Rate My Professor Aileen Bell

Professor Aileen Bell is Head of the Dental School and Professor of Oral Surgery and Dental Education in the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing at the University of Glasgow. She graduated from the University of Stirling with a BSc with Honours First Class in Biology in 1990. She completed her PhD at the University of Glasgow in 1993 on the effects of alcohol on rat lingual epithelium, funded by the MRC as a joint project between the Department of Cell Biology and the Department of Oral Pathology at Glasgow Dental School. Bell obtained her BDS with Honours from the University of Glasgow in 1998 as the Most Distinguished Graduate, receiving the Dean Webster Prize and Lord Provost's Prize for the highest marks in Dental School examinations. Additional qualifications include a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice from the University of Glasgow in 2007, FDS(OS) RCPS(Glas), the United Kingdom Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training in 2008, and Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. Her career trajectory includes roles as Research Assistant at the Hannah Research Institute prior to 1990, PhD researcher at Glasgow Dental School from 1990 to 1993, Vocational Dental Practitioner and GPT House Officer at Glasgow Dental Hospital and School from 1998 to 2000, Senior House Officer from 2000 to 2002, Specialist Registrar in Surgical Dentistry from 2002 to 2004, Clinical Lecturer and Honorary Specialist Registrar in Academic Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from 2004, Clinical Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in Oral Surgery from 2009, Deputy Director of Dental Education from 2009, Director of Dental Education from 2012, and her current positions since 2021.

Bell's research specializations encompass educational research, three-dimensional imaging, assessment, digital and blended learning, and their application as educational tools in dentistry. She contributed to a £1.5 million NHS Education for Scotland-funded project on 2D and 3D visualisation supporting interactive dental education, collaborating with the Glasgow School of Art, University of Glasgow Anatomy Department, University of Dundee, and Glasgow Dental School. Other work includes CSO-funded research on 3D imaging for facial trauma and cleft lip and palate surgical outcomes, an educational grant for undergraduate dental implantology teaching since 2012, and projects in digitally guided surgery and robotics. Key publications include 'Longitudinal assessment of undergraduate dental students: Building evidence for validity' (European Journal of Dental Education, 2023), 'Adaptation to virtual assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic: clinical case presentation examination' (Dentistry Journal, 2023), 'The changing landscape of dental education - Glasgow Dental School' (British Dental Journal, 2022), 'A rapid transition to blended learning: the journey of a dental degree programme pivoting online' (Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 2021), and 'Three-dimensional assessment of facial appearance following surgical repair of unilateral cleft lip and palate' (Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal, 2014). Awards include the T.C. White Medal for outstanding performance in the MFDS exam. She serves as Chair of the Intercollegiate Specialty Fellowship Examination in Oral Surgery since 2019, Training Programme Director for Oral Surgery in the West of Scotland since 2019, Convener of the Dental School Executive Committee, and member of the Dental School Learning and Teaching Committee. She is a Fellow of the International Team for Implantology since 2015.