Professor Clare Ray PhD

Image of Prof Clare Ray

School of Biomedical Sciences
Professor of Widening Participation in Biomedical Education

Contact details

Address
Institute of Clinical Sciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Clare Ray is a Professor of Widening Participation in Biomedical Education and is the College of Medical and Dental Sciences lead for Outreach and Widening Participation. She leads a range of successful schemes and activities that promote the participation, success and progression of underrepresented groups in Higher Education and Chairs the National Medical Schools Widening Participation Forum. In recognition of this work received the Joseph Chamberlain Award for Educational Advancement, one of four Founders’ Awards made by the University in July 2022. Clare is a cardiovascular and respiratory physiologist and a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA), with teaching responsibilities across many of the Institute of Clinical Sciences’ undergraduate programmes.

Clare combines these roles with research interests in the area of cardio-respiratory integration and control. She is principally an in vivo physiologist and her research has focussed on the control of oxygen delivery particularly in response to systemic hypoxia (acute, chronic and intermittent) and exercise, on which she has published a number of papers. Her current research is investigating the mechanisms underlying the cardiovascular and respiratory complications associated with chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH), obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and diabetes.

Qualifications

  • Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA), 2022
  • University of Birmingham HEFi Scholar, 2019
  • Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), 2016
  • Post-graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (PGCertLTHE) and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), 2011
  • PhD Cardiovascular Physiology, 2004
  • BMedSc (Hons) in Medical Sciences, 1st Class, 2000

Prizes

  • Joseph Chamberlain Award for Educational Advancement, University of Birmingham’s Founder’s Awards, Winner, July 2022
  • Award for Educational Leadership, University of Birmingham’s Higher Education Futures Institute (HEFi) Awards, Winner, July 2022
  • University of Birmingham and Guild of Students Outstanding Teaching Award, nominee, July 2020
  • Award for Supporting Student Learning, University of Birmingham’s Higher Education Futures Institute (HEFi) Awards, Winner, July 2018
  • National Widening Participation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Widening Participation, Health Education England, Runner-up, May 2017
  • Dean’s Leadership Award, College of Medical & Dental Sciences, Winner, September 2016

Biography

Clare Ray gained a BMedSc (1st Class Hons) in Medical Science, specializing in Cardiovascular Physiology, from the University of Birmingham in 2000 graduating top of the year and winning the Sarah Bundy and Arthur Thompson Prizes. She went on to study for a PhD in the Department of Physiology, developing a novel technique for directly measuring the in vitro release of nitric oxide from blood vessels and elucidating the pathway by which adenosine evokes nitric oxide release during systemic hypoxia. Her two post-doctoral research projects, both funded by the British Heart Foundation, allowed Clare to continue her research into the control of oxygen delivery in skeletal muscle at the University of Birmingham and it was during this time that she developed her interest in learning and teaching. Whilst continuing with her research, Clare completed the Associate Module in Learning and Teaching in HE in 2009 and was appointed as a lecturer in Cardiovascular and Respiratory Sciences in January 2010. In 2011, she completed the PGCertLTHE and became a Fellow of the HEA. In 2016, Clare was promoted to Senior Lecturer and became a Senior Fellow of the HEA.

As a post-doctoral researcher Clare developed an interest in outreach and widening participation and in 2003 became a subject tutor on the University of Birmingham’s flagship widening participation scheme Access to Birmingham (A2B). Since then Clare has become increasingly involved in a variety of schemes and activities aimed at supporting the participation of underrepresented groups in Higher Education, resulting in her being appointed the College lead for Outreach and Widening Participation in 2013. Since then the College has made large strides in its widening participation activities particularly around widening access to medicine, via our Routes to the Professions: Medicine scheme. She has an increasing focus on the success and progression of students from underrepresented groups at all stages of the student life cycle and launched MDS Pathways in September 2019, which has received support from the Alumni Impact Fund, and provides a mentor and professional development and networking opportunities for all MDS students who engaged with our widening participation programmes. As part of these activities Clare sits on the University Student Access and Progress Committee, APP Operational Oversight Group, the APP Evaluation Working Group, and the Birmingham Scholar Delivery Group. Nationally, Clare Chairs the National Medical School’s Widening Participation Forum, an organisation of over 120 academics, admissions tutors, outreach staff, charities and medical student representatives which aims to widening access to the medical profession by developing policies and strategies which support colleagues in schools, colleges, universities, charities, Royal Colleges and in the medical profession to enable young people to access, succeed and progress in medical careers.

