Dr REBECCA BLANCHARD
| Post Nominals | BSc PhD PGCHE FHEA |
|---|---|
| Biography | I conducted my Ph.D within the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science with Dr Richard Lea. Here, my research focused on investigating the effect of environmental chemicals on male reproductive health, and the use of the canine as a sentinel model for this research. During my PhD I demonstrated the perturbing impacts of environmental chemical mixtures and how certain chemicals might be more deleterious in combination. Following my PhD i transitioned into postdoctoral research at the Royal Veterinary College looking at the co-regulation of a growth factor, Activin A, and the transcription factor FOXL2, within granulosa cells. Throughout my PhD and postdoctoral appointment I developed a keen passion for teaching and learning. Throughout this time i was able to undertake demonstrating of practical sessions, primarily utilising reproductive cadaver material, deliver a few biological focussed seminars and support project students within the lab. Given this passion, i relocated to Hartpury University where i took up a full time teaching lectureship. Within my lectureship, I module led at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, was programme manager for the BSc in Equine Science with Therapy programme and wrote the underlying concepts to a new programme for 2020 entitled BSc (hons) Equine Performance and Rehabilitation. I thoroughly enjoy supervision aspects for dissertations at all levels and wished to continue this during my lectureship and so i obtained a funded PhD student looking into reproductive health and sub fertility, the work planned is very exciting and shall continue to add to the knowledge of environmental contamination and reproduction in what is a changing world! It is a great pleasure of mine to assist and watch students develop their own interests within science. I am always seeking ways to advance my teaching qualifications and experience. To develop this, I have just completed my postgraduate certificate in Academic Practice to obtain my teaching qualification and I shall soon become Fellow of the HEA. I have strong interests in the use of digital technologies for education and also like to advance this research. Currently I am a Teaching Associate in Veterinary Basic Sciences within the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science at the University of Nottingham. I thoroughly look forward to working with the vets of the future, one of the key elements of promoting motivation within students is lecturer enthusiasm and so i look forward to sharing my enthusiasm for my topic and teaching with my students. |
| Research Interests | My current research is two fold. From a scientific research perspective i am focussing on the thoroughbred breeding stallion and investigating the impact of environmental chemicals on this species. For this work i have a PhD student initiating this research and have support from the Horserace Betting Levy Board. Secondary to my scientific research, i seek to advance pedagogic research around digital learning technology. I am interested in how we can best use the array of technologies available within the digital era to promote motivation and engagement within students. I am always looking for ways to advance this work. Previous to transitioning into equine research, my topic of focus for my PhD was investigating the use of the canine as a sentinel model for human exposure to environmental chemicals alongside Dr Richard Lea. The main chemicals investigated within this research were diethylhexyl phthalate and a polychlorinated biphenyl ester, congener 153. Here we investigated the impact of environmentally relevant levels of chemical mixtures on different aspects of male reproductive health, from sperm quality to testicular pathologies. In addition, previous post doctoral work has investigated the molecular drivers behind primary ovarian insufficiency in women, from the potential co-regulation of Activin A and FOXL2. |
| Teaching and Learning | Within my teaching i am particularly passionate about how we can use digital learning technologies to support and enhance the learning experience of students. I find no singular learning theory its within my pedagogical approach as no student is the same. Given this, I find i align with constructivism, connectivism, humanism, behaviourism, in additional to a magnitude of other approaches. I encourage all students to participate within scheduled sessions and seek to utilise anonymous approaches to promote inclusivity within my teaching style. |