Staff Profiles

Dr Gabrielle Finn, BSc (Hons), PGCTLHE, FHEA , PhD
Contact Dr Gabrielle Finn (email at g.m.finn@durham.ac.uk)
Biography
Gabrielle graduated from the University of Dundee (Anatomical Sciences). She joined Durham University in 2006 as an anatomy aide. In 2009, she was appointed as Lecturer in Anatomy. Gabrielle was awarded the Durham University Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award in 2012. In 2013 she was appointed Executive Secretary for the Centre for Medical Education Research.
Gabrielle is Associate Editor for the journal Anatomical Sciences Education.
She was awarded the Durham University Postgraduate Doctoral Fellowship and completed her PhD in Medical Education. She was awarded her teaching qualification (Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education) through Durham University’s School for Education in 2009.
Gabrielle researches anatomy pedagogy, assessment and medical professionalism. She is interested in the evaluation of innovative methods of teaching anatomy, and finding an objective measure for medical student professionalism. In addition to teaching and research she works with publishers on anatomy texts.
Gabrielle teaches anatomy and clinical skills to undergraduate medical students, as well as developing and teaching on postgraduate clinical anatomy courses.
In 2010 she became a councillor and Director for the Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI). Within the Anatomical Society, she is the councillor with responsibility for student affairs, outreach and advertising and is a member of the education, meetings and website committees.
Gabrielle is also a member of the Federative International Programme for Anatomical Education (FIPAE). Within the committee, Gabrielle is part of the sub-group for Education Techniques and Innovations.
Gabrielle is a Fellow of the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) and a Fellow of ther Higher Education Academy
Selected Publications
Conference papers
- McLachlan, JC., Finn, G. & Sawdon, MA. (2010), “With all due diligence” measuring conscientiousness in complex settings (workshop), AMEE Ottawa Conference on the Assessment of Competence in Medicine and the Healthcare Professions. Miami, Florida, USA.
- Finn, G.M. (2010), Adding Colour to Teaching: An Anatomical Palette, CREATE, Conference on Colour. Gjovik, Norway.
- Finn, G.M. (2010), Colourful colons: using colour in medical education (Keynote lecture), 'Working Together, Learning Together'. James Cook University Hospital, Middlesborough.
- Finn, G.M. (2010), Dr Companion and the use of mobile technologies to support student/staff access to electronic teaching materials (Presentation), Improving the future health care workforce conference. Newcastle, UK.
- Finn, G.M. & Sawdon, M. (2010), Factors influencing students’ ability to self and peer assess performance, AMEE International Meeting 2010. Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre (SECC), Glasgow, UK.
- Finn, G. M., Fleming, K. & McLachlan, J. C. (2010), Invisible maps of the body: constructing myths, uncovering legends, 4th International Conference of the European Society for the History of Science. Barcelona.
- Moss, J., Scott, L. & Finn, G. M. (2010), Learning technologies to support student/staff access to electronic teaching materials (Workshop), Improving the Future of Healthcare Conference. Newcastle, UK.
- Finn, G. M. & McLachlan, J. C. (2010), Students' perceptions of body painting as a tool for learning anatomy (Presentation), Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) International Meeting 2010. Glasgow, UK.
- Finn, G. M., Garner, J. & Sawdon, M. A. (2010), Students' perceptions of professionalism: a multi-centre study (Presentation), Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) International Meeting 2010. Glasgow, UK.
- Finn, G.M. & Curtis, F.A. (2010), The art of anatomy teaching, North East Universities (3 Rivers Consortium) Third Regional Learning and Teaching Conference. Sunderland University, England.
- Finn, G.M. & Sawdon, M. (2010), The impact of feedback and personality type upon students’ ability to self-assess skills, attributes and aptitudes, ASME Annual Scientific Meeting 2010. Robinson College, Cambridge, UK.
- Finn, G.M. & Sawdon, M (2010), The impact of feedback and personality type upon students’ ability to self-assess skills, attributes and aptitudes, 14th Ottawa Conference on the Assessment of Competence in Medicine and the Healthcare Professions. Miami, Florida.
- McLachlan, JC, Finn, GM & Sawdon, MA (2010), The relationship between professionalism and conscientiousness, ASME Annual Scientific Meeting. Robinson College, Cambridge, UK.
- Finn, GM, Cox, D, Northend, M & Curtis, FA (2010), The use of videos to aid self-directed learning and improve understanding of living anatomy, AMEE International Meeting. Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre (SECC), Glasgow, UK
- Finn, GM (2009), Body Painting: An alternative approach to anatomy teaching, American Association of Anatomists, Experimental Biology. New Orleans, USA.
- Fleming, K, McLachlan, JC, Finn, GM & Ludlow, A (2009), Invited Speakers Flex and Ply: does my S3 look big in this?, AMEE International Conference. Malaga
- Finn, GM (2009), The Art of Anatomy: alternative approaches to anatomy teaching, Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Oxford, UK..
- Finn, GM (2009), The Impact of Scrubs on Contextual Anatomy Learning. Poster, Experimental Biology (American Association of Anatomists). New Orleans, USA..
- Finn, GM (2008), Making Use of the Living: Innovative Methods of Teaching Living Anatomy. Poster, Yorkshire and North East UKGRAD Poster Competition and Networking Event. University of York, England..
- Finn, GM (2008), Making Use of the Living: Innovative Methods of Teaching Living Anatomy. Poster. (Prize winner: Best poster as voted for by the entrants), Durham University Doctoral Fellowship Event.