Clare became a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA) in November 2022 and was promoted to Professor of Widening Participation in Biomedical Education in August 2023. In recognition of her sustained leadership in widening participation she received the Joseph Chamberlain Award for Educational Advancement at the University of Birmingham Founders’ Awards 2022. Clare is a member of the Birmingham Arterial Chemoreceptor and Hypoxia Group and her current research is centred around the control of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems in chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH), obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and diabetes on which she regularly publishes. She has held several committee roles for the Physiological Society including on the Education and Outreach Committee and the Conferences Committee, playing a principal role in organisation the education symposium at Europhysiology 2022 in Copenhagen and in developing a set of Physiological Objectives for Medical Students.

Teaching

Clare is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and is interested in the scholarship of learning and teaching and evidence-based active approaches to education. She currently contributes to cardiovascular, respiratory and other teaching on the following programmes:

Biomedical Science BSc, including leading the Year 3 Hypoxia in Health and Disease module

Dental Surgery BDS

Medicine and Surgery MBChB, including leading the Year 1 Introduction to Respiratory Medicine component and the Year 2 Cardiovascular component

Clare is a personal tutor on the Biomedical Sciences programme and regularly supervises final year research projects.

See Clare talk about a great way to drive student involvement and therefore engagement in lectures: Polling Technology.

Postgraduate supervision

Clare currently co-supervises PhD students on the following projects:

  • The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM)
  • Does exposure to chronic intermittent hypoxia in early life induce developmental programming of carotid body function in adulthood?

Research

Clare’s current scientific research is centred around the control of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems in chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Clare is a group leader of the Birmingham Arterial Chemoreceptor and Hypoxia Group. The research group focuses on defining the role of the carotid body chemoreceptors, in cardiovascular, respiratory and neuroendocrine physiology and pathology. With colleagues she has developed both an acute model of airway obstruction and a chronic model of intermittent hypoxia in order to investigate the mechanisms underlying the cardiovascular and respiratory complications of OSA. She also has an interest in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes as a co-morbidity of OSA and the interaction between blood glucose level and chronic intermittent hypoxia in the development of microvascular complications and the function of the autonomic nervous system.

Clare’s educational research is in the area of Widening Participation and Inclusivity in Biomedical and Healthcare Education. Her current projects include: a collaboration with the University of Glasgow Medical School and Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, looking at the experience of students from underrepresented groups before, during the transition to, and while at University; an evaluation of the effectiveness of mentoring and bespoke professional development training and networking opportunities on the transition to University and sense of belonging of students from underrepresented groups; and investigating the factors that contribute to differential attainment of underrepresented groups at all stages of the student lifecycle.

Clare is also interested in the scholarship of learning and teaching and widely uses and evaluates the effectiveness of the flipped classroom in undergraduate biomedical education.

Other activities

  • Board of Trustees of In2scienceuk, charity which promotes widening participation, social mobility and diversity in Science, Technology Engineering and Maths, 2021 – Present
  • Chair, National Medical Schools Widening Participation Forum, 2021 – Present
  • Physiological Society Conferences Committee, Education and Outreach representative, 2019 – Present
  • Physiological Society Physiological Objectives for Medical Students Working Group, 2019 – 2020
  • Physiological Society Grants Review Task and Finish Group invited member, 2019 – 2020
  • Physiological Society International Working Group invited member, 2018 – Present
  • Physiological Society Education and Outreach Committee, 2015 – 2019

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Tiwana, R, Kamal, A, Singh, D, Misra, D, Usman, F, John, H, Kitas, GD, Greenfield, S, Kumar, P, Ray, C, Bosworth, A, Ahmad, A, Reehal, J & Kumar, K 2023, 'Cultural adaptation and development of an educational intervention ‘Meri Sehat, Mere Rules’ relating to cardiovascular disease associated with rheumatoid arthritis for South Asian people.', Mediterranean Journal of Rheumatology. <https://mjrheum.org/assets/files/inpress/MJR%202023-0104_in%20press.pdf>

Alshehri, Z, Subramanian, A, Adderley, N, Gokhale, K, Karamat, MA, Ray, C, Kumar, P, Nirantharakumar, K & Tahrani, A 2022, 'Risk of incident obstructive sleep apnoea in patients with type 1 diabetes: a population-based retrospective cohort study', Diabetologia, vol. 65, no. 8, pp. 1353-1363. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-022-05714-5

