Professor Helen O’Sullivan | University of Chester

As Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor O’Sullivan is responsible for providing strategic leadership of the academic function of the University, including the development of the academic portfolio, enhancement of the teaching and learning experience, and leadership of the Deans of Faculty. She is leading Digital Chester and the Learning and Information Directorate.

Professor O’Sullivan has taught at all levels on a range of programmes in biomedical sciences and medicine and is looking forward to some guest lecturing on the new graduate entry medical programme.

As a Professor of Medical Education, Professor O’Sullivan developed and evaluated new ways of teaching and assessing medical professionalism in medical students and junior doctors. In collaboration with behavioural scientists, she established a theoretical framework to explain the acquisition of emotional competence in medical students and was particularly interested in the role of emotional intelligence in communication and the development of empathy. Her h index is 26. Although senior roles have meant less time for research, more recent scholarly activity has focused on writing about university leadership and the role of online and digital in leading learning and teaching.