Dr Teresa Thomas PhD, FRSB, PGCE (HE), SFHEA, HEFi Scholar

Dr Teresa Thomas

Department of Biomedical Sciences
Head of Department of Biomedical Sciences
Associate Professor in Biomedical Sciences

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 8122
Email
t.j.thomas@bham.ac.uk
Twitter
@tre0508
View my research portal
Address
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Teresa Thomas is an Associate Professor and the Head of Department of Biomedical Sciences, based in the College of Medicine and Health.

Her research interests are now in educational research with an emphasis on academic integrity, sense of belonging and access and participation. She works closely with other academics to support students in understanding good academic integrity and with HEFi to promote good academic integrity in assessment design. She has been invited to lecture externally on academic and research integrity.

Teresa is a cardiorespiratory physiologist with teaching responsibilities across many of the College of Medicine and Health's undergraduate programmes. Her past research interests were centred on the neural control of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. She has in the past received grants from British Heart Foundation, BBSRC and the Royal Society.

Qualifications

  • Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy, 2017
  • PGCert Learning & Teaching in Higher Education, 2005
  • PhD Physiology, 1993
  • BSc Biological Sciences, 1990

Biography

Teresa qualified with a BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences from the University of Birmingham in 1990. She went on to complete a PhD in the then Department of Physiology in 1993. Teresa then moved to the Royal Free Hospital (UCL) in London to join the Autonomic Neuroscience Institute for a postdoctoral position. During that time Teresa also held Visiting Research Fellowships at Monash University, Australia and Georg Augst University in Göttingen, Germany. 

After receiving a British Heart Foundation Intermediate Fellowship Teresa returned to Birmingham to set up a research laboratory. She was awarded a lectureship with the University in 2000 and a senior lectureship in 2008.

Whilst starting out as young researcher Teresa completed the PGCertLTHE and became a Fellow of the HEA in 2007. Her interest in education increased in subsequent years and she now concentrates solely on scholarship in teaching and educational research. She was made a Senior Fellow of the HEA in 2017 and a HEFi Scholar in 2019.

Teresa has many years’ experience of embedding good academic integrity into curricula and supporting staff to develop and design teaching materials and assessment that promote good academic integrity. She works closely with HEFi and has been responsible for developing resources across the University to support staff in assessment design.

Teresa held several leadership roles within the Department and College before becoming Head of Department, including Department Head of Education, College Lead for Academic Integrity and Deputy Director of Education - Student Support and Experience.

Teaching

Teaching across wide subject areas but with particular expertise in cardiovascular and respiratory physiology, autonomic mechanisms and neuroscience.

Contributes to following programmes:

Delivery of teaching and resources promoting academic integrity and plagiarism on all UG and PG programmes.

Research

Current Research

Teresa’s main research focus is now in Teaching & Scholarship, specifically interested in academic integrity and plagiarism, designing assessment, widening participation and transition to university

Previous Research

The main emphasis of Teresa’s laboratory research was the control of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Her research centred on chemoreceptor mechanisms and the role of purine neurotransmitters and neuromodulators in those control systems. She used a variety of in vivo neurophysiological and pharmacological techniques.

Other activities

  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology
  • HEFi Scholar
  • Member of the Physiological Society 
  • External Examiner at various institutions

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Chandan, JS, Thomas, T & Baryah, HS 2017, 'Anticoagulants: Updates on idarucizumab', British Dental Journal, vol. 222, no. 3, pp. 140-141. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2017.95

Chandan, JS & Thomas, T 2017, 'Inflammatory bowel disease and oral health', BDJ Team, vol. 4, no. 5. https://doi.org/10.1038/bdjteam.2017.83

Thomas, T & Chandan, JS 2017, 'Multidisciplinary management: Inflammatory bowel disease', British Dental Journal, vol. 222, no. 1, pp. 4-5. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2017.9

Chandan, JS, Randhawa, RS & Thomas, T 2017, 'Oral health: Asthma and oral candidiasis', British Dental Journal, vol. 223, no. 9, pp. 621-621. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2017.939

Randhawa, RS, Chandan, JS & Thomas, T 2017, 'Oral health: Dental neglect on wards', British Dental Journal, vol. 223, no. 4, pp. 238-238. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2017.694

Chandan, JS, Collins, S & Thomas, T 2017, 'Patient support: High-risk behaviour', British Dental Journal, vol. 222, no. 7, pp. 497-498. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2017.295

Gourine, AV, Llaudet, E, Thomas, T, Dale, N & Spyer, KM 2002, 'Adenosine release in nucleus tractus solitarii does not appear to mediate hypoxia-induced respiratory depression in rats', The Journal of Physiology, vol. 544, no. 1, pp. 161-170. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2002.024174

Dale, N, Gourine, AV, Llaudet, E, Bulmer, D, Thomas, T & Spyer, KM 2002, 'Rapid adenosine release in the nucleus tractus solitarii during defence response in rats: real-time measurement in vivo', The Journal of Physiology, vol. 544, no. 1, pp. 149-160. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2002.024158

Thomas, T & Marshall, JM 1997, 'The roles of adenosine in regulating the respiratory and cardiovascular systems in chronically hypoxic, adult rats', Journal of Physiology, vol. 501, no. 2, pp. 439-447. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7793.1997.439bn.x

Thomas, T & Marshall, JM 1995, 'A study on rats of the effects of chronic hypoxia from birth on respiratory and cardiovascular responses evoked by acute hypoxia.', The Journal of Physiology, vol. 487, no. 2, pp. 513-525. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.1995.sp020896

Thomas, T, Elnazir, BK & Marshall, JM 1994, 'Differentiation of the peripherally mediated from the centrally mediated influences of adenosine in the rat during systemic hypoxia', Experimental Physiology, vol. 79, no. 5, pp. 809-822. https://doi.org/10.1113/expphysiol.1994.sp003809

Thomas, T & Marshall, JM 1994, 'Interdependence of respiratory and cardiovascular changes induced by systemic hypoxia in the rat: the roles of adenosine.', The Journal of Physiology, vol. 480, no. 3, pp. 627-636. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.1994.sp020389

Abstract

Egginton, S & Thomas, T 2001, 'Preface to the Physiological Society Symposium - Vagal Control: From Axolotl to Man', pp. 769ee.

Paper

Leadbeater, W & Thomas, T 2011, 'Assessment of students’ perception of feedback in a BMedSc physiology module', Paper presented at 8th Annual Teaching and Learning Conference, 1/01/11.

Poster

Thomas, T & Leadbeater, W 2011, 'Assessing students’ perception of feedback', Journal of Physiology, Annual Physiological Society Conference, 1/01/11.

View all publications in research portal