Workshop on Professionalism

Amitha qualified as a dentist from Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1996. Whilst working in general dental practice, she pursued her special interest in ethics and law by completing her Medical Law degree at Cardiff University in 2000. She completed the Communication Skills Teaching Programme at the University of Cambridge in 2011.

Amitha successfully completed her PhD thesis, ' Professionalism in the dental undergraduate curriculum', in 2016. Her research interests are the development of professionalism and ethics , reflective practice and the role of patient feedback.

Amitha is the Head of Centre for Teaching and Innovation at Institute of Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London. She is the module lead for teaching of professionalism and communication Skills. She has been appointed as an honorary lecturer of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons. She has been appointed as GDC Education Associate and sits as Chair for the GDC’s Fitness to Practice procedures adjudicating matters on clinical and professional misconduct.

Professor Kirsty Hill is Head of School for the School of Dentistry and leads the educational and research developments within the School. This role involves implementing University policies and practices in relation to academic quality and standards. Kirsty has wide experience of teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and a strong academic background in Dental Public Health, Law and Ethics and Behavioural Science. In the area of behavioural science her research interests include dental anxiety, psychological treatment of gagging patients, training needs of GDPs in treating anxious dental patients and workforce stress.

Professor Sally Hanks is Professor of Primary Care Dentistry and Associate Head of School (Teaching & Learning) at the University of Plymouth Peninsula Dental School, UK. Her work in curriculum development and professionalism links to that on capability and leadership, and the ethos that education should be authentic to best support and empower graduates to be prepared for the real world of dental practice. She founded and was inaugural chair of the UK Council for the Dental Teachers of Professionalism. Sally is deeply embedded in the teaching of professionalism in the UK dental education sector, is interim president of the British Society of Clinical and Academic Hypnosis (BSCAH) and council member for the Hypnosis and Psychosomatic Medicine section of the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM).

Professor Barry F.A. Quinn is the Vice Dean for Scholarship and Staff Development and Chair in Restorative Dentistry and Dental Education at the University of Liverpool. He is an internationally recognised leader in dental education and research, with an extensive portfolio of senior roles in national and international organisations.

Barry currently serves as Secretary General of the Association for Dental Education in Europe (ADEE), President of the Royal Society of Medicine’s Odontology Section, and President of the IADR Prosthodontic Group. He has previously held presidencies of the British Alliance for Researchers in Dental Education and Scholarship (BARDES) and the Education Research Group of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR).

He has also contributed to the work of UNESCO, IFIP, and the General Dental Council (GDC), particularly in areas of quality assurance and professional standards. Barry’s contributions to dental education have been widely recognised. In 2023, he was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship—only the 12th UK dental professional to receive this honour in the award’s history. His research spans interprofessional education and haptic virtual reality surgical simulation training, and has earned accolades such as the Medical Futures Award and ADEE’s Mature and Interprofessional Educator Awards.

He is the author of over 200 abstracts and publications, and remains committed to advancing excellence, innovation, and collaboration in dental education and scholarship.