Academic Schools
School of Health
Make a positive impact in people’s lives and influence the future of healthcare. From treating patients in health clinics to providing preventative self-care, the opportunities are limitless.
About the School
The School of Health incorporates the main healthcare professions where we provide dynamic and transformational learning, teaching and research that improves the health and wellbeing of patients, families and communities.
Our courses include Diagnostic Radiography, Nursing, Midwifery, Paramedicine, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy, and we pride ourselves on producing graduates who positively impact the lives of individuals and make a valuable contribution to the health of our society.
We’re currently experiencing some radical changes in the delivery of healthcare and, as a result, the level of knowledge and skills required by healthcare professionals has never been greater. Our courses are innovative in their approach with a strong emphasis on practice-based learning, allowing you to apply your new knowledge to your own area of practice, interest or area of career ambition.
Our continued collaboration with the NHS and independent sector partners, service users and carers ensures that we deliver a contemporary and evidence-based learning experience that meets the needs of health and social care services. Our strong established industry links and partnerships allow us to offer a diverse range of high quality placements throughout our undergraduate portfolio.
A key part of learning and development has evolved through simulated practice learning and we use this method in a number of courses allowing students to experience real life situations in a realistic and safe environment. By using volunteer patients and a range of facilities, students can practice their responses and actions when facing an emergency situation, preparing them for the future.
Our courses are innovative in their approach and are delivered by an academic team who are qualified practitioners which means you will benefit from their vast and varied clinical expertise and research knowledge. Our aim is to help you to become knowledgeable, influential, skilled, compassionate and ready to work within a rapidly changing health and social care environment. You will be equipped for a career without boundaries, a career where you can change lives.
Future ready graduates
We’re a leading provider of professional education and research programmes for nursing, midwifery and allied health professions in Scotland. One of the ways in which we differ from others, is that the principles of public health and health promotion are integrated across all stages of our programmes which are also practice focused. Our graduates enter the workplace well equipped to embark upon a career in a healthcare profession, ready to meet current and future challenges of the workplace. We believe that immersing you in real life situations throughout your studies will equip you with the knowledge, skills, experience and confidence to positively impact our society at a local, national and global scale.
We are proud of the employment record of our graduates and feedback from their employers confirms that our graduates are work-ready and equipped for the ongoing learning required to be successful in today’s workplace.
Expert teaching
Our staff are all experienced and committed to their profession with many still working in practice, ensuring the curriculum is up-to-date with modern practice and cutting-edge developments. They form the perfect team to support your learning and help you to achieve your potential. Early placements will develop you as an active partner in the learning process, where you can put into action your theoretical and practical learning. You will learn through keynote lectures, interactive workshops, tutorials and practical activities including simulated learning experiences. You will develop and apply your theoretical knowledge as you undertake problem solving activities and experiential learning. This will help your development of analytical skills so that you become increasingly self-sufficient and have the reflective and self-evaluative skills to progress into the workplace equipped to meet new challenges and create tomorrow’s opportunities.
Awards and Recognition
We’re the first university in Scotland to receive the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative gold award. The accreditation is recognised as a mark of quality in student midwifery and health visiting programmes.
- 1st in Scotland for career prospects in Health Professions (Guardian University Guide 2024)
- 2nd in Scotland for graduate prospects on track in Nursing (Complete University Guide 2025)
- 2nd in Scotland for overall student satisfaction in Midwifery (National Student Survey 2023, excluding colleges, small, specialised and private providers)
- 1st in the UK overall for Physiotherapy (Guardian University Guide 2024)
- Top 10 in the UK overall for Counselling, Psychotherapy and Occupational Therapy (Complete University Guide 2025)
Facilities
At the School of Health you will have access to purpose-built training facilities which will provide you with a realistic and safe environment to practice your skills. Our state-of-the-art facilities include a human performance lab, functional capacity lab, X-ray suite, physiotherapy practical rooms, ward setting, intensive care room and occupational therapy home setting.
You will experience a unique learning opportunity to undertake real life situations and to work with other students across our health courses. You will also benefit from our volunteer patient programme which will provide you with the opportunity to put your skills into practice with individuals from the community.