Sartania, N, Alldridge, L & Ray, C 2021, 'Barriers to access, transition and progression of widening participation students in UK medical schools: the students’ perspective', MedEdPublish, vol. 10, 132. https://doi.org/10.15694/mep.2021.000132.1

Swiderska, A, Coney, AM, Alzahrani, AA, Aldossary, HS, Batis, N, Ray, CJ, Kumar, P & Holmes, AP 2021, 'Mitochondrial succinate metabolism and reactive oxygen species are important but not essential for eliciting carotid body and ventilatory responses to hypoxia in the rat', Antioxidants, vol. 10, no. 6, 840. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox10060840

Alzahrani, AA, Cao, LL, Aldossary, HS, Nathanael, D, Fu, J, Ray, CJ, Brain, KL, Kumar, P, Coney, AM & Holmes, AP 2021, 'β-Adrenoceptor blockade prevents carotid body hyperactivity and elevated vascular sympathetic nerve density induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia', Pfluegers Archiv: European journal of physiology , vol. 473, no. 1, pp. 37-51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-020-02492-0

Holmes, AP, Ray, CJ, Kumar, P & Coney, AM 2020, 'A student practical to conceptualize the importance of Poiseuille’s law and flow control in the cardiovascular system', Advances in Physiology Education. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00004.2019

Junejo, R, Ray, C & Marshall, J 2020, 'Prostaglandin contribution to postexercise hyperemia is dependent on tissue oxygenation during rhythmic and isometric contractions', Physiological reports, vol. 8, no. 12, e14471. https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.14471

Junejo, R, Ray, C & Marshall, J 2019, 'Cuff inflation time significantly affects blood flow recorded with venous occlusion plethysmography: rapid cuff inflation improves estimations of hyperemic flow', European Journal of Applied Physiology, vol. 119, no. 3, pp. 665–674. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-018-04056-8

Holmes, A, Ray, C, Thompson, E, Alshehri, Z, Coney, A & Kumar, P 2018, 'Adrenaline activation of the carotid body: key to CO2 and pH homeostasis in hypoglycaemia and potential pathological implications in cardiovascular disease', Respiratory physiology & neurobiology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resp.2018.05.008

Hauton, D & Ray, C 2018, 'Caffeine, gravity, and baroreceptor function: the integration diet and cardiovascular control', American Journal of Physiology - Advances in Physiology Education, vol. 42, pp. 454-461. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00003.2017

Holmes, AP, Ray, CJ, Pearson, SA, Coney, AM & Kumar, P 2018, 'Ecto-5′-nucleotidase (CD73) regulates peripheral chemoreceptor activity and cardiorespiratory responses to hypoxia: Ecto-5′-nucleotidase and carotid body chemosensitivity', The Journal of Physiology. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP274498, https://doi.org/10.1113/JP274498

Holmes, A, Ray, C, Coney, A & Kumar, P 2018, 'Is carotid body physiological O2 sensitivity determined by a unique mitochondrial phenotype?', Frontiers in Physiology, vol. 9, 562. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.00562

Conference contribution

Aldossary, HS, Nieves, DJ, Kavanagh, DM, Owen, D, Ray, CJ, Kumar, P, Coney, AM & Holmes, AP 2023, Analyzing Angiotensin II Receptor Type 1 Clustering in PC12 Cells in Response to Hypoxia Using Direct Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy (dSTORM). in SV Conde, R Iturriaga, R del Rio, E Gauda & EC Monteiro (eds), Arterial Chemoreceptors: Mal(adaptive) Responses: O2 Dependent and Independent Mechanisms. 1 edn, Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol. 1427, Springer, pp. 175-184, ISAC XXI 2022, Lisbon, Portugal, 27/06/22. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-32371-3_19

Review article

Holmes, AP, Swiderska, A, Nathanael, D, Aldossary, HS, Ray, CJ, Coney, AM & Kumar, P 2022, 'Are multiple mitochondrial related signalling pathways involved in carotid body oxygen sensing?', Frontiers in Physiology, vol. 13, 908617. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.908617

Aldossary, HS, Alzahrani, AA, Nathanael, D, Alhuthail, EA, Ray, CJ, Batis, N, Kumar, P, Coney, AM & Holmes, AP 2020, 'G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling in the carotid body: roles in hypoxia and cardiovascular and respiratory disease', International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 21, no. 17, 6012. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21176012

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