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 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 Denys Pak is a Postgraduate Associate Dean for Digital Innovations and Clinical Entrepreneurs. He is a programme lead for the EOE ‘Leadership in Digital Health and Entrepreneurship’ fellowship programme. The programme has been launched to support future clinical leaders that can encourage successful adoption and implementation of innovations in the NHS.
Denys is a mentor on the ‘Conception X’ and ‘NHS Clinical Entrepreneur’ innovation accelerator programmes and has experience in supporting health tech start-ups on different stages of their development. He combines his clinical background in neurology and stroke medicine with an interest in the utility of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine, particularly image recognition and natural language processing (NLP).
Denys believes that emerging technologies such as AI and intelligent automation will be an essential part of healthcare services and there is a need to prepare our workforce for the future working environment through upskilling and education.
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
PSW clinical caseworker.
I am a neurologist at West Suffolk FT and was the Foundation TPD there for 8 years. I am now the Guardian of Safe Working.
Dr Jane Sturgess, Associate Postgraduate Dean for MAPs
Jane is a consultant anaesthetist in West Suffolk Hospital and the associate dean for MAPs.
Dr Nisha Nathwani, Associate Postgraduate Dean for Quality, and Bedfordshire, Luton & Milton Keynes ICB Patch Dean
Dr Abigail Taylor, Associate Postgraduate Dean for Supporting Flexibility in Training (LTFT, IDT & OOP)
Dr Malini Prasad, Associate Postgraduate Dean for EDI & Differential Attainment, Professional Support & Wellbeing Service, and Faculty Development
Dr Shazia Hoodbhoy, Associate Postgraduate Dean for Faculty Development and Blended Learning & Website
Dr Ratna Makker, Associate Postgraduate Dean for Simulation
Dr Heman Pathmanandam, Associate Postgraduate Dean Leadership and Genomics
Dr Ashley Reece, Associate Postgraduate Dean - Lead for DMEs
Professor Shahid Khan, Associate Postgraduate Dean for SAS & LEDs
Dr Brendon O'Leary, Associate Postgraduate Dean for Enhance
Dr Fraz Mir, Associate Postgraduate Dean for Faculty Development, International Recruitment In and MTIs
Dr Isobel Fitzgerald-O'Connor & Dr Elinor Moore, Associate Postgraduate Deans for National Global Health Volunteer Programme (hosted in EoE)
Paul Wright
Head of School of General Practice
Having moved to the East of England for medical school I married a 'Molly dancer' (traditional East Anglian version of Morris dancing) so couldn't escape.
I work clinically as a GP in Bedford and combine that with my deanery roles.
My main focuses of work in the deanery are around supporting out International Doctors when they come to the East of England to train, and to lead the regional response to tackle Differential Attainment when in training.
Dr Jonathan Rouse
GP Associate Postgraduate Dean for Quality and for Workforce in Mid and South Essex
Having qualified as a GP in 2004 I became a partner in Hullbridge, Essex, where I continue to practice today. I started my educational career teaching medical students from St. Bartholomew's and the Royal London Medical School and then became an associate trainer in 2005. I subsequently became a full trainer in 2009 and a Training Programme Director in Southend in 2013 before becoming an AD in 2019. By marriage I also have the title of honorary prince of the Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom.
Projects at NHSE EoE that you are involved in - I am the deanery lead for urgent and unscheduled care. I am leading on revamping the quality processes for the recognition of learning environments and GP educators.
Dr Cathryn Ruddock
GP Associate Dean for Norfolk
Cathryn is a locum GP working in Norfolk. She has recently left her role as TPD in Norwich to take up the post of Associate Dean. She is a graduate from UEA's first cohort of medical students and completed GP training on the Norwich VTS scheme. Prior to being a doctor she was a Senior lecturer in District Nursing and a District Nurse and has a wealth of experience of health care provision in the community setting. Outside of the scheme she is married and has 2 grown up sons as well as 2 step children. Her interests include diving, gardening and swimming.
Dr Sunil Gupta
Associate Postgraduate GP Dean for Mid Essex and Basildon since February 2018.
