Teaching Excellence Awards 2025

The Division is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Teaching Excellence Awards:

Associate Professor Sam Kinyanjui – for his contributions to academic training and research capacity development within the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP), one of Oxford University’s Major International Programmes.

• “Sam has diligently and effectively lead teaching initiatives at the KEMRI-WT unit in Kilifi for many years...In this role he has been pioneering at strategic levels and a major support to the students on an individual level.” [Senior Academic]

Associate Professor Hubert Lam – in recognition of his contributions to the MSc Global Health Science and Epidemiology, including overseeing a major redevelopment of the course in 2014-15. For his dedication to EDI initiatives and improving postgraduate access. For his commitment to collaboration and sharing knowledge and best practice across the Division.

• “Hubert is an asset to the teaching and course management team at NDPH. His care and attention to the MSc in Global Health Science and Epidemiology are unmatched. His teaching is inspiring and he excels at engaging the student body in the learning process to ensure that we are all able to work to our best potential.” [Student feedback] 

• “Hubert exemplifies educational leadership at the highest level. His work has made a profound and lasting impact on students, the department, and on global health education”. [Senior Academic]

Dr David McCartney – in recognition of his role as a central figure in Oxford medical education, and for leading changes in all aspects of the Graduate-Entry Medicine course as course director.

• “Dr McCartney embodies what it means to be a transformative, relational, and reflective educator. He listens with intention, responds thoughtfully, and communicates with humility and respect—even in disagreement. Admired by students, colleagues both at the medical school and his own GP practice, and alumni, he truly deserves recognition for his outstanding contributions to medical education.” [Student feedback] 

• “David displays that rare combination of strategic view with attention to detail – and an approachable style that breaks hierarchy and fosters deep and committed understanding. It’s through these attributes that he has accomplished so much in a relatively short period of time and taken the multiple stakeholders with him of an exciting journey for the GEM course.” [Senior Academic]

Professor Robin Murphy – for his contribution and leadership of the introduction of two new integrated Masters degrees in Experimental Psychology.

• “Robin is clear, personable, engaging and always happy to answer questions. I can not express how much I am enjoying this option and really feel like I have not only clear guidance from him but also that I could go to him if I needed help with anything.” [Student feedback] 

• “someone who can always be relied upon to exercise good sense and attention to detail whilst being highly attuned to the nuance and potential consequences of the matter under discussion.” [Senior Academic]

Professor Catherine Pears – in recognition of her exceptional contribution to Biochemistry teaching, research and scholarship at Oxford both at a University and College level. For her mentorship of undergraduates and excellent teaching quality, and in acknowledgement of her ground-breaking contributions and continued commitment to EDI.

• “Colleagues have shared with me their admiration for her breadth and depth of knowledge, commitment, warmth, selflessness, wisdom, generosity, and her ability to engage students with the passion she feels for her subject. It has always been obvious that Catherine cares deeply about excellent teaching and support for students, and about the development of our undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as supporting colleagues more widely. Throughout her career and the many responsibilities she has willingly taken on, Catherine has been an important role model for all of us.” [Senior Academic] 

• “She not only nurtured my ability to think critically and encouraged me to approach scientific questions from multiple perspectives, but also exemplified, through her own conduct, the quiet strength and dignity of a true educator.” [Student feedback] 

• “Catherine’s leadership had direct and important impacts on work and study in the department, monitoring and reducing gender inequalities and mitigating the effects of the COVID pandemic.” [Senior Academic]

Professor Trevor Sharp – for his sustained commitment to educational excellence, combined with his leadership, exceptional student outcomes, generous collegial support and international impact.

• “Trevor’s career represents the gold standard of sustained educational excellence, transformative leadership, and unwavering commitment to student development.” [Senior Academic] 

• “Trevor took the time to learn our names prior to the class and provided us with individual feedback...This made me feel seen as an individual and valued as a student in a large department.” [Student Feedback]  

• “To me and many others, Trevor is more than a teacher or mentor—he is a role model. His example of integrity, dedication, and quiet excellence inspires my own work and approach to academic life.” [Senior Academic]

Professor Lucy Bowes - Department of Experimental Psychology

Dr Martin John Gillies – Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences

Professor Rob Klose - Department of Biochemistry

Dr Tess McPherson – Radcliffe Department of Medicine

Professor Kate Nation - Department of Experimental Psychology

Dr Sharmila Saran Rajendran – Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics

Dr Francine Toye - Botnar Institute for Musculoskeletal Sciences, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences

Professor Nick Yeung - Department of Experimental Psychology 

Dr Jonathan Attwood - Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences

Dr Omid Ebrahimi – Department of Experimental Psychology

Dr Ioana Grigoras – Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences

Professor Laurence Hunt – Department of Experimental Psychology, Department of Psychiatry

