Education

The Orthoptics MSc programme continues to grow from its start in 2021-22, with 25 students in 2023-24. 100% of our graduating cohort from 2022-23 secured employment within four weeks of UCL Results Day (November 2023). It was lovely to hear such positive feedback from them about their careers as Orthoptists at graduation in July. The programme went through Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) reaccreditation along will all other Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) programmes at UCL, securing three years of re-accreditation. Over the last year, we also successfully secured funding from NHSE to deliver a collaborative, national project with two other higher education institutions, developing and evaluating simulation learning for pre-registration Orthoptics students. This project will revolutionise how Orthoptic education is delivered across the UK, providing more equitable learning opportunities for students. 

It has been a positive year for the MSc in Optometry and Ophthalmology apprenticeship and suite of courses with lots of positive developments. We underwent an Ofsted inspection with four other programmes across UCL in April. Our overall rating was good and we received excellent feedback on our teaching and learning. Dr Anish Jindal spearheaded the NHSE accreditation submission. As part of our quality assurance processes, we have started an annual employer's meeting, the first one taking place this July. We also have our sight on a Patient Engagement group, to enable patients to feed into different aspects of our curriculum. This year we recruited a Tripartite tutor to enhance the student experience and provide additional support to academic staff and employers.

The PGCert in Clinical Ophthalmic Practice has also had a very successful year in terms of student recruitment and outcomes.

This has been our most successful year to date for the MSc in Bioscience Entrepreneurship programme with our highest applications and enrolments to date, with 53 registered students. Career outcomes: increasingly impressive roles gained in consultancy, tech transfer, innovation management, trials, venture capital and accelerators, as well as PhD programmes. There has been increased network integration with the London bioscience entrepreneurial ecosystem with more than 30 expert guest speakers also contributing the students in-practice experience. We have been building IoO connectivity through our students' Science Business case research project work, e.g. on start-ups, venture capital process, and areas of UCL innovative research. We have renamed the course for the 2024-2025 academic year to MSc Bioscience Innovation and Enterprise and re-configured content to prioritise digital health innovation, with a new strategy-bioscience module launching in Jan 2025. The sister programme focusing on the discovery side of biosciences led by Professor Virginia Calder will recommence under the new title of MSc in Bioscience Research and Development (with a two-year programme including international practice). The new programme has attracted a high level of interest, particularly from international students.

In the past year, our institute has continued to foster a vibrant postgraduate research community. We welcomed nine new PhD students during the induction led by Professor Jacqueline van der Spuy in October 2024. The annual IoO Early Career Researcher (ECR) symposium on 11 June 2024 saw several PhD students winning awards, showcasing their innovative work. At the ARVO Annual Meeting (5-9 May) in Seattle, PhD student Zaynab Butt provided insightful reflections on each day’s events. 

There was a successful summer workshop on Research Ethics and Integrity led by Professor Virginia Calder, with further events planned for the coming academic year. These successes hihglight our dedication to advancing postgraduate research at the IoO and supporting the professional growth of our students.

Other successes were in collaborative work with other UCL teams. I led the development, then Anish Jindal led the accreditation, of a PGCert in Independent and Supplementary Non-Medical Prescribing, with both the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Healthcare Professions Council (HCPC). It was originally going to be delivered from September 2025, however it was felt that a transfer to the School of Medical Sciences would be a more suitable home and it is a welcome addition to the UCL portfolio, paving the way for further development in the healthcare arena.

Tendai Gwenhure won the IoO Education Award for her contribution to the MSc Clinical Ophthalmic Practice programme and nationally to the development of ophthalmic nursing. 

We partnered with the Institute of One World Leadership to offer staff and clinical programme students a fully-funded level 7 course in Values-Based Leadership. The initiative was very well received and evaluated, so much so we will be offering another 150 free places to the wider IoO PGR and PGT student body this year. Two of our staff members, Naz Roof and Anish Jindal, share their view on what they have learnt.

Finally, eight of our staff achieved recognition from the Higher Education Academy (1 Principal Fellow, 2 Senior Fellows and 5 Fellows), and three staff members achieved Fellowship for leadership (IOWL).

They are:
Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA): Courtney Powdrill, Connor Beddow, Alice Donnachie, Katherine Anguige and Vijay Tailor-Hamblin
Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA): Dipesh Patel and Anish Jindal
Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA): Rashmi Mathew
FIOWL: Dipesh Patel, Anish Jindal and Naz Raoof