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Biography

Dr Rachel Locke is a Head of School, Sport, Health and Community, Faculty of Health and Wellbeing. Rachel is convenor of the University's Centre for Global Health.

Rachel has been teaching at the University since 2012 (including on the MA Medical Education) and supervises MA dissertation and doctoral students to completion. She led the development of programmes at both UG and PG levels in global health.  The excellence of Rachel’s teaching has been recognised by the award of ‘Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy’ (SFHEA).

She is currently leading research with international collaborators in Tanzania and Ghana examining the impact of large-scale in-country innovations in terms of sustainability in health and wellbeing (i.e. SDG 3) and global health partnerships (i.e. SDG 17).  This transformative research working in global partnerships intends to realise sustainable change and impacts that benefit local communities, including those in receipt of ODA.

This research is based on a long-standing commitment to and leadership of other health-related research and partnerships.  She leads a programme of collaborative research with health and education-related partners (e.g. Health Education England) concerning health profession education, development, and practice underpinned by substantial funding.  

Rachel’s work employs distinctive qualitative research mixed methods that enable her to be highly responsive, listen attentively, explore the experiences of professionals and broker their narratives to wider audiences.  Her commitment is to collaborative insider research that engages with diverse practice communities as well as academics.  Her educational research expertise enables her to identify and (re)frame issues and explore innovative, local solutions to the challenges associated with contemporary work, professional learning/practices.   

She works in collaboration with the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, as an original member of the Hampshire Collaboration for Health Research and Education, and more recently, as a member of the Global Health Hub.  

Areas of expertise

  • Workplace learning of health professionals with a particular focus on what works well;
  • Vulnerabilities of health professionals including support and wellbeing;
  • Qualitative research design including the development of mixed methods sensitive to participant / practitioner ‘voice’;
  • Collaborative practitioner research to uncover what may otherwise be taken for granted about professional practice.

Publications

Wallis, L. Palmer, M. Locke, R. Faulkner, J. Lowes, H. Harden B. (submitted April 2024) Sources of influence for choosing an Operating Department Practitioner career: Findings from a questionnaire among students in England. Journal of Operating Department Practitioners. 

Agyekum, M. Odopey, S. Asiamah, S. Wallis, L. Williams, J. Locke, R. (2023) Improved access, delayed accreditation, low recognition: Perspectives of mental health educators, preceptors and students on the Kintampo Project in Ghana.  Mental Health Training, Education and Practice. 

Wallis, L. Faulkner, J. Locke, R. Harden, B. & Cowley, E. (2022)  Motivations, sources of influence and barriers to being a podiatrist: A national questionnaire of student views.  Journal of Foot and Ankle Research.

Locke, R. Wilkinson, E. Wallis, L. Kibble, S. & Harden, B. (2022) The experiences of physiotherapists and occupational therapists working as rehabilitation ward leaders - role reinvention. International Journal of Rehabilitation and Therapy.  

Petley, R. Husted, M. Lees, A. Locke, R. (2022) The effectiveness of interventions and behaviour change techniques to reduce stress in student nurses: a systematic review. Nurse Education Today.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2021.105212

Wallis, L. Locke, R. Ryall, S. Harden, B. (2021) Motivations for choosing an allied health profession career: findings from a scoping review article. International Journal of Practice-based Learning in Health and Social Care.

Wallis, L. Locke, R. Sutherland, C. Harden, B. (2021) Assessment of Advanced Clinical Practitioners: A short report. Journal of Interprofessional Care.

Thistlethwaite, J. Locke, R. Buckley, S. et al (2020) Global Perspectives on COVID-19 from the Editorial Board.  

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