Postgraduate Academy of Health

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Postgraduate Academy of Health

Announcing the UEL Postgraduate Academy: shaping the future of undergraduate healthcare education in East London

The imminent arrival of our new medical school in 2027 marks an exciting chapter for University of East London (UEL), and with it comes the opportunity to redefine excellence in undergraduate healthcare education. 

In order to prepare for this pivotal moment, we have set a programme for the next year for the UEL Postgraduate Academy (PGA), a dedicated forum designed to equip our educators with the advanced skills and collaborative networks essential for success. With UEL’s aim of fostering interprofessional education, we plan a series of sessions, both online and in person at our Stratford campus to showcase how we work together as a faculty and adhere to the interprofessional aims of ‘learning with, from and about’ each other's professions. 

Nursing students

The PGA is more than a training programme; it is a professional community. Our purpose is twofold: 

  • To foster meaningful connections among our educational faculty
  • To upskill our educators by providing a comprehensive update on the latest pedagogical theories and practices.

In an era of evolving healthcare education, the Academy will ensure our teaching methods are as innovative and effective as the healthcare practitioners we are training. We have selected topics that we know can challenge even the most experienced educator and tailored these to our particular demographic here in East London. These include: -

  • Understanding the challenges and expectations of the current generation of healthcare students
  • Teaching for the digital age: how to integrate technology into teaching sessions
  • Gaining confidence with undergraduate assessments
  • How to build reflective practices into teaching and feedback
  • Supporting learners in difficulty and understanding University Fitness to Practice processes

Join us in this collaborative endeavour to build a robust and dynamic educational culture at UEL. The PGA is your opportunity to connect with colleagues, refine your teaching practice, and play an integral role in launching the next generation of healthcare professionals.

2026 education series launch

Practical, theory-informed sessions for all healthcare educators, regardless of discipline.

Over the past year, we have hosted a series of sessions at the UEL Postgraduate Academy, focusing on topics relevant to our local educators and UEL faculty. As we look ahead, and in line with our ambition to embed interprofessional education across the Health Campus, these sessions will evolve with a renewed focus.

Our goal is to equip educators with the knowledge and skills needed to teach today’s healthcare students and prepare them for the future workplace. Drawing on the rich, multiprofessional expertise across the Health Campus, we are launching a new series designed to enhance teaching practice—particularly in preparation for welcoming undergraduate students when the UEL Medical School opens in 2027.

These practical, theory-informed sessions will benefit all healthcare educators, regardless of discipline. You are invited to the first session in the series.

'Back in My Day… When Experience Helps and Hinders'

Wednesday 12 November (5 - 7pm), Stratford Health Campus (room TBA), refreshments provided.

In this interactive session, led by educators from across the faculty, we will explore:

Understanding today’s students: their expectations, challenges, and feedback
Reflecting on learning theory and how to adapt your teaching style for greater impact
Practical strategies to bridge your experience with the needs of modern undergraduate learners

Two nurses chatting

In 2026, we will continue this series, covering topics such as:

  • Teaching in areas of widening participation
  • Giving effective and constructive feedback
  • Supporting reflective practice
  • Creating psychologically safe learning environments
  • Understanding ‘Fitness to Practise’ in student education

Join us in shaping the next generation of healthcare professionals through excellent, forward-thinking education.

2026 webinars and workshops

Booking information coming soon.

Back in my day...when experience helps and hinders

  • Understand today’s students: their challenges, expectations, and feedback
  • Reflect on learning theory and strategies to adapt your teaching approach for maximum engagement and impact
  • Practical tips to connect your experience with contemporary undergraduate learning

Widening Participation Without Widening Gaps

  • Understand the challenges WP students face and the support available to help them succeed
  • Apply inclusive teaching strategies in clinical and classroom settings to ensure equity and access
  • Challenge assumptions and biases about who can succeed to foster a more inclusive learning environment

Feedback, the fear of opening Pandoras box

  • Principles of effective feedback: honest, timely, balanced (positive and negative)
  • Techniques such as advocacy with inquiry to encourage self-awareness.
  • Building reflective practice into teaching using structured frameworks like What? So what? Now what?

Reflection: can it be taught and or assessed?

