Contact
Biography
Assistant Professor in Pharmacology, Therapeutics and Toxicology at the University of Nottingham based in the Derby Medical School.
Jenny obtained a BSc (Hons 1 with University Medal) at the University of Sydney followed by a PhD at the University of Cambridge, working with Dr Ian Martin on electrophysiological and biochemical characterisation of purified GABAA receptors. After a short spell in industry, Jenny moved to the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Cambridge where she worked on intracellular trafficking of G protein coupled receptors and developed a mathematical modelling approach for which she was awarded the first IUPHAR Receptor Mechanisms Research Award in 1998. From 2004-20, Jenny combined teaching pharmacology in the Cambridge Graduate Entry Medicine Course with science education and communication, in particular developing the pedagogy surrounding the intersection of maths and science. She was an instructor on the Diploma in General and Advanced Receptor Theory for the British Pharmacological Society and has published on curriculum and pedagogical approaches for maths in bioscience. Jenny has worked on many projects in science communication, particularly in pharmacology, bringing the understanding of drug action to a wide audience.
Jenny has experience in a number of educational themes specialising in:
- Transition: through her work as a Fellow at Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge, Jenny has a long-standing interest in widening participation in medical education and has been involved in a number of initiatives in the transition from secondary to higher education including provision of study skills support and as an External Moderator for the Cambridge Access Validating Agency. In 2015-16 Jenny took a two year break from University teaching to do a PGCE (secondary chemistry) and taught in secondary schools, gaining valuable experience in teaching A level biology and chemistry as well as GCSE science and maths.
- Inclusion: Jenny has a strong interest in the impact of autism, specific learning differences and mental health issues on academic study skills amongst science, engineering and medical students and worked part-time at the Disability Resource Centre in the University of Cambridge from 2012 - 2020 supporting students with study skills advice.
Expertise Summary
* Research at the intersection of maths and biology education: analysis of curricula and pedagogy leading to improved design for both motivation and understanding.
* Understanding how students understand ethnicity in medical sciences
* Core Concepts of Pharmacology research team member, IUPHAR.
Teaching Summary
Pharmacology Education
Maths and Statistics in the Life Sciences
Recent Publications
WHITE PJ, GUILDING C, ANGELO T, KELLY J, GORMAN L, TUCKER S, FUN A, HAN J, CHEN G, SAMAK Y, BABEY AM, CAETANO FA, SARANGI SC, KOENIG J and ET AL, 2023. Identifying the core concepts of pharmacology education: a global initiative Br J Pharmacol. 180(9), 1197-1209