Joanna (Jo) Matthan is a clinical anatomist and medical educationalist with a background in Medicine and English. Her circuitous route into academia resulted in a distinctive accumulation of layers spanning several sectors and has contributed to a compassionate and collaborative approach to her educational interactions. Combined with a passion for clinical anatomy and a deep commitment to the student and patient experience, it has translated into a unique approach to teaching, educational leadership and pastoral care.
After working as a junior doctor, Jo took on a clinical academic post training future surgeons on anatomy demonstratorships, which immersed her in empathetic and experiential teaching and learning. Moved by the myriad challenges students faced on their educational journey, she took on pastoral roles and transitioned to academia to focus on enhancing the student experience.
Jo has expertise in gross anatomy, with a particular interest in head and neck anatomy, and experience in EDI, simulation, widening participation, interprofessional education and clinical reasoning. She has contributed widely to medical education through creating a national syllabus for dental anatomy, innovating a digital code and cadaveric imaging guidelines, initiating the conversation around decolonising of anatomy, co-creating a clinical reasoning consensus statement and publishing on diverse issues, from social media to technology-enhanced learning.
Jo’s sustained high-quality teaching, supervision and pastoral support have led to teaching excellence awards from the student body in Outstanding Taught Supervision (2015) and Outstanding Pastoral Care (2018). In 2022, Jo won the institutional Vice Chancellor’s Educational Excellence award in two categories – for her individual practice and as part of the anatomy team. She is Fellow of the Anatomical Society and a Senior Fellow of Advance HE.
Jo volunteers across the clinical education sector. She is Honorary Secretary of the Anatomical Society, Councillor on the British Association of Clinical Anatomists, Honorary Secretary of the Trans-European Pedagogic Anatomy Research Group and on the UK Clinical Reasoning Committee. She is a delegate on the European Federation for Experimental Morphology and International Federation of Associations of Anatomists, and the Anatomy Associations Advisory Committee. Jo is currently embarking on a role as Dean of Academic Affairs at Newcastle University’s Malaysia Campus.