This edition of Spotlight focuses on Dr Sarah Hart, who has been with the institute since 2024 as Vice-Dean for Postgraduate Taught and International in the School of Medicine.
Hi Sarah, so tell us about your role – what does a typical day look like for you?
Like most roles within the University, very few days are the same, and I work at numerous sites across the campus. I am lucky to have a broad mixture of areas within my work, from supporting the development of new programmes and supervising Masters dissertations, to working with international partners on how the University can have global impact. Whilst there are a lot of meetings, there is also a lot of variety in what I contribute to each day. Also, Coffee is vital in making a busy day start well, so Bekas and Costa are part of my circuit on and around campus.
Looking forward, what’s one thing you’re excited about – professionally or personally – in the next year?
I have been working with a team of academics from across the Faculty, including the wonderful new appointee Leo Grant, Lecturer in Medical Education in the School of Medicine, to develop a new PGCert programme in Clinical Education. This programme will support the educational skills development of clinicians and student-facing teachers from a broad swath of professions, including those supporting dentistry and veterinary students. We are in the process of gaining University approval for this provision for 2026 delivery, and I am really looking forward to being able to recruit and welcome our inaugural cohort to what promises to be an exciting course.
What do you enjoy most about working in our Institute community?
As someone who arrived a relatively short time ago to the Institute in January 2024, I have been delighted to feel genuinely welcomed by the community here. The last 18 months have been a period of many big changes, but academic, technical and professional staff have all been supportive and helpful in showing me the ropes. Thanks need to go to many people for making what could have been a scary move so positive.
What first drew you to work in this field / at the University?
In short, the wish to support good people in the way I have been supported. I have had a great number of brilliant role models over the years, including my PhD supervisors Professors Mike Waterfield and Al Burlingame at University College London (UCL) and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Postdoctorate Supervisor Professor Simon Gaskell at the University of Science and Technology (UMIST), and Heads of School that I have been lucky to work alongside, particularly Professors Peter Coventry at Keele and Hazel Scott here. They have all inspired me to continue working towards improving science and education in different ways, but with kindness and enthusiasm as unifying principles. Supporting a diverse cohort of students to make their way through University, and supporting both home and international students as key contributors to the University community, are both really important to me.