Spotlight on Professor Jane Dacre

What is your role and what does it involve?

I am Professor of Medical Education. On approval of the new SLMS structure by UCL Council in early July, I will be appointed Director of UCL Medical School. I am the academic lead for the MBBS programme, which trains the 'UCL Doctor'. Last week, 393 'UCL Doctors' graduated from the course, and will be taking up jobs in medicine and its specialities all over the country.

I lead a research programme in medical education, focusing particularly on assessment, and Fitness to Practise of doctors. This is supported by the GMC, for whom UCL has a research consultancy in the development of tests of competence for doctors.

My outside academic interests are all related to the assessment and professionalism of doctors. I am a GMC Council Member, and Chair of the GMC Education and Training Committee.

I am the Medical Director of the Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians (MRCP) examination, an international examination for physicians. It is run by the Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians of Edinburgh, Glasgow and London, and examines more than 20,000 candidates per year. A flagship component of this assessment is the PACES examination, a postgraduate assessment of communication and clinical skills.

Other interests include research into gender and ethnicity and medicine. I was Chair of the research steering group for the Royal College of Physicians project, Women and Medicine: The Future.

My clinical practice is as a physician and rheumatologist at the Whittington Hospital, where I run a clinic, once a week.

How long have you been at UCL and what was your previous role?

I came to UCL from St Bartholomews Medical College 16 years ago now. I trained at UCH Medical School, so was coming back to my roots. I have very strong family connections to UCL, my father and uncle both qualified as doctors from UCH. My three brothers and a cousin, too. One brother is a lawyer, but was also a UCL graduate.

I completed my research training and my postgraduate medical training in general internal medicine and rheumatology at St Bartholomews Hospital and Medical College in Smithfield.

What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?

I am proud of being among a small number of female clinical professors in the UK (15% of the total number of clinical professors).

I like to feel that my work in medical education and assessment has contributed to the quality of training and assessment of doctors in the UK, and has improved the standard of care that we provide to our patients

What is your life like outside UCL?

I am quite busy. I am married to Nigel Dacre, former editor of News at Ten, who now heads up an internet TV production company and we have three children and a dog. We like to spend time in south-west France, enjoying the Atlantic coast and the Pyrenees.