Rebecca Walmsley

Dr. Rebecca Walmsley serves as Senior Lecturer and MBChB Programme Director at the University of St Andrews' School of Medicine, where she also directs the BSc course. Clinically active as a General Practitioner in Fife, she integrates frontline healthcare experience with academic leadership. Previously holding academic positions at Leeds and Dundee Universities, she joined St Andrews in 2016 as Clinical Lead before her 2020 promotion.

Her educational background includes an MBChB from the University of Nottingham (2002) and a Master's in Medical Education from the University of Dundee. This foundation supports her dual expertise in clinical practice and pedagogical innovation.

Research centers on undergraduate medical education with specialized focus on primary care integration and General Practice career promotion. Her work pioneers virtual reality applications for community-based training while addressing pandemic-era teaching challenges. Additional contributions examine mental health interventions for gender-based violence survivors in resource-limited settings, demonstrating commitment to global health equity.

Recent publications reveal a strategic trajectory toward technology-enhanced medical pedagogy, spanning virtual reality feasibility studies, pandemic adaptation frameworks, global mental health reviews, and primary care policy analyses. This portfolio underscores responsive scholarship addressing evolving healthcare education demands.

As Programme Director, Walmsley oversees curriculum development and student mentorship across the medical degree. She co-leads the ComSIM project (2023-2025), an extended reality initiative using artificial intelligence to simulate community healthcare scenarios. This £250,000 University of St Andrews-funded project demonstrates her capacity to secure research investment.

She actively collaborates through the ComSIM team with clinicians, technologists, and international partners, evidenced by multi-institutional publications and presentations on clinical communication skills training. Her network spans UK medical schools and global health researchers, facilitating cross-disciplinary knowledge exchange.