Research at the Centre for Medical Education

The Centre for Medical Education (CME) at the University of Dundee has a longstanding international reputation as a leader in medical education research, innovation, and capacity building. Since its establishment, the Centre has played a pivotal role in advancing the field, particularly in areas such as outcome-based education, curriculum design, assessment, and faculty development. Its work has influenced both policy and practice across undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing professional education, helping to shape modern approaches to training healthcare professionals.

Research themes

Building on this strong foundation, CME has developed a vibrant and evolving research portfolio that reflects contemporary priorities in health professions education. 

Current research themes include:

• identity, belonging and wellbeing
• student selection and career transitions
• innovative technology and creative pedagogy 
• assessment and curriculum advancement
• healthcare simulation

These are supported by cross-cutting expertise in research methods and faculty development. Through these interconnected areas, CME continues to bridge theory and practice, supporting educators and institutions worldwide to develop evidence-informed, contextually relevant approaches to education and training.

Overview of current activity

Here is a brief overview of some current areas of activity that align with the themes.

Identity, belonging and wellbeing

• Exploring global trends, discourses, attitudes and policies towards supporting medical students with disabilities. 
• Levelling the field: Challenging the inequities faced by International Medical Graduates. 
• The social integration processes of International Medical Graduates. 
• The Belonging and Wellbeing Embedded within being a Healthcare Professional and a Parent.
• The Emotional Rollercoaster of being a Health Professions Researcher. 
• Bolstered, Supported and more resilient to burnout: GP trainee experience of Balint groups. 
• The emotional dynamics in the clinical learning environment and the implications for student’s experiences. 

Student selection and career transitions

• Reasoning Across Borders: Understanding How Internationally Trained Doctors Adapt Clinical Reasoning in New Cultural Contexts.
• Origins of the Scottish GP Workforce, Especially in Hard to Recruit Areas.
• Educational Pathways to practice in underserved locations. 
• Widening Participation Practices in undergraduate and postgraduate career paths. 
• Mission-led Programmes as a solution to workforce challenges? ScotGEM Graduates Career Destination. 

Innovative technology and creative pedagogy

• Evidence-based approach to effective use of asynchronous discussion boards for Health Professions Education.
• AI-Enhanced Gamified Learning to Support Differential Attainment in Postgraduate Medical Education.
• Health Systems Science and Sustainable Healthcare Education.
• Entrustable Professional Activities, Feedback Mechanisms and Digital transformation in Education. 

Assessment and curriculum advancement

• Scalability and Flexibility: Modifying Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships.
• Stakeholders’ Experiences of Community-Based Medical Education.
• Examination of Relationship between candidates’ sociodemographic characteristics and performance in postgraduate examinations. 
• Work-based Learning During Clinical Placements. 
• Encouraging and Discouraging factors for practices to remain engaged in integrated longitudinal clerkships. 
• Student Led Quality Improvement in Primary Care. 
• Exploring general practitioners’ prioritisation dilemmas. 

Healthcare simulation

• Exploring the potential for simulation in the development of future foresight leadership skills for healthcare professionals.
• Exploring the implementation of interprofessional simulation-based education in Africa.
• Interprofessional debriefing practices in Healthcare Simulation. 
• Implementing Community Engaged and Simulation Based Interprofessional Education.
• The Socio-Emotional Dynamics of Simulation Practice.