Gemma Quinn is a registered pharmacist and independent prescriber, and joined academia in 2008 as a teacher-practitioner and postgraduate programme leader at the University of Bradford. She quickly discovered a passion for education and ensuring that education effectively prepares pharmacists for their role as medicines experts in the multi-disciplinary team. Her strategy is to work closely with stakeholders to develop programmes that are inclusive, flexible and employ authentic learning and assessment.
Aligned with adult learning theory, students have the flexibility to focus on topics that are most relevant for them at that time. In 2012, she was part of the development team that designed and implemented a revolutionary new Master of Pharmacy curriculum delivered predominantly using an active and collaborative learning approach called Team-Based Learning (TBL). Her expertise in designing, delivering and training others in TBL has recently been recognised by her accreditation as only the fourth TBL Trainer-Consultant in the UK. She has used TBL face-to-face, online synchronously, online asynchronously, and a combination of synchronous/asynchronous delivery, which is unique in the UK.
Gemma has used a blend of work-based assessments, TBL, and other authentic assessments to develop programmes that prepare pharmacists for practice at any level. This has included the educational development of experienced pharmacists to act as supervisors, as well as students, across the whole of the North of England. Gemma completed her Doctor of Pharmacy in 2017 and co-leads the educational research groups in both the school and the university, encouraging staff to work across disciplines to undertake and disseminate educational research and scholarship. She is currently the Director of Studies for the School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences and the Lead for Postgraduate Clinical Pharmacy programmes.