Sam is currently the Deputy of Education and Research at the Trust, a position she has held since 2015, and will step into the role vacated by Dr Alasdair Strachan who will retire at the end of the month.
Originally from Norfolk, Sam joined the NHS almost 30 years ago as a Registered Nurse at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. Passionate about education early on, Sam complimented her clinical work by completing a Master’s Degree in 1998, before progressing to, and earning, a doctorate (PhD) in 2009.
A number of education, research and leadership roles followed, before Sam finally joined what was Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals in 2015, and was part of the team which helped the Trust gain its ‘Teaching Hospital’ accreditation in 2016.
Speaking about her appointment as Director of Education and Research, Sam said: “I am absolutely delighted to be taking on this next challenge at the Trust. As we recover and move on from the pandemic, I think there are real opportunities for us to build upon our offer for our students and learners, as well as further enhancing our links with local, regional, and national research initiatives.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to extend my thanks to every single member of our Education and Research team. It is because of all of you that I feel so passionate and enthusiastic about our future. Day-in and day-out you do an incredible job, and it is the privilege and honour of my career to become the Director of Education and Research – together I know we will do some amazing things for the benefit of our patients.”
The Director of Education and Research oversees the delivery of postgraduate and undergraduate nursing, midwifery and medical education at the Trust, as well as the organisation’s approach to research.
Each and every year, the Trust supports a significant number of student nurses, midwifes , allied health professionals, medical students and a variety of trainee doctors across a number of clinical specialities providing clinical placements in ward and outpatient settings, to simulated scenarios within the classroom.
Zoe Lintin, Chief People Officer at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, said: “I am confident that our Education and Research team, with Sam at the helm, will continue their amazing work, ensuring we continue to provide the very best mentoring, support and learning for our students, as well as fostering an open environment for colleagues to get involved in ground-breaking research which will benefit the NHS locally, regionally and nationally.”
The Trust’s current Director of Education and Research, Dr Alasdair Strachan, will retire on 31 October, having lead the directorate since 2014.
Sam concludes: “I would also like to take this opportunity to not only thank Alasdair for his outstanding mentoring and coaching skills over the last seven years, but also for doing the most amazing job as our director. I know I speak for everyone when I wish him nothing but the best of happiness and health in retirement.”
Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals is one of Yorkshire’s leading acute trusts, hosting three main hospital sites and a number of additional services. The Trust serves a population of over 440,000 across South Yorkshire, North Nottinghamshire, and surrounding area and trains 25% of all medical students in the region, as well as 30% of all other healthcare professional students.