Rate My Professor Josephine Thomas

Professor Josephine Thomas is a Specialist General Physician, Clinical Pharmacologist, and Educator who serves as the Dean of Medicine and Head of School of Medicine at the University of Adelaide. She graduated with her MBBS from Flinders University in 1990 and completed a PhD in Medical Education at the University of Adelaide in 2020, with her thesis examining perceptions of interprofessional learning among prelicensure pharmacy and medicine students. After initial work in general practice in Sydney and Adelaide, she pursued advanced training, earning Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners in 1997, and Fellowships of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in General Medicine in 2005 and Clinical Pharmacology in 2007. Her clinical work centers on young adults with complex healthcare needs transitioning from pediatric care. Thomas's career includes roles as Staff Specialist in General Medicine at Royal Adelaide Hospital from 2006 to 2024, Deputy Director of Clinical Training there from 2009 to 2014, Clinical Studies Advisor and Senior Lecturer in Clinical Education and Medicine at the University of Adelaide from 2010 to 2019, MBBS Program Coordinator and Academic Lead for the Bachelor of Medical Studies/Doctor of Medicine program framework in 2017-2018, Director of Physician Education for SA Health from 2019 to 2024, Clinical Associate Professor since 2019, and current Consultant Physician at Modbury Hospital in the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network as well as Clinical Dean.

Professor Thomas has made significant contributions to medical education, teaching undergraduate and postgraduate medicine and pharmacy courses with a focus on interprofessional learning. She developed and coordinated the Transition to Internship course for the final year MBBS over 10 years, helping achieve a high score of 4.22 in the 2017 National Survey of Intern Work Readiness compared to the national average of 3.8 across 45 skills. She also led the innovative Cancer Voices workshop in the year 3 clinical practice course, collaborating with Cancer Voices SA for students to hear patient and carer stories followed by guided reflection to foster patient-centered practice. Her research employs qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods in interprofessional learning and medical education. Notable publications include 'No man’s land: the journey of young adults with complex care needs' (2025), 'Talking scrubs: improving the health outcomes of patients with communication difficulties' (2025), 'The clinician educator as qualitative researcher' (2019), 'Discussion Paper: Improving the participation of students in interprofessional education' (2019), and 'The impact of language on the interpretation of resuscitation orders by junior doctors' (2019). She has received the Mark Bonnin Teaching Award multiple times (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016), the Executive Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2016, Fellowship of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators in 2017, and recognition as Chair of the Medicine Writing Group for the Australian Medical Council Clinical Assessment Panel in 2018.