Professor Bill Irish, Regional Postgraduate Dean
Bill studied in Cambridge and London, before training as a general practitioner in Bath and pursuing a parallel career in postgraduate medical education. Previously he was Director of GP Education in Health Education Southwest and chair of COGPED.
He leads postgraduate medical education and oversees all educational placements for nursing, midwifery, pharmacy, dental and allied health profession students across the East of England.
Bill is the UK lead postgraduate dean for the specialities of general surgery, trauma and orthopaedic surgery and clinical genetics. He also leads on study leave policy and the MDI scheme for the English Deans.
He holds visiting chairs of medical education at Bristol, East Anglia and Anglia Ruskin universities. He is a fellow at Hughes Hall, Cambridge University and has research interests in high-stakes assessment, medical trainee recruitment and selection.
Bill was fortunate to be deployed as clinical lead for a large Ebola treatment centre in Sierra Leone during the 2015-16 pandemic, and has a continued interest in global health working closely with regional, national and international partners.
Dr Rowan Burnstein, Deputy Postgraduate Dean
Rowan completed undergraduate medicine and intern/SHO jobs in Sydney, Australia before relocating to the UK. She trained as an anaesthetist and intensivist in the east of England and took up a post as Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, with a subspecialist interest in Neurocritical Care and Major Trauma at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge in 2002, where she continues to practice clinically.
Rowan has had a long standing interest in medical education for both undergraduates and graduates. She continues to be a Fellow, Director of Studies and Tutor at Magdalene College, Cambridge. Previously she has been the Regional Adviser and TPD for Intensive Care Medicine, and Head of School of Anaesthesia.
Rowan is a Deputy Dean in the east of England, leading the International Office and Educational Delivery. The latter includes Blended Learning, Simulation, Emerging Educational Technologies, Leadership, Clinical Entrepreneurs and Genomics. She is the lead UK Postgraduate Dean for Urology and ENT.
Rowan has had a long standing interest in global health. She has previously led a partnership in Trauma and Intensive Care in Myanmar, and currently leads SCALE Intensive Care in Uganda. She is a member of the Board of Cambridge Global Health Partnerships. She has a research interest in systems approaches to the development of clinical services and medical education in emerging health care systems and continues to publish in this area, working closely with colleagues in the University of Cambridge.
Dr Helen Johnson, Deputy Postgraduate Dean
Dr Helen Johnson is the Deputy Dean for the East of England NHSE WT&E, with an overarching remit of a number of postgraduate schools, a multiprofessional portfolio supporting foundation and the Norfolk and Waveney ICB. She is also an enthusiastic lead for the national enhance programme for foundation – built on the future doctor work. She graduated from St Mary’s in London, before training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Yorkshire with a special interest in Urogynaecology. She took a consultant post at NWAFT in urogynaecology with obstetrics. Education being a lasting passion, she jointly progressed in educational roles in foundation and O and G, before becoming EoE FSD then Deputy Dean. She has a Masters in Medical Education. Out of work she is an enthusiastic organic home grower and preserver and enjoys messing about on the river.
Dr Christopher O’Loughlin, Deputy Postgraduate Dean
Dr O’Loughlin graduated from Nottingham and after 3 years training in medicine in Sheffield and Cambridge moved specialty to psychiatry, his long term passion. He continues to work as a community psychiatrist in Cambridge but throughout his career has always been committed to medical education and promoted training in the region through being Training Programme Director, Director of Medical Education and then Head of School for Psychiatry, winning the RCPsych Trainer of the Year award in 2018 and leading on supervisor training.
He is now Deputy Dean for the East of England overseeing trainee processes and quality.
Dr O’Loughlin keeps active cycling around Cambridge, is slowly learning Italian and arguably drinks too much coffee.
Dr Malcolm Brady, Regional Postgraduate Dental Dean
Malcolm graduated from the University of Dundee then moved south to embark on a career in general dental practice. He combined this with a series of educational roles in Thames Valley and Wessex, then Midlands & East regions, and was appointed Dean of East of England in 2022.
