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Biography
Within the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, I am Assistant Professor, specialising in teaching Reproduction and Immunology, and I am the Sub Dean for Student Experience.
My journey into academia began when I conducted my Ph.D within the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science with Dr Richard Lea. My research focused on investigating the effect of environmental chemicals on male reproductive health, and the use of the canine as a sentinel model for this research. Following my PhD i transitioned into postdoctoral research at the Royal Veterinary College looking at the co-regulation of a growth factor, Activin A, and the transcription factor FOXL2, within granulosa cells.
Throughout my PhD and postdoctoral appointment I developed a keen passion for teaching and learning. Throughout this time i was able to undertake demonstrating of practical sessions, primarily utilising reproductive cadaver material, deliver a few biological focussed seminars and support project students within the lab. Given this passion, I relocated to Hartpury University where i took up a full time teaching lectureship. Here I module led at both undergraduate and postgraduate level and I was programme manager for the BSc in Equine Science with Therapy programme. I thoroughly enjoy supervision aspects for dissertations at all levels and I wished to continue this during my lectureship. I was successful in obtaining my first funded PhD student looking into equine reproductive health and sub-fertility, the work by Dr Imogen Harris continues to add to the knowledge of environmental contamination and reproduction in, what is, a changing world. I relocated to the University of Nottingham in 2020.
It is a great pleasure of mine to assist and watch students develop their own interests within science. I am always seeking ways to advance my teaching qualifications and experience. To develop this, I completed my postgraduate certificate in Academic Practice to obtain my teaching qualification (PGCAP) and have since achieved Senior Fellow of Advance HE status. I have strong interests in the use of blended learning and digital technologies for education.
I thoroughly look forward to working with the vets of the future, one of the key elements of promoting motivation within students is lecturer enthusiasm and so i look forward to sharing my enthusiasm for my topic. Up until 2025 I was a Senior Tutor for Welfare, supporting students in any way possible. I am a personal tutor to students on our April cohort, and I am also extremely passionate about the student experience and endeavor to ensure that a students degree is more than just a degree during their time studying with us under my role of Sub Dean for Student Experience.
Teaching Summary
My primary role within the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science is to teach across years 1 - 3 of the veterinary curriculum, focussing on immunology, reproductive physiology and clinical… read more
Research Summary
Reproduction Research
I focus on the thoroughbred breeding stallion and investigating the impact of environmental chemicals on this species. This work has support from the Horserace Betting Levy Board. Research around the canine sentinel continues, and i was fortunate to be a keynote speaker for European Veterinary Society for Small Animal Reproduction 2024, in Barcelona presenting our latest findings around xenobiotics and impact of male reproductive health.
Pedagogical Research: Blended Learning
I am interested in how we can best use the array of technologies available within the digital era to promote motivation and engagement within students.
Currently i am working to assess blended learning within the curriculum and exploring how we can utilise quantitative data from Lecture capture systems (Echo360) to understand student study patterns. This work allowed me the opportunity to present at the Echo360 Conference at Warwick University September 2024.
Selected Publications
HARRIS, I, NANKERVIS, K, PYATT, A, GARDNER, D, HUMPHREYS, P and BLANCHARD, R, 2024. Temporal Trends in Equine Sperm Motility and Semen Volume: A Retrospective Analysis from a Single UK Breeding Facility International Journal of Equine Science. 3(2), HARRIS, I, MADDOCK, C, FARNWORTH, M, NANKERVIS, K, PERRETT, J, PYATT, A and BLANCHARD, R, 2023. Temporal trends in equine sperm progressive motility: a systematic review and meta-regression Reproduction. REBECCA SUMNER, IMOGEN HARRIS, MORNE VAN DER MESCHT, ANDREW BYERS, GARY ENGLAND and RICHARD LEA, 2020. The dog as a sentinel species for environmental effects on human fertility Reproduction. 159(6), SUMNER, REBECCA N., BYERS, ANDREW, ZHANG, ZULIN, AGERHOLM, JORGEN S., LINDH, LENA, ENGLAND, GARY C. W. and LEA, RICHARD G., 2021. Environmental chemicals in dog testes reflect their geographical source and may be associated with altered pathology SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. 11(1),
My primary role within the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science is to teach across years 1 - 3 of the veterinary curriculum, focussing on immunology, reproductive physiology and clinical relevance. I particularly enjoying teaching about male reproductive health.
I currently co-lead the clinical relevance teaching provision within the school and track immunology teaching as embedded convenor. Up to January 2025 I module led the year 3 module "Fundamentals of Clinical Practice", which utilises a blended learning pedagogy.
For three years i was a Senior Tutor for Welfare, being Mental Health First Aid trained, and support all students within the school regarding wellbeing.
My positivity, background in student welfare support, and experience with events associated to the student experience mean i was fortunate to obtain the role of Sub Dean for Student Experience. Given how the student experience directly influences student satisfaction and academic success, and I am passionate about supporting our students through their university journey. By working to enhance our student experience we can promote a greater sense of belonging amongst our students.
Past Research
Previous to transitioning into equine research, my topic of focus for my PhD was investigating the use of the canine as a sentinel model for human exposure to environmental chemicals alongside Dr Richard Lea. The main chemicals investigated within this research were diethylhexyl phthalate and a polychlorinated biphenyl ester, congener 153. Here we investigated the impact of environmentally relevant levels of chemical mixtures on different aspects of male reproductive health, from sperm quality to testicular pathologies.
ORCID ID: 0000-0003-0086-2981