The CIMEC team
At the UCL Centre for International Medical Education Collaborations, we draw upon a huge range of experience to support you with all your medical education requirements. Meet our team members.
Prof. Ahmed Rashid
Ahmed is Professor of Medical Education at UCL and leads a variety of medical education projects at undergraduate and postgraduate level. He is Vice Dean (International) at UCL Faculty of Medical Sciences and has a particular interest in assessment and accreditation. He continues to work as a primary care physician in the UK National Health Service.
John-george Nicholson
Business Development Director
John-george leads on CIMEC’s business development activities and is responsible for establishing and deepening relationships with partners, clients and key stakeholders. He has over 15 years' experience in developing a rich variety of international education partnerships and collaborations that span the Middle East, Asia, Africa, South America and Europe. John-george received his MBA in Higher Education Management from UCL.
Maresa Harvey
Senior Partnerships Manager
Maresa has long standing relationship management experience. She has worked with a variety of stakeholders from across the higher education and health sectors to ensure partnership work is developed and implemented to the highest standards. Maresa is responsible for ensuring the delivery of highly engaging events and communicating with stakeholders about CIMEC activities.
Alja Nebi
Project Manager
Ajla is responsible for managing international medical education projects in the UCL CIMEC portfolio. She has experience in the management and delivery of complex international, community health and research consortium projects.
Nicola Ho
Project Manager
Nicola is responsible for managing international medical education projects in the UCL CIMEC portfolio and is passionate about widening participation. She has experience in effectively managing and delivering complex collaboration projects in Higher Education and Government.
Prof. Faye Gishen
Leads on clinical education
Faye was appointed as Director of UCL Medical School and Head of the MBBS Programme in April 2021. Her clinical role is as a Consultant in Palliative Medicine. She is a Doctor of Education, having undertaken her research in undergraduate curriculum mapping. She has extensive experience in designing and developing clinical education programmes.
Prof. Peter Delves
Leads on pre-clinical medical education
Peter is Emeritus Professor in the UCL Division of Infection and Immunity and was previously Vice Dean (Education) for the UCL Faculty of Medical Sciences. He is an experienced teacher and education leader in medicine and medical sciences and has vast experience of working in international medical education.
Prof. Stephen Porter
Leads on dental education
Stephen is Director of the UCL Eastman Dental Institute, Professor of Oral Medicine, and Honorary Consultant at University College London Hospitals NHS Trust. He has vast experience in dental education and research and has led international projects to help establish new dental schools outside the UK.
Prof. David Spratt
Leads on dental education
David co-developed the UCL Applied Medical Sciences BSc/MSc to explore the foundations of medicine and how science helps us to understand and treat various diseases with medicine. He is also Director of Education at the Eastman Dental Institute, where he oversees the postgraduate courses, and Vice-Head of the UCL Doctoral School.
Taylor Bennie
Leads on digital education
Taylor is Head of the Digital Education unit at UCL Medical School and leads a team with extensive experience in all areas of education technology. He has provided expert advice, support, and training to medical school leaders in the UK and globally.
Dr Tim Young
Leads on distance education
Tim is an Associate Professor (Teaching) at UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology with a background as a Consultant Neurologist in the UK National Health Service. As well as extensive background experience of teaching medical students and doctors, he educates doctors from around the world through an innovative and award-winning distance-learning Clinical Neurology MSc/Diploma course at UCL that he provides leadership for.
Dr Andrew Williams
Leads on medical sciences education
Andrew has a background in immunology and respiratory biology, and has held a variety of education leadership positions at UCL at undergraduate and postgraduate level. He is based in the UCL Division of Medicine and is Year 3 lead for the UCL MBBS programme, overseeing a diverse portfolio of iBSc programmes for medical students from across UCL and external universities.
Dr Nephtali Marina Gonzalez
Leads on neurosciences education
Nephtali completed medical training and a PhD in Neurosciences before taking up academic positions at Cambridge and UCL. He is a cardiovascular neuroscientist and his research interests are focused on the pathogenesis of arterial hypertension and heart failure. He is an experienced medical sciences educator and holds a variety of educational leadership positions at UCL. He also currently serves as Vice Dean (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) for the UCL Faculty of Medical Sciences.
Prof. Nathan Davies
Leads on nutrition and dietetics education
One of the foremost liver disease and nutrition researchers in the world, Nathan Davies is a Professor of Biochemistry in the UCL Faculty of Medical Sciences. He is also the Head of Education for the world leading UCL Division of Medicine, the Director of Nutrition Education at UCL, and is a registered nutritionist with The Association for Nutrition.
Dr Anjali Gondhalekar
Leads on assessment
Anjali has extensive experience of working in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, including within various leadership roles at UCL Medical School. She is a practicing family medicine doctor for the National Health Service and a Clinical Lecturer. Anjali has a special interest in undergraduate medical assessment with expertise in written, practical, and workplace-based testing.
Prof. Graham Easton
Leads on clinical communication
Graham has worked for several UK medical schools and has wide-ranging experience in clinical and communication skills training. Alongside his work for CIMEC, he has a leadership role on the Curriculum Development team at the Royal College of General Practitioners.
Dr James Kelly
Leads on clinical skills and simulation
James is a Clinical Lecturer with a background in anaesthetics and intensive care medicine. He has broad experience in simulation training and clinical skills, including working at leading London teaching hospitals. He is an experienced medical education researcher and has worked with medical schools around the world.
Dr Zakia Arfeen
Leads on faculty development
Zakia is a Clinical Lecturer with experience in curriculum design, assessment, quality assurance, and faculty development. She has designed staff training events for medical school teams around the world, using innovative education technology approaches. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has a background in General Practice.
Dr Lois Haruna-Cooper
Leads on medical professionalism
Lois has a wide range of experience in undergraduate medical education and widening participation. She is a Clinical Lecturer at UCL Medical School and has worked on a variety of international education projects. Lois is co-chair of the UCL Medical School Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) committee, and leads the Race subcommittee. Alongside this, she continues to work as a General Practitioner in the UK National Health Service.
Prof. Janet Grant
Leads on medical education policy
Janet has 50 years of experience in medical education and was awarded the first ever non-medical chair in the field in 1993. She has held a variety of leadership roles in medical education, having worked in quality assurance and development in countries in every continent, with contextual analysis at the forefront of every project. She has been involved in CIMEC since its inception in 2013.
Prof. Tariq Enver
Leads on research development
Tariq is Professor of Stem Cell Biology and Director of the UCL Cancer Institute. As well as being a world-leading scientist in the field of leukaemic stem cell research, he is also an accomplished research leader and has significant experience of working on international research partnerships.