Peter Leadbetter entered higher education in 2007, having taught in educational institutions in the UK, Australia and USA. This involved working with some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged young people and adults (refugees, people with complex mental health issues, people living under conditions of multiple deprivation). This had a profound impact on his values, development and pedagogic stance. His pedagogic stance is to foster an environment of inclusivity where individual experience and background are fully integrated and valued.
Peter Leadbetter is a Senior Learning and Teaching Fellow in the School of Medicine at Edge Hill University. He is programme lead for the Foundation Year to Medicine (a widening access initiative) that is underpinned by this philosophy of inclusivity, widening participation and social accountability. His teaching and learning experience also led to Peter taking on several roles at Edge Hill University.
This includes the Medical School Teaching and Learning lead and Faculty Senior Learning and Teaching Fellow. Peter currently chairs the Medical School Teaching and Learning group and is a teaching mentor for several colleagues. Peter has won students’ union student-led teaching awards in both the Lecturer and Personal Tutor category and was recently shortlisted in the Teaching Hero category.
Peter is also a member of committees and organisations nationally that promote and facilitate widening access to medicine. He currently chairs the Foundation and Gateway to Medicine Leads group, comprising 20 medical schools nationally and has been influential in various funded Medical Schools Council (MSC) initiatives (summer schools and careers advisor events) that promote widening participation in medicine. He has also been instrumental in the development and validation of a national entry route for students from “non-traditional” backgrounds to access medicine (Access to Higher Education Diploma in Medicine: QAA). He has won various awards for his work in widening participation to medicine, including the Association for the Study of Medical Education (ASME) New Leaders Award in 2021. Peter is also a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society (BPS) and is an active member of the Division of Academic, Researchers, and Teachers in Psychology (DART) and the Faculty of Primary Care.