Since joining the University in 2003, Sharon has established a strong record in expanding Interprofessional Education (IPE) opportunities for pre-registration health professional students. In 2015, Sharon led the Health Care Team Challenge (West Midlands), the first such to be held in England; in 2012, she established the College of Medical and Dental Sciences IPE steering group, which works to embed IPE into health professions programme curricula; and since 2005, Sharon has led four major regional IPE projects, focussing particularly on the development of authentic IP simulations for pre-registration students. Sharon is a member of the Board of the Centre for the Advancement of IPE (CAIPE), the leading organisation for the promotion of IPE nationally; and an active member of the Universitas 21 Health Sciences Group, for whom she is leading the establishment of an IPE Special Interest Group.
Sharon has a strong interest in the evaluation of educational interventions and the synthesis of evidence to inform policy and practice in education. She leads the Healthcare Scientist Training Research and Evaluation Group, which works with the National School of Healthcare Sciences to explore issues of professional identity, leadership, career progression and workforce integration for trainee clinical scientists; and is working with the Health Education England to establish evaluation of their Genomics Education Programme. She is a member of the Best Evidence Medical Education (BEME) collaboration review editorial committee and has published aspects of her work, including a BEME review of the integration of tools for structured team communication into health professions curricula. From January 2019, she will be an associate editor for the journal ‘The Clinical Teacher’.
Committed to assisting others to develop and obtain recognition for their teaching skills, Sharon has contributed extensively to University and Trust faculty development programmes and acts as mentor for institutional nominees for Teaching Excellence Awards. This year, Sharon was invited to become a Fellow of the University of Birmingham Higher Education Futures Institute, which works to develop innovative and effective university teaching and learning.
In 2010, the Higher Education Academy awarded Sharon a National Teaching Fellowship in recognition of her work. Earlier awards include a University of Birmingham Teaching Fellowship (2008) and the Head of School’s Award for Teaching and Learning Excellence (2007, £1K).
Trained as a microbiologist, Sharon has also worked extensively in post-16 education, including roles as Head of Science and Head of Sixth Form Centre.