Learn from the experts while studying Health Sciences with a Foundation Year

Professor Holly Blake is an international leader in workplace health and wellbeing and is in the top 2% of cited scientists in the world.

During the first surge of Covid-19, she developed and evaluated a digital package on mitigating the impacts of the pandemic on psychological wellbeing. It was accessed by over 70,000 health and care workers, providing mental health support at a critical time. This was identified as “the most influential work on e-learning and Covid-19 in the education sector, globally”.

She also led the first-ever evaluation of the implementation of staff wellbeing centres with peer-to-peer psychological first aid in an NHS hospital setting. Two centres were accessed by almost 15,000 healthcare staff and students during the first pandemic wave, providing valuable rest, respite, and mental health support to NHS staff.

You’ll have a chance to work with Holly during the ‘Foundations in Health Psychology’ module.  

Lesley's research predominantly focuses on women's health and rare complications during pregnancy and childbirth. She has published in highly-rated international journals, including Birth (2021) and has presented her work at a number of international conferences.

Early work for her PhD focused on the impact of infertility on young women who had received treatment for haematological malignancy. It investigated the biological, psychological, and social implications of treatment and ongoing side effects. 

Lesley is also an experienced academic and health education consultant having worked with government agencies, tertiary institutions, and private organisations.

She is currently the Director of Undergraduate Education for the School of Health Sciences. She is passionate about teaching quality and has extensive knowledge and skills in developing, delivering, and evaluating professional health education.

While working at the University of Sydney, Lesley received a prestigious Australian Learning and Teaching Council Award (ALTC) in 2009 for her 'outstanding contribution to the Learning Experience'. 

You’ll have a chance to work with Lesley on the ‘Personal and Professional Development’ module.