Our cutting-edge facilities will provide you with an inspiring surrounding where you will gain professional level training, enhancing your skillset, preparing you for your future career.
Placements & Professional Links
Placements
Placement experience is essential to ensure you are ready for rapidly changing health and social care environments. We place a strong emphasis on linking theory to practice and our students will experience a breadth of health and social care settings and in a wide range of locations throughout Scotland. Placement experience will enable you to be prepared for the world of work as you transfer your learning into real world situations, gaining exposure to a wide range of learning opportunities in an extensive variety of settings.
Our students also have the opportunity to work with a variety of voluntary and third sector community groups including Brain Injury Grampian, MS Society, Alzheimer’s Scotland, ACVO, Sands, Children 1st, Clan, Aberdeen Carers and schools across Aberdeen which provides excellent experiential learning opportunities. This work is often alongside other professions which enables realistic interprofessional learning opportunities where you can learn about the roles of the other professions and benefit from the experience of collaborative working.
Practice Learning
Placement experience is essential for producing graduates who are fit-for-purpose in rapidly changing health and social care environments. Our students undertake a variety of placements in locations throughout Scotland and, in some cases, abroad. These placements allow theory to be put into practice and essential skills are developed.
All of our undergraduate courses offer placements in practice, for up to 50% of the programme. Course specific information on placements is provided on the course page.
Affiliations and Industry Links
We are proud to be associated with the many different leading professional bodies, organisation and institutions.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council exists to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the UK public. It is responsible for registering all nurses and midwives, and setting the standards of education, training and conduct that nurses and midwives need to deliver high quality healthcare.
The RCN represents nurses and nursing, promotes excellence in practice and shapes health policies.
HCPC is a regulator which was set up to protect the public by keeping a register of health professionals who meet the Council’s standards for their training, professional skills, behaviour and health.
The College of Radiographers represents more than 90 per cent of the diagnostic and therapeutic radiographers in the UK. It is responsible for their professional, educational, public and workplace interests and is one of the oldest and most experienced radiography organisations in the world.
The British Association of Occupational Therapists (BAOT) and Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) are committed to promoting the unique value and benefits of occupational therapy to the public, service commissioners and political representatives. BAOT is the professional body representing the diverse and thriving community of occupational therapy staff across the UK. RCOT is a registered charity and wholly owned subsidiary of BAOT, which acts on behalf of all members of BAOT. RCOT set the professional and educational standards for the occupational therapy profession and represent the profession at national and international levels.
CSP is the professional, educational and trade union body for the UK's 65,000 chartered physiotherapists, physiotherapy students and support workers. The CSP accredited pre-registration physiotherapy programmes which met the CSP quality assurance processes. The CSP is a member-led organisation governed by an elected council, providing a wide range of member services. It campaigns on behalf of physiotherapists and the physiotherapy profession.
CAPTE is the agency recognised by the United States Department of Education for granting accreditation status to entry-level education programs for physical therapists and physical therapist assistants
Research
There is an increasing requirement within healthcare professions and disciplines to engage in evidence-based practice in order to meet the demand for clinical effectiveness and good practice. The aim of our research is to engage with key partners to develop, deliver and disseminate high quality research that is of value to society, those using health and social care services, and the healthcare professionals. Our vision is to be recognised for research that addresses the health and wellbeing of the population by undertaking impactful, innovative and interdisciplinary research to inform policy and practice.
Research at RGU is built on strong foundations of education and practice-based research. Over the years we have built up a vibrant research community in partnership with NHS Scotland and other universities. We host multidisciplinary research that focuses its activities on addressing major issues around the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, care and welfare of patients.
Our researchers and research supervisors undertake their studies within a wide range of theoretical frameworks and models relating to the development of policy and practice that addresses the school’s research themes.
