Gaynor Jones has shaped one of the UK’s leading medical programmes, improving the lives of UCL medical students and contributing to national and international medical education.
The first in her family to attend university, Gaynor moved from Leeds to London to study French and Spanish. A Postgraduate Certificate in Education followed, and her interest in this area led to a longstanding career in medical education, beginning as a junior administrator in what was then the Middlesex Hospital Medical School, now part of UCL.
As her role and responsibilities in management grew, Gaynor successfully steered the MBBS (Medicine) programme through two institutional mergers to form the UCL Medical School. Since 2000, Gaynor has led MBBS Management, developing systems, processes, regulations, policies, governance structures and funding models to position it amongst UCL’s flagship programmes with over 2000 students.
I've grown up at UCL; it was my first job after university. I was very young and completely in awe of doctors and medical students. I've grown in my career, confidence and self-esteem here.
Over 40 years, Gaynor has touched the lives of around 14,000 UCL doctors, contributing significantly to the NHS workforce. Throughout this time, she has focused on giving all medical students a positive experience. With a caring and determined approach, she has driven improvements in financial assistance processes and timetabling systems, focused on reducing complexity in NHS placements and improving students’ day to day lives. Overseas, she has influenced medical education and enhanced international student experiences through the UCL Centre for International Medical Education Collaborations (CIMEC) and Visiting Electives programme.
Nationally, Gaynor has supported the assessment and maintenance of high professional standards in medicine. This includes developing a database for General Medical Council revalidation, advising the Royal College of Physicians on running clinical examinations and developing processes for recognising excellence in medical education.
Working to shared ideals, Gaynor and her team collaborate with a wide network of academic and clinical colleagues to maintain excellence and innovation in the rapidly changing world of medical education. She helps to nurture a supportive and trusting professional environment, and she in turn feels supported by expertise in all areas.
Today, Gaynor is remembered fondly by alumni who graduated many years ago – doctors at the top of their fields who were once young students undertaking a demanding course and wondering what their future could look like.
Being in a medical school means you're helping to create the next generation of caring professionals. Highly capable, research based, scientifically literate, patient centred, inclusive – these standards and values are all around me and I’m fortunate to have had a career dedicated to instilling them in our future doctors.
