As part of this month’s theme ‘Exploring new trends and consolidating good practice,’ we are celebrating staff whose teaching makes a lasting impact. Dr Aisah Aubdool, Lecturer in Cardiovascular Pharmacology at the William Harvey Research Institute, was recently named Outstanding Early Career Educator at the 2025 Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry (FMD) Staff Awards and received the British Pharmacological Society’s Student Choice Award for Excellence in Pharmacology Teaching.
The Digital Education Studio caught up with her to learn more about her journey, teaching philosophy, and what is next.
Could you introduce yourself and share a little about your professional journey so far, including some of the teaching and curriculum work you have been involved in over the past couple of years?
I started my BSc in Pharmacology at King’s College London in 2006. It was a very traditional learning experience with a small cohort of students consisting of mostly lectures, tutorials with practicals. The highlight of my degree was working on my final year research project in the laboratory of Dr Domenico Spina. I then embarked on a four-year MRes/PhD at King’s College London extensive in vivo training in integrative pharmacology and physiology in the laboratory of Professor Susan Brain, Dr Andy Grant and Dr Manasi Nandi. My PhD (2011-14) focused on understanding the role of the ion channel TRPA1 in the vasculature and we identified TRPA1 as a cold sensor in vivo. I was fascinated by sensory neurons and did my first postdoc with Professor Susan Brain where I studied the effects of a novel calcitonin gene-related peptide analogue provided by Novo Nordisk in experimental models of hypertension and heart failure. I contributed to teaching throughout my PhD training by demonstrating in pharmacology practicals, supervising undergraduate students and leading tutorials.
In 2016, I joined Professor Adrian Hobbs’ lab at the William Harvey Research Institute to study the role of C-type natriuretic peptide in angiogenesis and vascular remodelling. I became an ECR Lecturer in 2019 and started setting up my own line of research in the field of aortic aneurysm. Then COVID19 happened—but we survived! I started my lectureship in Cardiovascular Pharmacology in 2022 and contributed to teaching on the ‘Clinical Pharmacology and Assessment of drug safety’ (BMD273) module for the Year 2 BSc Pharmacology and Innovative Therapeutics (PharmIT) students. I am now also module organiser for the final year research project in pharmacology (BMD670, WHR6028) and Head of Year 1 PharmIT. I have set up and lead the PharmIT Student Ambassador Programme together with Dr Sadani Cooray, which I think was a key part of why I received the FMD Staff Award. I also teach on the MBBS programme and BHF MRes Cardiac & Vascular Medicine programme.
Could you describe some of the teaching practices you have introduced that have shaped the student experience in pharmacology?
When I joined after COVID, flipped classroom approaches were already in place. We started by reviewing module evaluations and feedback for Clinical Pharmacology and Assessment of Drug Safety. Whilst students enjoyed the core clinical pharmacology content, there was a demand for more engaging (active learning) activities which will enable them to develop higher order thinkings, enhance problem solving abilities and apply learning in practical, real-world situations related to the drug discovery workplace. Working closely with Dr Livia Carvalho, we split our teaching into two parts in the semester: the first half is core concept learning with weekly lectures, workshops, and two practicals. These practicals are not directly assessed, and that is important - students can apply their learning without the pressure of writing a lab report. They are still assessed in the overall programme through MCQs, oral presentations and summer exams.
These practicals create a more friendly and collaborative environment where both students and tutors can have open discussions. Students can apply theoretical knowledge, develop practical skills relevant to pharmacology, clarify any areas/concepts they are struggling with and ask further questions on different areas of pharmacology (research projects, careers). This also helps to strengthen the student-tutor relationship. We also emphasise spiral learning whereby we consolidate learning from previous module BMD275 ‘Drug targets’ and highlight that concepts from BMD273 will reappear in their final year BMD358 with Dr Emma Taylor and Dr Vahitha Abdul Salam, and we make those links explicit. Students appreciate that and mention it in their feedback.
In the second half of the semester, we run five weeks of applied clinical pharmacology sessions. Each week features an expert from WHRI (e.g. Dr Helen Warren, Dr Egle Solito, Prof. Myles Lewis, Prof. Mike Barnes, Dr Amie Moyes) to introduce case studies relevant to clinical pharmacology. These sessions include patient leaflets, information about drugs withdrawn from the market, and discussion around risk-benefit decisions. Students practise applying what they have learned and work in pairs or small groups to present their work. Students enjoy this mode of learning and we received good feedback.
Previous student feedback (currently 1st year MBBS student at Barts): ‘I thoroughly enjoyed BMD273, as it was well-organized, engaging, provided a clear understanding of pharmacology in clinical settings, and gave me a strong head start as a medical student. The lab skills I gained were invaluable for my 3rd year dissertation.’
Could you tell us more about your work with the PharmIT Student Ambassador Programme?
I set up PharmIT Student Ambassador Programme together with Dr Sadani Cooray in 2024 with a group of enthusiastic and talented students who have a passion in increasing the awareness of pharmacology to different audiences. We work closely with Dr Emma Taylor, the Head of Year 2 (Dr Ezra Aksoy) and Head of Year 3 (Dr Dianne Cooper) on various projects including public engagement (E.g. science festivals), outreach visits to school, organising conferences/symposia, newsletter update with staff and student interviews, pharmacology quiz at PharmIT Learning Cafe and social media promotion. The ambassadors work together as a strong community and support their peers across the PharmIT programme, offering help and advice. We were recently awarded a seed grant by the British Pharmacological Society which will support the work of the PharmIT Student Ambassador Programme
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What are some of the key teaching principles or philosophies that underpin your approach?
My primary goal is to create an inclusive learning (collaborative, student-centred) environment where every student regardless of academic background or confidence level feels equipped to participate fully in the module. It is important that all students begin with a shared foundation, regardless of how much they recall from their first year or Semester A teaching. We observed that many students were not consistently using key pharmacological terminologies in their conversations or writing. To address this, we introduced a quiz during the introductory session of the module – focussing on key pharmacology terms where students were asked to define and apply them, helping them to think and communicate as junior pharmacologists. They engaged with it positively and started to incorporate these terms and concepts in weekly discussions, deepening their understanding. The outcome was very encouraging. Some students took the initiative to teach and support their younger peers by sharing these terminology resources in their student society newsletter, demonstrating sense of ownership over their learning and building a healthy/supportive learning community.
Looking ahead, how do you see teaching and learning evolving in higher education?
As flipped classroom has become a core component of future higher education, it would be interestingly to pair it with other approaches such as simulation-based learning, case-based learning and blended digital tools. I strongly believe that practical work, or wet lab, is essential to truly understanding pharmacology – it is where theory comes to life and deeper learning happens. It prepares students for the demands of the real-world clinical and research environments, supporting students for their industry placements and future careers. I am interested to see the potential of using simulations, computer-aided learning and virtual reality to complement my teaching. For example, using well-designed animations tailored to my learning objectives can be effective to teach complex topics in clinical pharmacology including disease pathophysiology or drug interactions to improve both students’ comprehension and long-term retention. My recent PGCAP training has inspired me to explore digital pedagogy more deeply. My vision is to blend thoughtful, interactive digital resources with our strong tradition of practical, hands-on learning to create a more immersive, engaging and flexible learning experience for students.