Dr Anita Laidlaw

Biography

I have been involved in healthcare education for many years including teaching medical students, dental nurses and health psychology students. Following postdoctoral research, I became an education focused academic and have developed and run accredited training, with a focus on behavioural science, clinical communication and research skills. I've always been curious about students and teaching and this led me to conduct educational research, both healthcare and higher education research. 

I've always enjoyed supporting others to develop their careers. I have a particular interest in supporting others to engage in high quality educational research and have had previous leadership positions which have enabled me to do precisely that. My current position as Director of the Centre for Healthcare Education Research and Innovation (CHERI) also allows me to support others in educational research.  

Research Overview

I conduct research with two main areas of focus which overlap. One area includes the wellbeing of students, healthcare professionals and academic staff. Wellbeing is defined broadly and includes research covering the intersection of wellbeing with retention in a programme of study, the workforce, and career pathways and opportunities.

The second area of research focuses on clinical communication practice and training. Particular areas of interest include clinical communication around weight management, and specific approaches to enhancing clinical empathy. This latter area covers clinical empathy between health professional and patient, but also inter-professionally.

My approach to research is pragmatic meaning I apply approaches and theoretical models or frameworks that suit the research questions posed. The methods I utilise to collect data vary including routinely collected educational data, survey methodology, behavioural coding of video recorded behaviour, focus groups and interviews. I also use research synthesis approaches.