We have research expertise in a range of methodologies including mixed methods, systematic literature reviews, scoping and mapping studies, quantitative and qualitative research, feasibility and pilot studies moving towards larger scale RCTs where appropriate. We also host the JBI Scottish Centre for Evidence-Based Multiprofessional Practice, a centre of excellence, undertaking systematic reviews, training in a variety of systematic review methods and working with clinicians and service users to identify topics for systematic reviews and to promote implementation of findings into practice.
Research Degrees
We’re proud to offer a unique opportunity to qualify as a Chartered Physiotherapist combined with a PhD leading to a Doctorate in Physiotherapy. It is the first course of its kind in the UK, and the only physical therapy programme outside North America to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.
We also offer health professions research degrees in the following areas:
- Motion Analysis
- Back Pain
- Anthropometry
- Care of the Elderly
- Paediatrics
- Foot related knee pain
- Developmental Coordination Disorder
- The acquisition of evidence-informed clinical wisdom
Specialised Research Facilities:
- 3D Laser scanning
- Vicon Motion Capture
- Electromyography
- Breath-by-breath gas analysis
- State-of-the-Art Clinical Skills Laboratory
- Patient Interview Rooms
Key research themes
Our research is encompassed within three overarching themes:
Organisation and delivery of health care
- Digital health
- Palliative care
- Integrated care
Health inequalities
- Food insecurity
- Poverty and social disadvantage
- Wider determinants of health and the role of nurses and midwives in relation to those.
Health and wellbeing across the lifespan
- Maternal, child and family health
- Long-term conditions and multi-morbidity
- Health ageing (Gerontology, ageing and frailty)
- Mental health and wellbeing
- End of life care
Staff
Our staff have a breadth of experience in teaching and professional practice. Academics also have research expertise in their subject area.
Find out more about the staff at the School of Health.
Nick Adams
Research Fellow B
Janyne Afseth
Principal Lecturer
Simon Alberici
Associate Lecturer
Lyndsay Alexander
Associate Professor
Elaine Allan
Lecturer
Katie Anderson
Lecturer
Kerry Anderson
Associate Lecturer
Kirstyn Anderson
Lecturer
Denise Arkley
Course Administrator
Fiona Baguley
Lecturer
Heather Bain
Visiting Senior Lecturer
Tammy Bain
Course Administrator
Deborah Baldie
Visiting Researcher
Amber Balkwill
Honorary Lecturer
William Ball
Chancellor's Fellow
Hannah Barrie
Associate Lecturer
Sarah Barrows
Lecturer
Beyza Baskiran Beltran
School Administration Team Lead
Nicole Bauwens
Associate Lecturer
Amy Begg
Trainer
Keiran Bellis
Lecturer
Laura Binnie
Dean
Emma Bish
Associate Lecturer
Judith Bisset
Associate Lecturer
Beccy Bray
Associate Administrator
James Brogan
Principal Lecturer
Nicola Brown
Lecturer
Angela Bruce
Associate Lecturer
Nicole Bryce
School Administration Co-ordinator
Janette Buchanan
Course Administrator
Stuart Burnett
Lecturer
Beinn Burroughs
Physiotherapist
Victor Cabal
Lecturer
Andrew Cairns
Administrator
Danielle Campbell
Assistant Administrator
Jason Carrigan
Associate Lecturer
Fiona Cook
Associate Lecturer
Kay Cooper
Associate Dean (Research)
Maureen Cooper