Malcolm is chair of the COPDEND (UK) Dental Workforce Development Advisory Group and is lead dean for Restorative and Special Care Dentistry specialty training. He is NHSE lead dean for International Dental Graduates.
In addition to overseeing all the formal NHS education and training in the East of England he is closely involved in the strategic development, recruitment and retention of all NHS dental workforce in the region.
Dr Andrew Wright, Deputy Postgraduate Dean and Primary Care Dean
Andrew is Primary Care Dean for the East of England and one of the Deputy Deans, with responsibility for the School of Public Health and for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion.
Andrew studied in Cambridge and London, before completing GP Training in Watford. He has been a GP at Priory Fields Surgery in Huntingdon for over 25 years, and is a Trainer, GP Appraiser and Medical Student teacher.
Andrew has previously been the Associate Dean for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area and Associate Dean for Assessment, and prior to that, was a Training Programme Director in West Cambridgeshire.
Andrew is the COGPED representative for the AKT/SCA exam boards and leads nationally on the dual Public Health and GP Training Programme. He is also a member of the RCGP WBPA Core Group.
Dr Ayesha Tu Zahra, Head of School of General Practice
Ayesha is a GP Ipswich. She has a passion for training and supporting primary care learners including GP trainees, ACPs, FCP and NMPs. Ayesha has had many roles in primary care school and local leadership roles within the ICB. She now doing a job share with Dr Paul Wright as a head of school. Ayesha is leading Quality, Placement capacity, expansion working with the six ICB 's training hubs and supporting wider workforce support. Her interests includes cooking and baking though not yet made to Master chef!
Dr Paul Wright, Head of School of General Practice
I moved to the East of England to study and 25 years later I've made it my home. I work as a GP in Bedford and combine that with my role as Head of School of General Practice.
Having held roles as a GP trainer, Programme Director and Associate Dean roles in GP recruitment and Differential Attainment I have particular interests in the selection and recruitment of GP trainees, as well as how we can support International doctors to thrive within the NHS.
Dr Jane MacDougall (MB Bchir MD FRCOG MEd), Associate Postgraduate Dean for Educational Research, Fellows, Redistribution and Development of New Training Posts, and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough ICB Patch Dean
Jane is a Consultant Gynaecologist & Subspecialist in Reproductive Medicine at Cambridge University Hospitals Foundation Trust (CUHFT) with a special interest in paediatric & adolescent gynaecology and gynaecological endocrinology.
Postgraduate Education: She has always had an interest in Postgraduate Education and has held a number of leadership roles in education including College Tutor and Director of Postgraduate Medical Education for CUH. From 2003-2008 she was Clinical Director for Women’s Services in Cambridge. She was Head of School for the new East of England (EoE) Postgraduate School of Obstetrics & Gynaecology (2008-2017). She is currently on the RCOG Subspecialist training committee and completed a research based Masters in Education in 2003 at CU and has also published in educational journals. In undergraduate medicine, she is Director of Studies for Clinical Medicine for Newnham College, Cambridge University.
She is now an Associate Postgraduate Dean for NHSE WT&E EoE and “Patch Dean” for Cambridge & Peterborough. She is also responsible for the fellowship programme and educational research group and oversees the faculty development programme in EoE. She has recently taken on responsibility for the training post expansion & distribution programme in EoE and is the regional representative for the new Educator Workforce strategy.
Dr Francesca Crawley, Associate Postgraduate Dean for Study Leave, SuppoRTT Mentoring & Careers, Improving Postgraduate Doctors in Training Working Lives, and Academic Training, and Suffolk & North East Essex ICB Patch Dean
Francesca is a Consultant Neurologist at West Suffolk Hospital and was the Foundation TPD there for many years. Her Associate postgraduate Dean portfolio includes the lead for academic training, study leave, and she is the clinical lead for the PSW and SuppoRTT. She is one of the Deputy Foundation School Directors.