Bio
Dr. Anique Atherley is a public health physician and health professions educator and researcher. She is a graduate of The UWI and in 2011, she completed her undergraduate medical training (MBBS) at The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus. In 2015, she completed her MPH degree with merit, at the University of Liverpool with a concentration in epidemiology. She later was awarded a PhD scholarship to pursue a joint PhD in Medical Education at Maastricht University and Western Sydney University; her research focused on transitions to clinical training in medical education and the social and relational factors shaping learning and professional identity.
Early in her academic career, Dr. Atherley served as a Junior Research Fellow in Medical Education at The UWI, where she was mentored by the late Dr. Charles G. Taylor, whose commitment to rigorous scholarship, student-centred education, and service deeply continue to shape her professional trajectory.
Dr. Atherley currently serves as Director of Medical Education in the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Cave Hill Campus, The University of the West Indies, where she works at the intersection of curriculum design, faculty development, accreditation, and quality assurance for all programmes within the faculty.
Dr Atherley is a Deputy Editor for Perspectives on Medical Education, a role she enjoys, and is an invited author and reviewer for multiple international medical education journals including Medical Education and BMC Medical education.
Dr. Atherley remains committed to building rigorous, compassionate learning experiences and environments across programmes within the Faculty of Medical Sciences.
Qualifications
- Postgraduate Certificate in Organisation and Leadership, 2025
- PhD (Medical Education), Maastricht University / Western Sydney University, 2021
- Postgraduate Certificate in University Teaching and Learning PGCUTL, The University of the West Indies (Cave Hill), 2018
- Master of Public Health (Epidemiology), University of Liverpool, 2015
- Bachelors of Medicine, Bachelors of Surgery -MBBS, The University of the West Indies (Cave Hill), 2011
- Bachelor of Basic Medical Sciences, BBMedSci, The University of the West Indies (Mona), 2009
Research Areas
Dr. Atherley’s research focuses on the social and relational architecture of medical training, including transitions across the continuum, social networks and belonging, remediation, patient involvement, and trainee wellbeing. She is particularly interested in how educational structures and interpersonal ties shape identity formation, performance, and resilience, and how training programmes can be designed to be both rigorous and compassionate.
Her work employs qualitative and mixed-methods approaches, including longitudinal designs and innovative methodologies. Her research received international recognition, including the AMEE Best Doctoral Report Award and the School of Health Professions Education Best Dissertation Award (2022).
Teaching Areas
- Research Methods
- Faculty Development
- Scholarly writing and research communication
- Learner support, academic coaching, and remediation strategies
- Public Health- research methods, cancer burden, intersection of gender and health, biostatistics
Publications
- Pattinson, S.R., Savelberg, H. and Atherley, A., (2024). Not ready in the ways that count–a qualitative exploration of junior doctor’s perceived preparedness for practice using Legitimation Code Theory. Advances in Health Sciences Education, pp.1-20. (doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-024-10380-w)
- Atherley, A., Teunissen, P., Hegazi, I., Hu, W., & Dolmans, D. (2023). Longitudinal exploration of students’ identity formation during the transition from pre‐clinical to clinical training using research poetry. Medical Education, 57(7), 637-647.
- Lovell, L.M.P., Atherley, A.E., Watson, H.R. and King, R.D., 2022. An exploration of burnout and resilience among emergency physicians at three teaching hospitals in the English-speaking Caribbean: A cross-sectional survey. The Lancet Regional Health-Americas, p.100357
- Atherley, A., Nimmon, L. Teunissen, PW, Dolmans, D., Hegazi, I., Hu, W. (2020). Students’ social networks are diverse, dynamic and deliberate when transitioning to clinical training. Medical Education 55 376-386
- Atherley, A, Dolmans, D, Hu, W, Hegazi, I, Alexander, S, Teunissen, P. W. (2019), ‘Beyond the struggles: a scoping review on the transition to undergraduate clinical training’ Medical Education, 53(6), 559-570
- Atherley, AE, Hambleton, I, George, C, Unwin,N, Lashley, PM & Taylor Jr., CG (2016) ‘Exploring the transition of undergraduate medical students into a clinical clerkship using Organizational socialization theory’ Perspectives on Medical Education; 5(2), 78-87
- Pijls BG, Jolani S, Atherley A, et al Demographic risk factors for COVID-19 infection, severity, ICU admission and death: a meta-analysis of 59 studies BMJ Open 2021;11:e044640. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044640
Google Scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=uiiPThEAAAAJ&hl=en
Additional Info
Awards
International
- Best Doctoral Report Award, Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE), 2022
- Travelling Scholarship, Association of Scientific Medical Education, 2019
- Joint PhD Scholarship, Maastricht University & Western Sydney University, 2017
National
- National Humanitarian Service Award, Government of Barbados, 2022
- Outstanding Intern Award, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Barbados, 2012
Institutional
- Best Dissertation Award, School of Health Professions Education, Maastricht University, 2022
- Adtalem Excellence Award, Adtalem Global Education, 2023
- Teaching Excellence (TEACH) Award, Ross University School of Medicine, 2024
- Departmental Excellence Award, Office of External Affairs, Ross University School of Medicine, 2024
Keywords
Medical education, health professions education, curriculum design, educational strategy, faculty development, accreditation, quality assurance, student transitions, social networks, belonging, remediation, trainee wellbeing, identity formation, qualitative research, mixed methods, public health, epidemiology, health promotion, Caribbean health system
