Programme Office

Professor Derek Gallen - National Director

Derek is the Head of School and Postgraduate Dean at Cardiff University, as well as being the National Director of the UKFPO. Previously, he worked with the MMC programme specifically looking at the impact of foundation training and developing the business case for foundation schools. Derek's main interest is in medical education and he has written extensively on educational needs assessment, medical management and higher professional education. His specific interests lie in reversing the decline in academic clinical placements by the introduction of academic placements into the Foundation Programme. Derek previously worked as a General Practitioner in Northamptonshire, GP Director in the Oxford Deanery and Postgraduate Dean in LNR Deanery.

Dr Stuart Carney - Deputy National Director

Stuart has been involved in the development of the Foundation Programme since its piloting stages in 2004. Between 2005 and 2009 he was the Director of the LNR Foundation School, part of the East Midlands Healthcare Workforce Deanery. He is currently leading on the review of the Operational Framework, as well as academic foundation programmes and the FP learning e-portfolio. A graduate of Edinburgh University and the Harvard University School of Public Health, Stuart subsequently trained as a Catholic priest. Nine months later, recognising that he wasn't suited to Holy Orders, he left the Jesuits to train in Psychiatry at Oxford. As a trainee, he became interested in education and is a Senior Clinical Adviser with Modernising Medical Careers (Department of Health, England) and also serves as the Registrar of the Academy of Medical Educators.

Janet Brown - Project Director

Janet joined the team in January 2008, bringing with her many years´ experience in programme management. She has worked in the private, not-for-profit and public sectors, in roles ranging from IT project management to leading on business process improvement initiatives.

Her employers have included computer manufacturers, a news wholesaler and the National Trust. For the last two years, she has worked for the Department of Health, initially as a Project Manager on the Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) programme and for the last six months as Programme Manager for the Modernising Scientific Careers (MSC) programme.

Sharon Witts - Project Manager

Since joining the UKFPO in February 2008, Sharon has held several positions within the organisation. Her first was providing project support to the recruitment workstream, before moving on to project manage the academic, operational framework, portfolio and quality workstreams. Sharon has recently returned to the recruitment  team, but this time in the role of Recruitment Team Project Manager working alongside workstream lead Dr Kim Walker.

Sharon has a degree in Business and Management from Glamorgan University. Before joining UKFPO, Sharon worked as an Administration Manager at the University of Wales Institute of Medical Genetics where she ran a busy out patients department and managed a team of administrators.

Lucy Geen - Communications Specialist

Lucy originally joined the UK Foundation Programme Office in December 2008 as Communications Officer, to support the Communications team with their busy events schedule as well as a wide variety of other communications work. Due to changes in the team's structure over the last year, in August 2011 Lucy was promoted to Communications Specialist and is now responsible for all the UKFPO's Communications activities.

Prior to working at the UKFPO, Lucy graduated from the University of Liverpool with a degree in French and Hispanic Studies, and has worked in a variety of roles within the public and not-for-profit sectors.

Natalie Southall - Administration Manager

Natalie joined the UKFPO in July 2008 as Office Manager to support the busy office team with a wide variety of activities including the smooth running of the office, travel arrangements for all staff, diary management for senior members of the team and organisation of meetings. She has since been promoted to Administration Manager handling additional tasks such as Data Protection/Freedom of Information, absence reporting and finance.

Natalie came to the UKFPO from the private sector, bringing with her a wealth of experience in similar roles within a number of retail companies.

Stacey Forde - Project Manager

Stacey joined the UKFPO in October 2009 as Project Manager for the Academic, Quality, Reference Guide, Curriculum and Learning e-Portfolio workstreams, lead by Dr Stuart Carney. In addition, Stacey has recently taken on responsibility for the UKFPO's work as a Tier 4 sponsor. Stacey is also currently in her second year of an MA in Public Health at Glamorgan University.

