Cherri-Ann Ryan

Dr Cherri Ryan (née Willemse), known professionally as Cherri-Ann Ryan, serves as Senior Lecturer and Speciality Supervisor in General Practice at the University of Queensland School of Medicine within the Faculty of Medicine. She earned her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, along with a Graduate Certificate in Health Studies focused on Community Child and Adolescent Health, from the University of Queensland. She obtained Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners in 2001 and holds a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. With over 20 years of experience facilitating collaborative learning in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, Dr Ryan spent 17 years in clinical medicine before transitioning to education and writing. Her career encompasses work with non-profit organizations including Asthma Australia and Lung Foundation Australia, delivering education to diverse audiences, serving as a health columnist for a business magazine, and authoring children’s stories and junior non-fiction.

Dr Ryan’s research specializations include the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of effective medical education, alongside interests in children’s health and respiratory health. Her academic contributions focus on teaching and learning in general practice, near-peer teaching, case-based learning models, sustaining deep learning, and transitions to clinical rotations. Key publications feature the journal article “Wanted: Nearer peers for teaching and learning in general practice” with co-authors Kelly, Sturman, Green, Shirley, Chau, Preston, and Jackson (Australian Journal of General Practice, 2024) and conference presentations such as “Near-peer teaching in general practice: more than one way to solve a problem” (ANZAHPE, 2024), “Sustaining Deep Learning: If a CBL model is good for our students should we use it to train our tutors too?” (ANZAHPE, 2018), and “Transition to Clinical Rotations: A capstone pre-clinical semester” (ANZAHPE, 2017). She has earned teaching accolades, including the Michael Perera Teaching Award (Royal Brisbane Clinical Unit, Phase 1) and team recognitions for UQ Awards for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (2018) and UQ Higher Education Academy Fellowship (2018). Her work influences medical pedagogy through innovative approaches to student engagement and professional development in general practice.

Professional Email: cherri.ryan@uq.edu.au