About Dr Clair Preece
I'm a Senior Lecturer in medical microbiology. I teach MBChB Medicine, with interests spanning both clinical microbiology and medical education.
I studied BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science at Northumbria University before completing a PhD in microbiology in collaboration with the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. I then continued at Northumbria University as a postdoctoral researcher, working on rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing. This was while teaching on the Biomedical Science degree which started my own academic journey.
My microbiology research interests include non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), rapid diagnostics, antimicrobial susceptibility testing and antimicrobial resistance. More recently, my research interests have expanded into medical education. Particularly student belonging, transition through medical school, peer support, curriculum development and innovative approaches to teaching and learning.
I'm also a qualified science teacher, having completed a PGCE in Secondary Science and gained Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) before moving into medical education.
I have a passion for both teaching and science and can still talk about bacteria for hours, to anyone who'll listen.
Teaching and supervision
I am a Senior Lecturer in medical microbiology, teaching across Phase 1 (Years 1 and 2) and Phase 2 (Year 3) of the undergraduate MBChB Medicine course. My teaching focuses on clinical microbiology, infectious diseases, antimicrobial therapy and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), with a particular emphasis on applying microbiological principles to clinical practice.
Alongside my microbiology teaching, I facilitate problem-based learning and work as a personal tutor. I am the Practical Teaching Lead and Year 3 SPINE Curriculum Lead and co-lead the development of scaffolding, revision and academic support resources for students across Phases 1 and 2.
I also lead the Medic Families programme. Our peer-support and mentoring initiative that connects students across different year groups to support transition, belonging, academic development and engagement with the wider medical school community.
Interests
- Rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing and diagnostic microbiology
- Antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial stewardship
- Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM)
- Development and evaluation of microbiological culture media
- Cystic fibrosis microbiology and respiratory infection
- Medical microbiology education
- Medical education, including student belonging, peer support and transition
- Curriculum development and innovative approaches to teaching and learning.
Research
My current research interests have an increasing focus on medical education. In particular, student belonging, transition and peer support within undergraduate medical programmes. I am interested in developing and evaluating innovative approaches to teaching and learning. This includes initiatives that support students as they transition between different phases of medical school, develop confidence in applying their knowledge, and build a sense of belonging within the medical school community.
My medical education work also includes the development and evaluation of scaffolding and revision resources, peer mentoring and support initiatives, curriculum development, and innovative approaches to teaching clinical microbiology. I am particularly interested in how interactive, case-based and experiential learning can be used to improve student engagement and the application of basic science to clinical practice.
Alongside this, I maintain an active research interest in clinical microbiology. My PhD focused on developing a novel culture medium for the isolation of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) from people with cystic fibrosis. The culture medium developed through this work is recommended within current guidance for the diagnosis and management of cystic fibrosis.
Following my PhD, I undertook postdoctoral research at Northumbria University investigating rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Our multidisciplinary research team was awarded the 2022 Royal Society of Chemistry Analytical Division Horizon Prize: Robert Boyle Prize for Analytical Science. My continuing microbiology interests include rapid clinical diagnostics, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, NTM detection and approaches to improving the diagnosis and treatment of NTM infections.
I am a member of the Association for the Study of Medical Education (ASME), NTM UK Network, British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC), Applied Microbiology International (AMI), Microbiology Society, American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
Areas of expertise
My expertise spans medical education and clinical microbiology, with a growing focus on medical education research and curriculum development. My particular interests include student belonging, transition through medical school, peer support and mentoring, scaffolding and revision, and the development and evaluation of innovative, interactive approaches to teaching.
I have extensive experience in medical microbiology education, including curriculum design, practical teaching, problem-based learning and the development of case-based and experiential learning activities that support the application of biomedical science to clinical practice.
My clinical microbiology expertise includes non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), cystic fibrosis microbiology, rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing, antimicrobial resistance, rapid diagnostics and microbiological culture methods.
Further information
I graduated from Northumbria University with a BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science, receiving the Professor Arthur L. James/bioMérieux Prize and the Institute of Biomedical Science President’s Prize. I subsequently completed a three-year PhD at Northumbria University in collaboration with the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle, entitled A study of the diagnosis, treatment and epidemiology of Mycobacterium abscessus in patients with cystic fibrosis.
My doctoral research contributed to the development of a novel selective culture medium for non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). I am a named inventor on the associated patent, and the medium is now commercially available internationally through bioMérieux as NTM Elite. Research undertaken with the Freeman Hospital Microbiology Department also contributed to the department receiving an NHS Celebrating Excellence Award for Innovation and Research.
Following my PhD, I continued at Northumbria University as a postdoctoral researcher, working on rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing. This work formed part of the multidisciplinary research recognised with the 2022 Royal Society of Chemistry Analytical Division Horizon Prize: Robert Boyle Prize for Analytical Science.
Alongside my microbiology career, I developed a strong interest in education and completed a PGCE in Secondary Science at the University of Sunderland, gaining Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and teaching science across Key Stages 3–5. I subsequently moved into undergraduate medical education, where my interests now include curriculum development, student belonging and transition, scaffolding and academic support, peer mentoring, and innovative approaches to teaching microbiology and clinical science.
I have received funding to support both my microbiology and medical education work, including a John Dawson Grant to support the acquisition of a multipoint inoculator and an Association for the Study of Medical Education (ASME) Small Grant to support medical education research and development.
View my ORCiD profile(opens in new tab).