Dr Sunil Gupta has been a GP in Essex since 1995, a GP Trainer since 2004 and an Examiner for the RCGP since 2004.
He was Training Programme Director for Basildon GP Specialist Training Scheme from 2007 to 2012 and Training Programme Director
for Chelmsford GP Specialist Training Scheme from 2015 to 2018. Sunil has collected a large number of helpful educational resources at
South Essex GP Training website which is at http://www.southessexgptraining.co.uk
Leila Ronald Jones
BSc(Hons) Nursing, BSc(Hons) Specialist Community Public Health Nursing- School Nurse
GPN Workforce Lead Covering the East of England 
Roles:
- Post Graduate Associate Dean for Nursing Workforce
- Post Graduate Associate Dean for Non Medical Workforce
- Regional link for National Training Hubs
Organisation: NHS England East of England
I have worked in the community as a practitioner for many years, in variety of roles and teams. I moved to Health Education England 3 years ago and worked in Quality team looking at student nurse placements. I have since had 4 secondments to various roles which have given me such a wide range of experiences and skills: project management, Research project, education lead for non medical and a Primary Care workforce project.
I am passionate about developing the General Practice Workforce educational opportunities across the East of England
Please contact me Leila.Ronald-Jones@hee.nhs.uk
Dr Antonio Munno
Associate Postgraduate GP Dean for Bedfordshire
I am a GP partner at the King Street Surgery in Kempston, Bedford and have been a GP trainer for over 20 years. In 2018 I became Associate GP Dean for Bedfordshire having previously been the Training Programme Director for GP training in Bedford. I am also involved in the teaching of undergraduates at the Clinical School in Cambridge.
Dr Ayesha Tu Zahra
Associate Postgraduate Dean for Suffolk and North East Essex
Ayesha is a GP Trainer and has passion for training and education. She is currently working as Associate Dean Suffolk and North East Essex and is a GP Partners in Ipswich. She is also Governing Body member for Ipswich and East CCG. In her NHSE role she is actively involved in pre CCT GP training and also works with Ipswich CCG training hub to facilitate training for post CCT GPs, retainers and fellows.
Dr Brendon O'Leary
GP Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Fellowships
Brendon has been involved in medical education ever since organising mock exams for students when he was a house officer. After teaching Anatomy to medical students at the University of Bristol, he became a GP and a Training Programme Director during the very early days of ePortfolio. He’s maintained an interest in digital skills and also worked on offering resources to trainees in difficulty. After moving to Cambridge in 2012 and working on website projects and assessing training post quality as a Training Programme Director in Bury St Edmunds, he now leads on Faculty matter such as digital and regional offerings for the GP School. He is a GP and Trainer at Granta Medical Practices near Cambridge.
He particularly leads on the organisation of regional training events, and our online Panopto Bridge platforms for learning. He oversees the training of new and existing GP Educators, including converting GP Educator training into an online process during 2020 and beyond.
Dr Emma Salik
GP Associate Dean for the Retainer/I+R and IGPR Schemes
Training Programme Director for the Central Hertfordshire Training Scheme
I qualified as a GP in 2003, working as a Principal until 2012. I developed an interest in education and training when I was an AiT. After I qualified, I worked as an Academic Fellow at UCL until 2009. Alongside this role I was a locum TPD for the Central Herts GP Training Scheme before achieving a permanent position in 2005. I qualified as a GP Trainer the same year. In 2009 I became a GP appraiser, and still enjoy my involvement with this. I have enjoyed all the roles I have been involved in and the challenges they present. In July 2019 I became the Associate Dean for the Retainer Scheme/I+R and IGPR work. It is exciting to be working with NHSE looking after GPs that are post CCT and being involved with programmes that are developing to improve GP recruitment and retention.
Projects at NHSE: I am currently involved in the Central Midlands Expansion Programme. Health Education England is working with NHSE to support the learning and education provided to GPs that have come over to the UK from the EU. This work is interesting as it involves not only working closely with practices, other educators and the International GPs but it also provides opportunities to create training content for myself and others to deliver. The aim of this scheme is to offer support, and high-quality education to all those involved in order to recruit and retain GPs in the UK NHS.