Since 2002, Stacey has worked in both primary and secondary care divisions of the NHS, achieving several health care management and business qualifications along the way. Whilst initially working within the primary care division, Stacey assisted with the administration, payment and audit of GP additional claims shortly followed by the changes of the new GP contract. Stacey then moved into secondary care within the largest NHS Trust in Wales, managing a team of 14 medical secretaries and successfully implementing and delivering the lowest national waiting list target initiative, Access 2009. With an established background of financial, performance and project management Stacey is looking forward to continuing her career within the NHS.

Sarah Rafique - Project Support Manager - Recruitment

Sarah joined the UKFPO in July 2009 to assist the recruitment team in the processing of eligibility applications for Foundation Programme 2010. She is now employed as Project Support Manager and is responsible for managing the Eligibility Office for Foundation Programme 2011 and assisting in the roll out of the new Tier 4 process and database.

Sarah works closely with Sharon Witts on several projects within the recruitment workstream including Special Circumstances, Clinical Assessments, and participates on a variety of appeals panels that are held throughout the year.

Sarah has over 15 years experience in a wide range of sectors including public and private sectors. She first worked for the NHS 10 years ago as an auxiliary nurse in a busy Trauma & Orthopaedics ward at University Hospital of Wales. Prior to joining the UKFPO she was employed as a Client Services Manager for a firm of Insolvency Practitioners.

Sarah enjoys home study and has recently completed a course in counselling skills and is currently undertaking a proof reading /editorial course and first aid course. She recently passed her APM Introduction to Project Management exam and hopes to achieve further Project Management qualifications to assist her in her role.

 

Special Advisors

Dr Kim Walker - Special advisor - Recruitment

Dr Walker is the Education Director for NHS Education for Scotland (NES) (North Region) where her remit is to manage the effective delivery of training and education to doctors in training.  As part of this role, she has responsibility for Quality Management and e-learning as well as acting as MMC lead for the North.  Dr Walker was appointed as Scotland Foundation School Director in September 2007 and fulfils this role in addition to her Deanery commitments.  She represents Scotland on many national working groups, eg Rules Group, e-portfolio.  In 2008, Dr Walker was seconded to the UKFPO as Special Advisor (Recruitment) on a sessional basis to support the recruitment process.  Dr Walker previously worked with Grampian Local Health Council as Chief Officer for 10 years, which included a year's secondment to the Scottish Government producing the Health Plan. She is also an Honorary Senior Lecturer with the University of Aberdeen.  Dr Walker studied at Aberdeen University and obtained a Ph.D in Clinical Pharmacology, followed by a number of research posts in the Aberdeen area before moving into NHS management.

Thomas Kelley - Foundation Doctor Advisor

Thomas originally joined the UKFPO as a Medical Student Advisor, and has recently returned to act as a Foundation Doctor Advisor. Thomas is an academic foundation year 2 doctor in Oxford, where he is carrying out research into patient experience. He also tutors students at Magdalen College and sits on the Royal College of Physician's Specialty Recruitment Group. Thomas is passionate about medical management and leadership and hopes to pursue these interests following his F2 year.

Matko Marlais - Foundation Doctor Advisor

Matko is an F1 doctor at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, having recently graduated from Imperial College London. Matko originally joined the UKFPO as a Medical Student Advisor in 2009 and recently became a Foundation Doctor Advisor. As well as working for the UKFPO, Matko also sits on the Education Quality Scrutiny Group at the General Medical Council.

Omair Shariq - Medical Student Advisor

Omair is in his final year at Imperial College London, having completed an intercalated BSc in Surgery and Anaesthesia. His main interests lie in stem cell research and medical education. He was appointed as the Medical Student Advisor to the UKFPO in March 2011 to ensure that the student perspective is put forward and considered when future changes are made to the Foundation Programme. Omair has had previous experience in representing the views of his fellow students at both a local and national level. He has been a committee member of the Royal Society of Medicine Student Members Group and currently also sits on the council of the Association of Surgeons in Training.