Professor Michele Russell-Westhead

National Teaching Fellow 2016 You only need to spend a few minutes in the company of Professor Michele Russell-Westhead to appreciate her absolute commitment, passion and expertise for improving and enhancing the student experience, particularly in the healthcare professions. She does this by creating engaging real-world curricula and learning environments; providing strategic academic development and leadership; and involving students, employers and other key stakeholders in the design of degrees, policies and processes of the university. Her approach is grounded in 'students as partners' research and experience-based co-design (EBCD) and this has informed an extensive portfolio of curriculum development and institutional change projects. Impact of work Michele has provided opportunity for thousands of students in her commitment to widening participation at the leading edge of initiatives such as foundation degrees, workforce development programmes and currently degree apprenticeships. To support these students, she has designed an online learning academic and professional skills course for business, nursing, creative industries and paramedicine, with significant impact on learning while responding to industry expectations around employability skills. As Vice Principal at Pearson College London, she has developed student co-creator roles that influence institutional decision-making and collaborative research projects, notably the 'Changemakers' with University College London, industry innovation projects with IBM and the Studio Learning Project which is a recipient of the 2016 Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE). Importantly, she is highly influential in the healthcare community and works tirelessly to bring key stakeholders together to improve healthcare delivery through education. "Michele is transforming lives by creating new opportunities, and by showing what can be achieved through a passionate commitment to health and education." [Lord David Puttnam]. Plans for the future Michele has developed something of a portfolio career. She is also a Professor of Clinical Education at Northumbria University, Academic Lead for Educational Development in the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Kings College London and has her own education consultancy company. She is a Principal Fellow of the HEA and a King's Teaching Fellow. Her immediate plans are to create innovative curricula and processes to support degree apprenticeships in health and education and provide solutions to the institutional challenges of the Teaching Excellence Framework.