Assistant Administrator
Liz Cotrel-Gibbons
Associate Lecturer
Emma Coutts
Visiting Researcher
Jennifer Cowie
Lecturer
Julie Cowie
Visiting Research Fellow
Emilie Crighton
Course Administrator
Susan Crowther
Visiting Professor
Karen Crozier
Fixed Term P/T Lecturer
Stephanie Da Silva
Associate Lecturer
Ela Danilowska
Assistant Administrator
Kenneth Davidson
Visiting Researcher
Rhona Davidson
Lecturer
Miriam Davies
Associate Lecturer
Susan Dawkes
Honorary Professor
Sharleane De Carteret
Associate Lecturer
Muriel Dempsie
Lecturer
Nisha Dominic
Associate Lecturer
Pauline Donaldson
Lecturer
Susan Doogan
Lecturer
Claire Doran
Associate Lecturer
Renate Dorfi
Assistant Administrator
Flora Douglas
Professor
Edward Duncan
Visiting Professor
Michelle Duncan
Lecturer
Rosa Eisenberg
Lecturer
Jennifer Elliott
Lecturer
Jane Ewen
Visiting Senior Lecturer
Cath Fairley
Associate Administrator
Isla Fairley
Principal Lecturer
Vicki Falls
Lecturer
Rebekah Farquharson
Lecturer
Claire Feeley
Honorary Lecturer
Gill Fenwick
Lecturer
James Ferguson
Visiting Professor
Colin Fisher
Lecturer
Calum Forsyth
Lecturer
Kerry Fraser
Trainer
Els Freshwater
Lecturer
Kerri Fullerton
Practice Based Lecturer
David Gee
Associate Lecturer
Fiona Gibb
Associate Lecturer
Shirley Gibb
Associate Lecturer
Alison Gillespie
Practice Based Lecturer
Elizabeth Gillespie
Associate Lecturer
Lindsey Gillespie
Lecturer
Karen Goodwin
Associate Lecturer
Lorna Gordon
Finance Administrator
Paul Gowens
Visiting Professor
Aileen Grant
Associate Professor
Brooke Grant
Lecturer
Georgie Green
Associate Lecturer
Gareth Haining
Principal Lecturer
Simon Hall
Applications Supervisor
Elizabeth Hancock
Fixed Term P/T Lecturer
Jacqueline Harley
Associate Lecturer
Bruce Harper-Ovstebo
Principal Lecturer
Erin Hart-Winks
Research Assistant
Emma Hay-Higgins
Lecturer
Helen Henderson
Principal Lecturer
Louise Henderson
Visiting Research Fellow
Zoe Henderson
School Research Administrator
Tom Herbert
Practice Based Lecturer
Miles Hill
Associate Lecturer
Rachel Hitchcock
Associate Lecturer
Jill Howatt
Administrative Team Lead (Practice Lrng)
Sarah Humphrey
Principal Lecturer
Emma Hunter
Research Fellow
Rory Jack
Lecturer
Billy Jackson
Lecturer
Julie Jones
Associate Dean for ESCD
Arlene Jopp
Course Administrator - Post Registration
Moyra Journeaux
Associate Lecturer
Simbarashe Kashiri
Associate Lecturer
Lisa Kidd
Visiting Reader
Julia Kirkham
Associate Lecturer
Pamela Kirkpatrick
Principal Lecturer
Angela Kydd
Visiting Professor
Kirsty Lamond
Associate Lecturer
Cat Lamont
Fixed Term P/T Lecturer
Annie Lau
Associate Lecturer
Christine Lauterbach
School Operations Manager
Therese Lebedis
Honorary Lecturer
Siew Lee
Lecturer
Richard Leece
Lecturer
Lesley Leishman
Lecturer
Jackie Leith
Principal Lecturer
Julie Lempriere
Associate Lecturer
Jo Lironi
Lecturer
Chris Littlejohn
Visiting Reader
Fiona Logie
Clinicial Skills Centre Manager
Charlie Loweth
Lecturer
Jonathan Lucas
Course Administrator
Errol Luders
Online Learning Developer
Alice MacDonald
Lecturer
Emma MacIver
Research Fellow A
Laura MacPherson
Lecturer
Graham Macaulay
Lecturer
Jonathan Macdonald
Technician
Sally Macdonald
Lecturer
Stewart Macdonald
Lecturer in Physiotherapy
Colin Macduff
Visiting Reader
Scott Macpherson
Lecturer
Dianne Malcolm
Assistant Administrator
Gillian Martin
Associate Lecturer
Kate Martin
Associate Lecturer
Julie Mathers
