Lecturer in Diagnostic Radiography and School Open Day Co-ordinator
Alex Tanner is a Lecturer in the DPPR division of Queen Margaret University.
- Overview
- Research Interests
- Teaching & Learning
Having qualified as a therapeutic radiographer from Sheffield Hallam university in 2015, I began working full-time at Nottingham university hospitals which is the leading cancer centre in the midlands. After building my experience in a vast array of radiotherapy techniques, I also took on the role of clinical practice coordinator, in which it was my responsibility to facilitate the clinical placements of the students attending, ensuring they are well supported as well as arranging and facilitating additional learning opportunities for them.
It was this role that sparked my passion and interest in higher education, and I sought to pursue a more active role in the education and mentoring of students. I left Nottingham in 2018 to work as a contractor, working all over the UK in various hospital trusts and did this for two and a half years. In this time my experience and knowledge in the world of radiotherapy grew exponentially as I adapted to working with the most up-to-date radiotherapy techniques; including expert use of both Elekta and Varian linear accelerators and their associated software; the latest IGRT techniques; radiotherapy planning techniques and acting in an unofficial consulting role for some departments as they implemented new policies and protocols, using my experiences from prior contracts to guide their protocol.
By the new year of 2020 I felt that I had gained such a broad range of experience in the world of radiotherapy and have established a wide network within the radiotherapy community, I felt confident to apply my skills in a full time academic post. I was appointed as assistant lecturer in August 2020 and have begun to utilise knowledge and experience in collaboration with my colleagues’ own experience to enhance the program curriculum here at QMU to offer our students the most up-to-date program to prepare them for clinical placements.
I am continuing to progress my own studies here at QMU as I am a firm believer of life-long learning and am currently undertaking the PGCert in higher education, integrated into my MSc alongside my role as assistant lecturer.
Affiliations (including memberships) to other organisations:
Active research interests:
- IGRT and the latest imaging techniques
- Radiotherapy planning skills and techniques
Research Methods:
- Quantitative
- Systematic review
- Service evaluations
Primary teaching areas are mainly in level 1 and 2, teaching and facilitating the fundamentals of radiotherapy practice, including radiotherapy principles, radiotherapy physics, oncology of different anatomical sites.
I have a small involvement in some level 3 teaching which includes advanced radiotherapy principles, and level 4 teaching includes dissertation supervision.
