The Joseph Chamberlain Award for Educational Advancement is one of four Founders’ Awards for excellence presented annually to members of the University at the Chancellor’s Dinner, the flagship annual event which celebrates academic achievement and engagement with local, regional and national partners. Dr Ray was selected from a list of high-quality nominees which had been made over the last few years when the event was unable to be held.
Clare Ray is a Reader in Widening Participation (WP) in Biomedical and Dental Sciences and with her passion and sustained strategic leadership at a local and national level she has supported and advocated for students from underrepresented groups leading to a significant impact of access, success and progression.
By forging collaborations with external organisations, she has led on an integrated approach to widening access to medicine and healthcare with programmes such as Routes to the Professions at UoB and UKWPMED nationally (a collaboration between 6 UK medical schools, UCAS and UCAT).
Dr Ray's academic research into the barriers to access and transition of students to medical school (Sartania, Alldridge & Ray, 2021) influenced the development of a programme of peer mentoring and professional development support for all students entering the College of Medical and Dental Sciences via WP programmes, MDS Pathways, and the development of an online programme of resources for students applying to interviewing courses at the University of Birmingham which was recognised by Health Education England as an example of excellent practice.