Principal Lecturer
Sarah Maver
Lecturer
Emma McBoyle
Lecturer
Natalie McDonald
Lecturer
Jamie McGovern
Lecturer
Anne-Marie McGrath
Simulation & Clinical Skill Facilitator
Alison McIntosh
Lecturer
Audrey McIvor
Assistant Administrator
Lynn McKenzie
School Administration Co-ordinator
Carol-Ann McKerron
Assistant Administrator
Hazel McWhinnie
Associate Lecturer
Chris Meiklejohn
Lecturer
Jaimie Middleton
Lecturer
Louise Mifsud
Lecturer
Kira Milne
Lecturer
Emily Miscioscia
Associate Lecturer
Ciara Moloney
Lecturer
Paul Moran
Principal Lecturer
Libby Morley-Hassanali
Associate Lecturer
Claire Morphy
Lecturer
Hazel Morrison
Trainer
Natalie Morrison
Associate Lecturer
Muriel Nelson
Fixed Term P/T Lecturer
Sarah Neumann
Lecturer
Matt Nicol
Online Learning Developer
Gail Norris
Honorary Professor
Olubunmi Okhuoya
Associate Lecturer
Mairead Orrell
Lecturer
Rahul Oza
Online Learning Developer
Zoi Papadatou
Lecturer
Victoria Park
Lecturer
Iain Parkin
Lecturer
Catherine Paterson
Visiting Senior Lecturer
Stacey Paterson
Lecturer
Anastasia Pavlova
Research Fellow
Hollie Posthill
Associate Lecturer
Nicola Pratt
Associate Lecturer
Charlotte Primeau
Visiting Research Fellow
Gen Racette-Gamauf
Assistant Project Officer
Karen Rait
Trainer
Pam Rebecca
Practice Learning Administrator
Kelly Reid
Lecturer
Nicola Rhind
Visiting PhD Supervisor
Natasha Richards
Associate Lecturer
Sarah Riddell
Lecturer
Billy Ridler
Associate Lecturer
Anne-Louise Robertson
Associate Lecturer
Jacqui Robertson
Associate Lecturer
Jill Robertson
Lecturer
Kevin Robertson
Clinical Skills Centre Assistant
Edel Roddy
Honorary Lecturer
Sarah Rose
Associate Lecturer
Sian Roughton
Associate Lecturer
Lisa Runcie
Trainer
Claire Savage
Associate Lecturer
Jane Sedgwick-Muller
Associate Lecturer
Anna Sharkey
Assistant Administrator
Cathy Sharp
Honorary Professor
Joanna Shim
Chancellor's Fellow
Cameron Smith
Lecturer
Emma Stage
Research Assistant
Eva Starkey
Lecturer
Wendy Stevens
Associate Lecturer
Elaine Stewart
Principal Lecturer
Laura Stott
Interprofessional (IPL) Education Admin
Lynne Strachan
Assistant Administrator
Sheila Strathie
Trainer
Cal Stuart
Lecturer
Matthew Sunter
Lecturer
Paul Swinton
Associate Professor
Mo Tabib
Lecturer
Helen Taylor
Lecturer
Haf Thomas
Associate Administrator
Nicola Torrance
Honorary Professor
Marina Veitch
Administrator
Maria Velo Higueras
Lecturer
Claire Vigot
Lecturer
Craig Walker
Lecturer
Anne Wallace
Associate Dean for ESCD
Emma Wallace
Course Administrator
Lynsey Watson
Fixed Term P/T Lecturer
Eimear Whelan
Lecturer
Lauren Whitton
Lecturer
Jill Will
Lecturer
Jill Will
Associate Lecturer
Christine Wilson
Lecturer
Debbie Wilson
Lecturer
Donna Wynne
Associate Dean for ADSE
Dale Youngs
Simulation & Clinical Skill Facilitator
Event
Starts: Saturday 14 January 2023
Experience one of our visit afternoon events that will provide you with a valuable chance to gain an insight into what it is like to be an undergraduate student at RGU.
Event
Starts: Sunday 22 January 2023
Experience one of our visit afternoon events that will provide you with a valuable chance to gain an insight into what it is like to be an undergraduate student at RGU.
Event
Starts: Saturday 28 January 2023
Experience one of our visit afternoon events that will provide you with a valuable chance to gain an insight into what it is like to be an undergraduate student at RGU.