معرفی
Dr Sara Smith is Dean of the School of Health Sciences at Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh. She holds a PhD and BSc, is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), and is a registered Dietitian with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Her leadership spans academic program development, transnational education, and strategic research initiatives in health sciences.
Her educational background includes a clinically focused PhD completed in 2010, part-funded by the British Renal Society, and prior clinical experience in NHS acute and community settings in Scotland and England, including with NHS Fife Renal Service.
Sara's research focuses on nutritional and functional assessment in chronic conditions, particularly chronic kidney disease. Key areas include body composition analysis, quality of life, sarcopenia, dynapenia, self-efficacy, and person-centered outcomes. She explores interventions involving diet, physical activity, sedentary behavior reduction, and telehealth. She utilizes advanced technologies such as 3D photonic scanning and app-based activity monitoring (e.g., ActivPAL).
Her recent publications reflect a trend toward behavioral and technological interventions in weight management and dialysis care, emphasizing patient-centered outcomes and practical clinical applications.
- IBEX Award, British Dietetic Association (2016)
She has extensive experience in developing, validating, and delivering undergraduate and postgraduate multi-professional allied health programs, both face-to-face and online, including transnational programs with Metropolitan College in Greece. She led the development of the online Advancing Practice in Health Framework and has contributed to practice-based learning transformation. She has not received mention of specific grants, but her PhD was partially funded by the British Renal Society.
Sara is an Associate of the Centre for Health, Activity and Rehabilitation Research at QMU. She actively contributes to professional development through external accreditation, examining roles, and membership in Scottish Government/NHS steering groups and advisory forums.
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