Barry Quinn is a renowned academic and leader in the field of restorative dentistry and dental education. As Chair in Restorative Dentistry and Dental Education, Academic Lead and Head for Restorative Dentistry at the University of Liverpool, School of Dentistry, and King James IV Professor of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, he has made significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge in dental education.
Barry’s passion for developing others is evident in his pioneering work on the use of haptically enabled virtual reality simulation for surgical skills training across a range of healthcare professionals outside his own discipline. He is a staunch advocate for student autonomy and personalised progression within a safe learning environment. He has researched and presented widely on simulation, assessment and interprofessional education, advancing the debates in education.
As Secretary General of the Association of Dental Education in Europe (ADEE), President of the British Alliance for Researchers in Dental Education and Scholarship (BARDES), President of the Dental Teachers of Professionalism in the UK, and past-President of the Education Research Group (ERG) of the International Association of Dental Research and the metropolitan branch of the British Dental Association, Barry’s leadership and influence extend far beyond the University of Liverpool.
Barry has been recognised with numerous awards and accolades, including the ADEE mature educators award (2013), interprofessional educators award (2016), and the American Dental Education Association emerging leaders award (2021). He has also won many UK and international awards with the hapTEL team on haptically enabled virtual reality surgical skills simulation training.
Barry’s impact has been substantial and has gone beyond healthcare education with his work through EDUsummIT and under the auspices of UNESCO through working group 3.3 of the International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP). Barry has organised several important workshops and conferences including Shaping the Future of Dental Education held at King’s College London in 2017, and the British Alliance of Researchers in Dental Education and Scholarship in Liverpool in 2022. He is also the lead local organiser for the upcoming ADEE annual conference to be held in Liverpool in 2023.