Dr Russell Hearn is an inspirational and innovative clinical educator who places medical student learning at the heart of healthcare to achieve synergistic enhancement of learning alongside improved patient outcomes. Dr Hearn created simulated primary care clinics for medical students, which not only enabled learning, but also improved student experience and increased student vocations towards careers in General Practice.
Working with Health Education England, he has translated this programme for postgraduate doctors, and it is now offered to all GP trainees across London. Russell piloted the incorporation of a ‘Doctor as Teacher’ medical education module into the undergraduate curriculum at KCL, which has enabled medical students to apply for Associate Fellowship of Advance HE.
Within his clinical practice, Dr Hearn leads a large GP practice in North London, and he was elected a Fellow of the Faculty of Medical Leadership & Management in part recognising his leadership during the pandemic. During Covid-19, Dr Hearn created a student-led vaccination service in London that delivered over 150,000 vaccinations and received visits from the Duchess of Cornwall, the Prime Minister, and Mayor of London recognising the work of healthcare students. Due to its focus on education, the service was able to have significant impacts on health inequalities and vaccine hesitancy.
Dr Hearn led the UK’s first 24-hour Jabathon, as well as several mass vaccination popups at football stadiums, all of which enabled experiential learning for nursing, pharmacy, medical and dentistry students from across London. Dr Hearn was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) in 2019 in recognition of his services to education. In addition, he was named the RCGP’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year Inspire Award winner in 2018.
To improve diversity and inclusion, Russell has created simulated GP work experience programmes targeted to widen participation and inspire healthcare vocations. These online programmes included live streamed broadcasts from a vaccine centre attended by over a thousand participants internationally.