Mr Robert Barry BMedSc, MBChB, PhD, PGCHE, FHEA, FRCOphth

• FHEA Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, UK, 2018
• PGCHE Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education, University of Birmingham, 2018
• FRCOphth Fellowship of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, UK, 2017
• PhD in Immunology, University of Birmingham, 2016
• MBChB (Hons) in Medicine and Surgery, University of Birmingham, 2007
• BMedSc (1^st) in Public Health, University of Birmingham, 2004

Robert graduated with honours from the University of Birmingham School of Medicine in 2007, having also gained a first-class honours degree in Public Health during his undergraduate training. He completed general medical training in Birmingham, and having developed a keen interest in ophthalmology during his undergraduate degree, was appointed to the West Midlands Deanery clinical ophthalmology training rotation in August 2009. He was awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in August 2017 and received his Certificate of Completion of Training in August 2019.

Throughout the initial years of his clinical training, Robert was employed as a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Academic Clinical Fellow (ACF). This enabled him to develop a research interest in ocular immunology, culminating in the award of a clinical fellowship by Fight for Sight to support his PhD research investigating the role of betaglycan – a component of the TGFβ receptor – in T-lymphocyte responses relevant to the eye. He was awarded his PhD by the University of Birmingham in July 2016.

He completed his clinical training in the role of NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer during which time he became interested in evidence synthesis and systematic reviews in ophthalmology, publishing several reviews in the field of treatment of inflammatory ocular disease, and supervising undergraduate students in writing reviews for student-selected modules and intercalated BMedSc dissertation projects.

During this time Robert also developed a keen interest in medical education, completing of a masters-level post-graduate certificate in higher education (PGCHE) at the University of Birmingham. Through this he was awarded Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), and accreditation of the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA). He is passionate about education both within the field of ophthalmology, and in the wider context of general medical training.

Robert currently delivers taught components of the undergraduate medical curriculum to students in all years of the MBChB programme at the University of Birmingham Medical School, and participates in regional post-graduate teaching for trainees in ophthalmology, and those in other medical specialities. He has led the design and delivery of post-graduate educational courses, including the junior doctors’ induction programme for the West Midlands Deanery School of Ophthalmology, and the ‘Oculus’ annual revision course for the FRCOphth Part 2 clinical examination. He also delivers lectures to sixth-form students through the University of Birmingham Masterclass outreach lecture scheme. He is keen to influence medical education on a national level, and have been appointed to the roles of Resource Development Fellow and Training the Trainers Lead for the Ophthalmic Core Clinical Competency Framework (OCCCF) programme with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists. This programme has been established to design a curriculum and the necessary educational resources to facilitate allied health professionals in ophthalmology to take on extended clinical roles.

Robert was appointed to the role of Clinical Senior Lecturer in Ophthalmology in August 2019, and continues to develop his teaching and research interests in medical education and ocular inflammatory disease. He is co-lead for the Healthcare and Biomedical Education Research Theme for the University of Birmingham Institute of Clinical Sciences.

Medicine and Surgery MBChB

• MBChB Year 1: Research Taster and Professional Academic Skills modules
• MBChB Year 2: Personal Interest Project (Inflammation and the eye)
• MBChB Year 3: Ophthalmology teaching and Professional Development Activities modules
• MBChB Year 4: Academic lead, Speciality Medicine module, assessor of Conference Poster presentations, Elective project supervisor, Audit project supervisor
• MBChB Year 5: OSCE examiner, previously deputy academic lead
• Personal Academic Tutor
• Clinical tutor for Revision of Clinical Skills course for intercalating medical students
• Inter-Professional Education Lead
• Chair of the MBChB Research Advisory Committee

Biomedical Science BSc: Supervisor of final year dissertation projects.

Physician Associate Studies MSc: Ophthalmoscopy teaching

Trauma Science MSc: Ophthalmic trauma lectures

Biomedical Materials Science BSc: Ophthalmology lectures

MPharm: Ophthalmology lectures

MSc Advanced Clinical Practice: Ophthalmology lectures

Masterclass Series: The Eye: Fact or Fiction?

Robert is keen to co-supervising doctoral research students in the areas of ocular inflammatory disease and medical education.
If you are interested in studying any of these subject areas please contact Robert on the contact details above.

Research themes

Clinical ophthalmology

Working within the Discovery and Translational Science theme of the Institute of Clinical Sciences, Robert participates in clinical research through his role as a Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Birmingham & Midland Eye Centre. He has a particular interest in data synthesis and systematic reviews in inflammatory eye disease. He has published a variety of systematic reviews, and regularly supervises undergraduate MBChB and BMedSc students producing review articles.

Robert also supports a variety of clinical and translational basic science research projects with the University of Birmingham Academic Unit of Ophthalmology. 

Medical education

In his role as Clinical Senior Lecturer in Medical Education, Robert is developing pedagogical research projects in the field of medical education, working within the Healthcare and Biomedical Education theme of the Institute of Clinical Sciences.

• Academic Foundation Programme lead for West Midlands Central region (2020 to present).
• Consultant Ophthalmologist with specialist interest in inflammatory eye disease, Birmingham & Midland Eye Centre, Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust (2019 to present).
• Train the Trainers course lead, Ophthalmic Practitioner Training programme, Royal College of Ophthalmologists (2019 to present).
• Resource Development Fellow, Ophthalmic Core Clinical Competency Framework programme, Royal College of Ophthalmologists (2018 to 2019).
• Associate editor for BMC Ophthalmology Inflammatory Eye Diseases section (2018 – present).
• Peer reviewer for British Journal of Ophthalmology (2013 to present), BMC Ophthalmology (2014 to present), Clinical Ophthalmology (2016 to present), Inflammation Research (2016 to present), PLOS One (2016 to present), Eye (2019 to present), Journal of Rheumatology (2019 – present), RMD Open (2019 – present), BMJ Case Reports (2019 – present), Evidence Based Medicine (2020 – present), Future Healthcare Journal (2020 – present).
• Committee member, course supervisor and previous lead organiser for OCULUS FRCOphth Part 2 revision course, Birmingham & Midland Eye Centre (2015 to present). (http://www.oculus-course.com/)
• Committee member on West Midlands Deanery Ophthalmology Trainee Research Network (2015 to 2019).
• Participant in ‘Patient Involvement Group in Uveitis (PINGU)’, Birmingham (2013 to present).