Dr Emma Tonkin leads the Genomics Policy Unit and is a founding member and current co-lead of the Global Genomics Nursing Alliance, an initiative that has brought together representatives from 19 countries to develop a roadmap and benchmarking tool to drive nursing and genomics forward internationally.
Her research centres on the delivery of genomic healthcare to improve patient, family and community outcomes globally. Primarily working with the nursing and midwifery professions, her work has focused on health professional education and engagement, and service development initiatives within the UK for mainstreaming genomics across health services. Dr Tonkin reviews for a number of journals and currently has active collaborations with a number of individuals and organisations including Genomics Partnership Wales and Health Education England's Genomics Education Programme.
Maggie Kirk is Emeritus Professor of Genomics. Her research focuses on genetics education, storytelling in education and consensus approaches.
Raising the profile of genetics in the education of health professionals has been an important goal for Maggie since she started her academic career in 1992. Prior to this Maggie practised in the coronary care setting, having made a career move to nursing from the field of mammalian genetics.
Kevin McDonald works on research and education. His research interests include the use of high fidelity simulation for medicine dosage calculation and he is Chair of the Faculty Research Ethics Committee.
Dr Juping Yu work centres on enhancing care and support for people from various social and cultural backgrounds. She is interested in genetic healthcare; empathy and compassionate care; antenatal and cancer screening; systematic reviews; group concept mapping, randomised trials, and qualitative research methods. Dr Yu's work is published regularly, and she reviews for a number of academic journals.
Nurse Joanne Swidenbank, a KESS PhD student, is looking at Developing the health workforce in genomics: a longitudinal, cross-Wales, multicentre, interdisciplinary case study. Her work is supported by Genomics Partnership Wales.
Dr Rhian Morgan is the Senior Education and Engagement Officer at Wales Gene Park where she helps to deliver a busy genetics and genomics programme to the public, schools and colleges, health professionals and patients and families affected by rare and genetic conditions. She is working with Genomics Partnership Wales to help deliver engagement around Welsh Government’s Genomics for Precision Medicine strategy, launched in 2017. Previously she worked with individuals and families affected by genetic conditions as the Project Officer for the Genomics Policy Unit’s Telling Stories Understanding Real Life Genetics project.