Jayne Kavanagh

Biography

Between 1984 and 1990 I studied Medicine (MBChB) at Liverpool University. After my house jobs in Liverpool I moved to London where I worked in Sexual and Reproductive Health. I set up various sexual health projects for women who have sex with women, sex workers and minority ethnic groups, including the Bernhard Clinic at Charing Cross Hospital, Open Doors at City and Hackney PCT and the Audre Lorde Clinic at the Royal London Hospital. Between 1998 and 2002 I studied Politics, Philosophy and History(BA) at Birkbeck College, University of London, then went on to complete a masters in Philosophy at the same institution. I joined UCL Medical School in 2002 as a Professional Development tutor. In 2005 I was appointed as a Clinical Teaching Fellow in ACME (Academic Centre for Medical Education). In 2007 I gained a certificate in Adult Professional Development. In 2008 I became lead for Medical Ethics and Law MBBS teaching. I am also academic lead of UCLMS’ widening participation project, Target Medicine, which I set up with a final year medical student in 2007. I set up and support the medical student political action groups, ‘Viva la Vulva’ and ‘Medical Students for Choice’ and the student support network LGBTalk. I work with local and national activists, teachers and clinicians to tackle FGM and support FGM survivors. I received an Excellence in Medical Educating Award in 2009 and a Provost’s teaching award in 2012. In 2014 I won the Provost’s Public Engager of the Year award for ‘Stories from the soul: doctors’ choices, women’s lives’. A women’s sexual and reproductive health ethics project involving three evenings of storytelling, music and discussion that brought together healthcare providers with members of the public to explore how doctors’ decisions affect women’s lives. I am an active member of the UCL LGBT+ Equality Group and the UCL Gender Equality (50:50) Group. I was co-lead for UCL Medical School's successful 2013 Athena SWAN silver application - working for gender equality in science and medicine. I am currently the Faculty of Medical Sciences Athena SWAN lead. I sit on the School of Life and Medical Sciences Public Engagement and PPI Steering Group and I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a member of the Association of the Study of Medical Education (ASME).

Research Interest

I am involved in the following teaching/research projects: How best to teach medical students and doctors to deal with the ethically challenging situations they face in practice Understanding and combating prejudice and discrimination The ethics and practice of abortion care Tackling FGM and supporting FGM survivors Sexual and reproductive health services for vulnerable women Making access to medicine fairer