Meet the team - September

Meet the team bringing you the latest South West bulletin for postgraduate doctors and dentists in training

We’ve worked with colleagues across training and education to bring you this bulletin. Introducing this issue’s contributors Giovanna Edwards, Jane Thurlow and Anne Elliott from the Professional Education and Development team and Lizzie Eley, Sarah Ansell, Martyn Hewett, Leanne Lovelock and Claire Fox from the Primary Care team.

You can contact members of the Professional Education and Development team at england.facultydevelopment.sw@nhs.net and members of the Primary Care team at england.gpschool.sw@nhs.net.

Jane Thurlow

Associate Dean for Professional Education and Development

Jane trained in anaesthesia in the South West of England before becoming a Consultant Anaesthetist at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, Somerset Foundation Trust in 2003. Jane has worked as a general anaesthetist with a specialist interest in Obstetric Anaesthesia. Jane always had a keen interest in Medical Education for most of her medical career. Having initially been an Undergraduate Tutor for Medical students, she went on to concentrate on Postgraduate Medical Education and became an assigned Educational Supervisor to anaesthetic trainees for a number of years before becoming a College Tutor for Anaesthesia. Jane was appointed as Taunton and Somerset Foundation Trust’s Director of Postgraduate Medical Education in 2014, stepping down from this role in 2017 to become Associate Dean for Education and Faculty Development in Severn Deanery. She then went on to become Associate Dean for Professional Education and Development as South West lead at NHS England (former Health Education England) in 2020.  

As Associate Dean, Jane leads educational and faculty programmes on behalf of the Postgraduate Dean that support local and national developments and initiatives particularly supporting accreditation and ongoing continuing professional development of Education and Clinical Supervisors alongside educational programmes for Postgraduate Doctors in Training across the South West.

Being part of this South West training bulletin is important to her role as Associate Dean as it will help to get information out to doctors and dentists in training of opportunities out there for them

Outside work, Jane has reinvigorated her love for cooking again, with her current passion being making fresh pasta.   

Giovanna Edwards

Senior Business and Education Manager

Giovanna has been involved in medical education since 2015 and previous to that worked for the South West Strategic Health Authority leading on a number of programmes and projects such as RTW for nurses, Modernising Healthcare Scientists and integrating equality, inclusion and diversity into mainstream work.  Also, she has experience working in a Trust and has a well-rounded appreciation of how each function and organisation is interlinked with each other.

Currently, Giovanna is one of two Senior Business and Education Managers working for the Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education team with her remit covering the Professional Support and Educational Team which includes Study Leave. Along with this, she manages PSW, SuppoRRT, SAS, Careers support, Faculty Development, QI and Simulation as well as overseeing the Bursary Scheme, Innovation Projects, Fellowships and general business matters.

"Outside of work, my winter passion is skiing; I love music by extreme – i.e. heavy metal, blues and classical (but love all genres!) I enjoy sewing, gardening, cooking and holidays. I dislike the gym but it is a necessary evil."

Anne Elliott

Team Leader

Anne Elliott has worked within Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education since 2003 and has undertaken a variety of roles prior to her current one. Previous roles have included, MMC Manager, Recruitment Manager and SHO Manager. 

Anne has been working within Faculty Development and Education since 2008 and has been involved in multiple workstreams over the years, including Education and Training delivery for Doctors in Training and Supervisors, Professional Support and Wellbeing, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and some work with International Medical Graduates to name a few areas of work. As a qualified Coach and Trainer, she has used her knowledge and skill set to manage a very busy training programme across the South West for some years now.

Outside of work, Anne enjoys yoga, walking, cooking and travelling.

Lizzie Eley

Primary Care Dean

As the South West Primary Care Dean, Lizzie is responsible for the region's GP Doctors in Training and Training Hubs.

Lizzie is a GP by background, having trained in Somerset and worked in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. Previous roles have included GP Head of School Severn; Associate Dean for SW GP recruitment; Associate Dean Transformation, setting up the PGMDE Equality, Diversity and Inclusion group with a focus on supporting International Medical Graduates; GP Associate Dean Gloucestershire; Founder & Clinical Chair of the Gloucestershire Primary Care Training Hub and Chair of the Gloucestershire GP Education Trust.

Lizzie is a fellow of the Royal College of GPs and believes in the value of General Practice and the importance of high-quality education in Primary care in the South West. Outside of work Lizzie enjoys being outdoors, long walks, listening to music, and spending time with her family.

Sarah Ansell

Head of Peninsula School of Primary Care

Sarah has been involved in various training and education posts throughout her career, from GP Trainer to Training Programme Director, Associate Dean and now a Head of Primary Care School. All great positions! Sarah is passionate about giving equitable access to learning for all our doctors and other learners in training alongside supporting all the amazing educators we have in the South West.

In her free time, Sarah loves embracing everything the sea and countryside in North Devon has to offer, including gardening and cooking homegrown produce.

Martyn Hewett

Head of Severn School of Primary Care

Martyn spent 30 years as a GP in rural Gloucestershire, has been involved in medical education since the early 90s as a GP trainer, Training Programme Director and Associate Dean, and completed a master’s in education in 2009.

Since January 2022, Martyn has been Head of the Severn School of Primary Care. Maryn is a member of the RCGP Committee on Medical Ethics and of the RCGP Governance Committee. He is also a keen amateur musician.

Leanne Lovelock 

Team Manager for South West School of Primary Care

Within the School of Primary Care, Leanne works with the wider team to operationalise the GP training programme for the South West. Leanne is passionate about education and has many years of experience developing and operationalising education programmes for finance and procurement staff in the NHS, with a particular focus on costing and value-based healthcare. In her spare time, Leanne is a keen runner, cook and is passionate about holistic health and wellbeing.

Claire Fox

Primary Care Associate Dean for Equality Diversity and Inclusion

Claire is a GP Partner and Trainer at Yelverton Surgery, Devon and has been involved in training GPs for many years.

As an associate dean, she has been involved in developing a programme of intensive consultation skills and exam support for GP Doctors in Training; much of this work has been focused on supporting international medical doctors, recognising the challenges that moving to a new system presents. As part of the GP team, Claire has been able to bring in a wide range of initiatives across the South West GP training to support international medical graduate doctors.

Claire is passionate about education, encouraging diversity, and an inclusive, equitable culture of learning for all. In her spare time, Claire loves walking and running on Dartmoor, often dragging her family with her along, rain or shine!