  • Understand the role of reflection in education and its growing use in undergraduate portfolios
  • Explore strategies to teach and support effective reflective practice in learners
  • Consider approaches to assessing reflection, including challenges and practical solutions

Assessment in Focus: Principles and Examiner Best Practice

  • Explore the theory underpinning modern assessment, including formative vs. summative approaches and Miller’s Pyramid
  • Understand principles of setting fair and reliable exams, including standard setting and Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA) design
  • Practical strategies for examiner calibration and mitigating bias through EDI-focused practices

No more death by PowerPoint: teaching for the digital age

  • Explore digital tools from virtual patients to AI-assisted feedback, and discuss professional, ethical, and accessibility considerations
  • Move beyond slide decks with case-based discussions, microteaching, and interactive learning
  • Learn simple design changes that transform passive listening into active engagement

Forget Pretend: Creating Authentic Simulation Experiences

  • Explore strategies to create psychologically safe simulation environments that build learner confidence
  • Choose the right simulation modality and fidelity, and design lessons that maximise impact
  • Apply debrief models and underlying theory to reinforce learning and reflection

Supporting Learners in Difficulty

  • Identifying warning signs (e.g., poor engagement, decision-making, or insight)
  • Exploring underlying factors: health, work context, training environment, social pressures.
  • Creating a targeted Personal Development Plan (PDP) with SMART objectives.

Who Decides What’s Professional?

  • Supporting students to develop a professional identity
  • How to respond to professionalism challenges from a patient or colleague
  • Understand the role of the educator in a Fitness to Practise process

Building your educator identity

  • Personal reflection and self-evaluation to support ongoing growth as an educator
  • Explore opportunities for professional development: conferences, journals, and teaching networks
  • Understand the role of accreditations and recognition, such as Advance HE Fellowship, in enhancing credibility and career progression

2025 lunchtime webinars

Book a lunchtime webinar place

Rooted in UEL’s core values, our Academy stands apart through its unique commitment to:

We aim to prioritise the needs of practitioners and organisations in East London and the South-East, addressing critical workforce challenges to boost recruitment and retention. Yet, our solutions are designed to resonate nationally and internationally, meeting shared healthcare demands.

Our programmes evolve alongside the changing needs of health professionals and teams, ensuring continuous relevance through regular review and innovation.

Recognising the power of teamwork in healthcare, we aim to foster multi-professional learning, equipping practitioners to thrive in collaborative environments.

Our mission is to actively involve service users, carers, and the public in shaping solutions, thereby ensuring education is grounded in real-world needs.

From fellowships that enhance individual career growth to learning sets for doctors in non-traditional pathways, we offer diverse approaches. Our Academy supports team innovation labs, communities of practice, and classroom-based learning, catering to a spectrum of professional development needs.

Mirroring UEL’s proposed medicine course, we aim to provide tailored support for practitioners who have faced educational or social barriers, ensuring equitable opportunities for advancement.

By combining these strengths, the UEL Postgraduate Academy of Health drives excellence in healthcare education—locally rooted, globally impactful.

Replay the Postgraduate Academy of Health webinar series

  • Each generation learns differently, influenced by evolving social, cultural, and technological contexts. Do we, as educators, adapt our teaching methods to the needs of our students rather than relying solely on how we were taught?
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  • Experienced primary and secondary care clinicians give their researched views on this important topic including public perceptions on assisted dying and the pros and cons of changing the legislation.
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  • NHS England predict by 2035, up to half of all medical treatments or healthcare decisions will use genomics to improve care. Genomics in primary care holds transformative potential for precision medicine, from early cancer detection to optimised prescribing.
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  • Learn how to support your international medical graduates’ educational and training journeys and their integration into the NHS.
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  • Finding new ways to train our doctors is part of the challenge of addressing the staffing crisis in the NHS. Professor Joanne Harris, Founding Dean of Medicine worked with NHS England to develop a protype 4-year undergraduate medical curriculum.
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  • How can we support and enhance learners competencies when concerns are raised?
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  • Harnessing AI for Learning, Teaching, and Assessment in Healthcare Education
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  • Are we over diagnosing neurodiversity? (PGAH webinar)
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