Dr Laura Ingle – Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences

Dr Clinton Lau – Department of Biochemistry 

Professor Teresa Lambe – Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics

Professor Sarah Lewington – Nuffield Department of Population Health

Professor Peter McHugh – Department of Oncology

Professor Daniel Preito-Alhambra – Botnar Institute for Musculoskeletal Sciences, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences

Professor Peter Scarborough – Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences

Dr Tim Viney – Department of Pharmacology

Professor Richard M. White – Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Medicine

Dr Ali Cenk Aksu - Botnar Institute for Musculoskeletal Sciences, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences

Mr James Matejtschuk – Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health

Ms Isobel Way – Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health

• Dr Fiona Boyle (Bidirectional Mentoring Pilot: an initiative to increase belonging for minority group students in the medical school) – This project aims to pilot a bidirectional mentoring scheme within the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences to determine whether this initiative could meet their EDI aim of providing additional support for medical students with minority or protected characteristics as well as providing staff with an opportunity to learn from their students.
• Dr Fiona Boyle (Cultural Competency in Healthcare: Learning from Patients by Celebrating Diversity through Religious Festivals) -  This project aims to contribute to addressing inequalities in healthcare as well as developing cultural competency in the medical school curriculum. This project will allow medical students to learn from patients in a novel way, by facilitating a celebration of major religious festivals with patients which can provide a positive learning environment that will appeal to students, and allow an informal and open space for them to learn about diverse cultures and beliefs.
• Dr Kate Forrester (On-Demand Digital Learning Journey for DPhil Students (Pilot) An Individually Tailorable, Needs-Led Model for Flexible DPhil Training) – This project aims to pilot a departmental model for delivering a tailorable, flexible, accessible, on-demand online learning experience specifically for DPhil students. The model brings together three elements: a student-facing digital home base, a set of curated learning pathways, and a sample design for an online course. Together, these will form a testable format for structuring and delivering future DPhil online training options in the Department of Primary Care Health Sciences.
• Dr Richard Harrington (Words & Pictures – Fostering Reflective Practice through Creative Arts in Graduate Entry Medicine) – This project is designed as a space for reflection and engagement, by inviting Graduate Entry Medicine students to share poems, short prose, photography, or artwork—sometimes directly linked to their medical experiences, and at other times broader in theme.
• Mr Kevin Lee Boon Chun (Think Rare! A Pilot Program enhancing Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perception of Rare Conditions among Oxford Medical students) – This project attempts to help medical students obtain a fundamental understanding of the field of Rare Conditions, including the obstacles and future solutions affecting clinical care and lived experience of people with “rare” conditions. The goal is simply for students and health professionals to develop a fundamental awareness of Rare disease as a collective, empathy for the challenges individuals and families face, and a baseline vigilance to suspect when something ‘rare’ may be underlying in order to facilitate timely onward referral.
• Ms Helen Lockstone (BiOmedical Omics Skills Training (BOOST) – This project aims to develop a modular, self-paced online learning platform for postgraduate taught (PGT) and postgraduate research (PGR) students in the Medical Sciences Division (MSD). This multidisciplinary resource will provide convenient access to foundational concepts and practical skills necessary for studying or conducting research in biomedical omics. The platform will offer flexible support, allowing students to engage with the course content regardless of their academic background, research focus, or stage of study. It will act as a preparatory and bridging resource to accommodate the diverse scientific backgrounds and preparedness among Oxford postgraduate students (DPhil and MSc), particularly those working with omics data.
• Professor Michele Peters (Developing innovations in teaching Behavioural Sciences for Graduate-Entry Medical Students) - This project aims to redesign the Behavioural Sciences module using innovative methods for delivering teaching to create a more engaging course for the students, by working with students as co-creators to undertake a comprehensive pedagogical review of the Behavioural Sciences module for Graduate Entry Year 1 medical students. The project aims to create an innovative, student co-created module, which delivers the Behavioural Sciences curriculum as per GMC requirements and encourages the development of reflective and knowledgeable doctors.
• Dr Sharmila Saran Rajendran (Em-brio: dynamic development with drawings and animations) – This project aims to meet an unmet need in embryology learning and teaching by designing systematic resource that covers basic to more advanced material in a simple 2-dimensional diagrammatic form with animations.
• Dr Heba Shawer (AI-Enhanced Training Needs Analysis Tool for Inclusive Graduate Skills Development) – This project aims to design, pilot, and evaluate an AI-enhanced Training Needs Analysis (TNA) tool to improve how postgraduate research students (PGRs) in the Medical Sciences Division (MSD) plan for, reflect on, and access support for their skills development.

 Congratulations to all of the awardees.