CATE awards recognise teaching excellence in a particular context. The profiles featured are self-submitted by award winners.
