Rate My Professor Joanne Somerville

Joanne Somerville is a Senior Lecturer in Paediatrics at the UWA Medical School, University of Western Australia, within the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. Her academic qualifications include a BSc in Nursing, a Postgraduate Diploma in Child Health, and a Master of Public Health. Somerville's professional career originated in Paediatric Intensive Care nursing, providing her with substantial clinical expertise in child health. She progressed to academia as a Lecturer in undergraduate nursing at Edith Cowan University, where she taught for five years. In her current appointment as Senior Lecturer (Academic Level C) and medical educator, she holds the role of MD Year 3 Unit Coordinator. This involves overseeing a substantial 36-point, year-long unit that forms a core part of the four-year Doctor of Medicine course, emphasizing integrated clinical learning and practice.

Somerville's research and academic interests center on simulations in medical training, virtual reality applications for medical education, and professionalism in healthcare education. She completed an advanced simulation course and the Foundations of Tertiary Teaching course as part of the UWA Academy fellowship scheme. A key achievement is her development of a virtual reality software program to teach paediatric advanced life support, supported by a UWA Alumni grant. This project earned her the Alumni Fund People's Choice Award in 2019. Additionally, she received a nomination for the Excellence in Teaching Award in November 2021. Somerville has actively contributed to the global medical education community through presentations at AMEE/OTTAWA international conferences, delivering oral presentations in Helsinki, Finland, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, alongside a poster presentation in Basel, Switzerland. She serves as a member of the Australasian Collaboration for Clinical Assessment (ACCLAiM), further demonstrating her influence in clinical assessment and paediatric medical education.