Silke Conen

I am a Senior Lecturer in Medical Education at the University of Manchester. I am the Academic Lead for Year 2 of the MBChB (Medicine) Programme, and Director for Internationalisation, Teaching & Learning at the School of Medical Sciences.

I hold a PhD in Psychopharmacology from Maastricht University (NL) and teach a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate courses. My early research focused on neuroscience, cognition, EEG, and PET- and MR-imaging, and my postdoctoral research on understanding healthy and diseased brain function to improve treatments for psychiatric disorders such as depression and schizophrenia.

I also hold a senior fellowship of Advance HE (previously the Higher Education Academy) and a PGcert in Higher Education.

In my role as Director for internationalisation I work on the development and implementation of international teaching and learning initiatives, working with internal and external partners to enhance the quality, accessibility, and global reach of healthcare education. I am passionate about creating opportunities for student and staff mobility, intercultural learning, and collaborative programmes that strengthen global healthcare education.

My current research focuses on universal health coverage and equitable healthcare through education, with a particular emphasis on how international collaboration, curriculum design, and capacity-building initiatives can reduce global health disparities. I am exploring strategies to integrate global health principles into medical curricula and create sustainable partnerships between institutions worldwide.

In addition to these projects, I co-supervise PhD students working on gender representation and equality in medical education, focusing on how gender dynamics influence representation and experiences within healthcare training. These projects aim to identify barriers and develop strategies to promote inclusive and equitable learning environments for future healthcare professionals.