Trust Consultant named Head of Lancaster Medical School

Dr Rachel Isba, Consultant in Paediatric Public Health Medicine at The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust with children during a dental health week

DR Rachel Isba, Consultant in Paediatric Public Health Medicine at The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, has been appointed as Head of Lancaster Medical School, where she will have responsibility for a wide range of leadership activities.

Dr Isba will start in post on 1 February 2017 and will split her week between the University and the NHS, where she will continue working in the Emergency Department at North Manchester General Hospital.

The job was attractive to Dr Isba because she is passionate about healthcare education; she has a PhD in medical education and previously worked at Lancaster Medical School for five years as Director of Assessment.

Key responsibilities of the job include providing academic leadership, encouraging excellence in teaching and research, and managing and developing the Medical School, its staff and its activities. Dr Isba will be responsible for the efficient running of the Medical School within the framework of the University and Faculty strategic plans and priorities.

Dr Isba will contribute to the leadership of the development, planning and delivery of the Lancaster MBChB programme, which is historically run in conjunction with Liverpool University and is currently on course to achieve full, independent GMC accreditation by 2017.

Lancaster is ranked in the top ten in all three major UK university league tables: The Times/Sunday Times, The Guardian and The Complete University Guide. The University is also ranked in the top one percent of universities globally.

Dr Rachel Isba said: “I am really looking forward to returning to Lancaster Medical School to lead it at such an exciting time in its development. All being well, the GMC will give the University medical degree awarding powers very soon and we will graduate our first cohort of Lancaster doctors over the summer. This is an amazing achievement for all involved and something the University can be extremely proud of.

“From a personal perspective, I was involved in starting this process of becoming an independent medical school when I worked at Lancaster previously, so it’s fantastic to be able to go back and be involved in this final step. Being able to combine my new role at Lancaster with my work embedding paediatric public health in the children’s emergency department at North Manchester General Hospital is ideal, and both roles involve working with great teams of very supportive and enthusiastic colleagues.”

Professor Neil Johnson who is the Dean of the Faculty of Health and Medicine at Lancaster University said:

“Rachel is a highly respected medical teacher and researcher, so we're absolutely delighted to have her joining us as the Head of the Medical School. This is a hugely exciting time for the Medical School, and Rachel will bring enormous energy and enthusiasm to its leadership. It’s great to have her back with us.”

Professor Andrew Rowland, Consultant in Paediatric Emergency Medicine and Interim Deputy Medical Director said: “We are incredibly proud that Dr Rachel Isba works with us in our Paediatric Emergency Department at North Manchester General Hospital. Rachel’s passion for paediatric public health medicine, and the innovative role this should play in a children’s emergency care setting, is leading the way for other units to consider how such new models of care delivery might be able to occur in the future.

“Rachel’s new appointment as Head of Lancaster Medical School is testament to her clinical expertise as well as her outstanding academic achievements in medical education and we wish her every success in the future. We also look forward to seeing how future partnerships, including research and education, can develop between our department and others as a result of Rachel’s appointment. Many congratulations to her.”