Tudor Chinnah

About me:

Tudor is an Associate Professor of Human Anatomy and Medical Education within the Education and Scholarship job family in the University of Exeter Medical School. Tudor is a very experienced Anatomist and Medical Educator. He has a unique experience in the teaching and assessment of anatomy with and without cadaver. He has taught all aspects of human Anatomy in Medical Schools both in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. In the UK, he has been directly involved in the design and development of the innovative non-cadaveric anatomy curriculum of the medical school and its learning and teaching strategies from when it started as the Peninsula Medical School. He has also contributed in many other aspects of the Medicine and Medical Sciences undergraduate programmes at the University of Exeter. He is the Academic Lead in Anatomy curriculum for the undergraduate programmes in the medical school. He was the first convener of a new Anatomy module for the BSc medical sciences programme. He has initiated several students’ consolidation of learning and teaching support activities including the 'popular' integrated clinical anatomy spot test (iCAST). He is the College designated International students’ academic tutor and coordinates the provision of learning and teaching supports for the students and a recipient of a Teaching Excellence Merit Award of the medical school for his contribution in International students’ academic support and was nominated for the 2016 Teaching Awards in the Best Lecturer Category. He is also a recipient of the students' voted College Staff Aureus Awards, for supporting hand - Pre-Clinical Years. He is the coordinator of the newly introduced Pre-University International Summer School programme for Medicine following a very successful pilot as an international students' recruitment strategy. Tudor is a nationally and internationally recognised Anatomist and Medical Educator, and a Commonwealth scholar. He has served as an international visiting scholar and external examiner for medical schools both nationally and internationally. He has also served in a number of curriculum development, management and assessment committees. He has served as an elected member of the University Senate for the full tenur of 4 years and has received an ASPIRE Senior Fellowship award of the University of Exeter, and a Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.

Brief Description of Duties/Roles:

• Academic Lead in Anatomy
• Teach Human Anatomy including Human Embryology on the BMBS, BSc Medical Sciences and Medical Imaging Programmes.
• Academic tutor to BMBS students
• Facilitate PBL sessions on the BMBS Course
• The College International Students' Tutor
• Supervise BMBS special study unit student projects and BSc Medical Science small group and final year research projects.
• The College Library liaison officer
• Lead/Coordinator of the UEMS Pre-University International Summer School for students recruitment.
• University of Exeter Senator
• External Examiner to Medical Schools.
• Line manage junior colleagues

Tudor's research interests included the area of human embryology with specific focus on Teratology. He has used experimental diabetic animal models to explore the mechanisms and ways of prevention of diabetes-induced congenital malformations. However, following his appointment within the Education and Scholarship job family, he could not actively continue on this line of wet laboratory based research. He now offers project topics in this area as students’ literature research projects which he supervises to keep abreast with latest developments in the area. Tudor has currently refocused his scholarship attention with active engagement in medical education pedagogic research for students’ academic support and enhancement of learning and teaching experiences. His activities have focused on innovative learning and teaching approaches including use of imaging technologies and academic support of students for learning enhancement. Through his medical education scholarship on international students’ academic support, Tudor won an internal education research award grant of £4,500.00 for a survey of all the medical schools in the UK for best practice in the provision of academic support for international medical students. The outcome of his work on this project led to the development and introduction of a targeted academic support schemes for international students within the medical school. The work also resulted in the presentation of two posters at two different conferences re AMEE and ASME. Also, as part of his MScClinEd programme dissertation project, Tudor evaluated students’ views on the innovative integrated clinical anatomy curriculum. Some of the major outcomes of this project were that it highlighted the impact of students’ early exposure to peer-physical examination and palpation as an anatomy learning and teaching tool on the students’ confidence in the transition to real patients’ physical clinical examination. This work was published in a peer-reviewed journal. The project also led to the development and introduction of two formative assessment activities, which were aimed at supporting and enhancing students’ learning experiences. This also resulted in three posters and one oral conference presentations, and contributed in increasing student satisfaction rating in the biomedical sciences learning and teaching in the MACE survey. Tudor is currently investigating the “E-resources usage behaviour” of our medical and biomedical students with the aim for an informed tailoring of the library E-resources provisions to students’ needs and preferences. This work will also help to inform how best to present E-resources and maximise usage whilst minimising costs.

• 2009: MSc in Clinical Education: The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, the Peninsula Medical School, Universities of EXETER and PLYMOUTH, UK.
• Project Title: Medical Students’ Experiences and Perceptions of Innovative Approaches to Teaching and Learning Human Anatomy.
• 2000: PhD in Anatomy: University of Sheffield, SHEFFIELD, UK.
• Project Title: A Study of Congenital Malformations in Embryos of STZ-Induced Diabetic Mothers using a new Animal Model, the Swiss Albino MF1 Mouse.
• 1987: MSc in Anatomy: University of Calabar, CALABAR, Nigeria.
• Project Title: Experimental Teratogenicity of Pyrimethamine on Fetal Spinal Cord of Wistar Rats – A Morphological and Histological Study.
• 1984: BMedSc (Hons) in Anatomy (Second Class Lower Division): University of Port Harcourt, PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria
• Project Title: Paraneurones of the Chick Embryo - A Morphological and Histological Study.