As a qualified mental health nurse with a passion for learning, Neil Withnell started his career in education through training police officers on all aspects of mental health. This led to a post as a lecturer practitioner when the University of Salford approached his employer to join the university.
Neil fully immersed himself in the role and his coaching and mentoring approach empowered students to be the future healthcare workforce. This approach led to numerous student-nominated awards and national and international recognition. As an inspirational leader and mentor of academic colleagues Neil is highly regarded as a leader in creative and digital education.
Having had numerous roles within higher education, including module leader and programme leader, Neil is currently Associate Dean Academic for Student Experience in a large school of more than 8000 students and over 350 academic staff. Neil is current Chair of the Board of Trustees for a local charity that supports individuals with mental health issues through offering creative arts-based therapies and he is working with the Office for Students to address mental health in students, which is a growing concern. He has also been a governor at a local secondary school.
Having national and international recognition has led to receiving a CATE award, arranging conferences, and being regularly approached to contribute to the literature and evidence base on digital and creative education, mental health and social media, and he is a Director for the National Teaching Repository. Neil is highly regarded as an inspirational individual who always goes above and beyond his role and he is passionate about learning and ensuring students and colleagues have a positive and rewarding experience.