- Finn, GM & McLachlan, JC (2008), The colour of your inside: Using the body as a canvas. (Invited key speaker), “Create” conference on colour. University of Ulster, Northern Ireland.
- Finn, GM , Patten, D & McLachlan, JC (2008), The Impact of wearing scrubs on contextual learning(Poster), ASME Annual Conference New Horizons in Medical Education.
Journal papers: academic
- Finn, G. M., Sawdon, M. & Griksaitis, M. (2012). The additive effect of teaching undergraduate cardiac anatomy using cadavers and ultrasound echocardiography. European Journal of Anatomy 16(3): 199-205.
- Griksaitis, MG, Sawdon, MA & Finn, GM (2012). Ultrasound and cadaveric prosections as methods for teaching cardiac anatomy: A comparative study. Anatomical Sciences Education 5: 20-26.
- Finn, G. M., White, P. & Abdelbagi, I. (2011). The impact of color on retention of knowledge: A body-painting study within undergraduate medicine. Anatomical Sciences Education 4(6): 311-317.
- Finn, G. M. & Scott, L. (2011). Timely and Tiny: Supporting remote learning through the use of Personal Digital Assistants. Medical Education 45(5): 521-522.
- Finn, G. M. & Garner, J. (2011). Twelve tips for implementing a successful peer assessment. Medical Teacher 33(6): 443-446.
- Finn, Gabrielle Maria, Garner, Jayne & Sawdon, Marina (2010). "You're judged all the time!" Students' views on professionalism: A multi-centre study. Medical Education 44(8): 814-825.
- Finn, Gabrielle M. & McLachlan John C. (2010). A Qualitative Study of Student Responses to Body Painting. Anatomical Sciences Education 3(1): 33-38.
- Finn, Gabrielle M. , Patten, Debra & McLachlan, John C. (2010). The Impact of Wearing Scrubs on Contextual Learning in Undergraduate Medical Students. Medical Teacher Forthcoming.
- Finn, Gabrielle Maria (2010). Twelve tips for running a successful body painting teaching session. Medical Teacher 32(11): 887-890.
- Hodges, David., McLachlan, John C. & Finn, Gabrielle M. (2009). Exploring reflective 'critical incident' documentation of professionalism lapses in a medical undergraduate setting. BMC Medical Education 9(44): 5.
- Finn, Gabrielle M., Sawdon, Marina A., Clipsham, Laura & McLachlan, John C. (2009). Peer estimation of lack of professionalism correlates with low Conscientiousness Index scores. Medical Education 43(10): 960-967.
- McLachlan, John C., Finn, Gabrielle M. & Macnaughton, Jane (2009). The Conscientiousness Index: A Novel Tool to Explore Students’ Professionalism. Academic Medicine 84(5): 559-565.
- Donnelly, Leo, Patten, Debra, White, Pamela M. & Finn, Gabrielle M. (2009). Virtual Human Dissector as a Learning Tool for Studying Cross-sectional Anatomy. Medical Teacher 31(6): 553-555.
Presentation
- Finn, G.M. (2009), Using art in medical school. Researchers Revealed, Hancock Museum..
Indicators of Esteem
- Member of the Northern Faculty of Medical Education Course Recognition Panel - Teaching the Teachers:
- Peer reviewer for Medical Education research projects at Peninsula Medical School:
- Reviewer for the journals: Anatomical Sciences Education, The Clinical Teacher, Medical Teacher, Medical Education, Teaching and Learning in Medicine, The International Journal of Medical Education, Advances in Medical Education and Practice, Clinical A:
- Reviewer for the National Teaching Fellow Awards and for the Higher Education Academy Teaching Development Grants:
Research Groups
Research Interests
- Anatomy pedagogy
- Assessment
- Medical Education
- Professionalism
Teaching Groups
- Medicine Phase 1
Grants Awarded
- 2011: NIAA research grant: The Conscientiousness Index
- 2009: Enhancing the Student Learning, Durham University.

Dr Gabrielle Finn, BSc (Hons), PGCTLHE, FHEA , PhD
Contact Dr Gabrielle Finn (email at g.m.finn@durham.ac.uk)
Biography
Gabrielle graduated from the University of Dundee (Anatomical Sciences). She joined Durham University in 2006 as an anatomy aide. In 2009, she was appointed as Lecturer in Anatomy. Gabrielle was awarded the Durham University Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award in 2012. In 2013 she was appointed Executive Secretary for the Centre for Medical Education Research.
Gabrielle is Associate Editor for the journal Anatomical Sciences Education.
She was awarded the Durham University Postgraduate Doctoral Fellowship and completed her PhD in Medical Education. She was awarded her teaching qualification (Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education) through Durham University’s School for Education in 2009.
Gabrielle researches anatomy pedagogy, assessment and medical professionalism. She is interested in the evaluation of innovative methods of teaching anatomy, and finding an objective measure for medical student professionalism. In addition to teaching and research she works with publishers on anatomy texts.
Gabrielle teaches anatomy and clinical skills to undergraduate medical students, as well as developing and teaching on postgraduate clinical anatomy courses.
In 2010 she became a councillor and Director for the Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI). Within the Anatomical Society, she is the councillor with responsibility for student affairs, outreach and advertising and is a member of the education, meetings and website committees.
Gabrielle is also a member of the Federative International Programme for Anatomical Education (FIPAE). Within the committee, Gabrielle is part of the sub-group for Education Techniques and Innovations.
Gabrielle is a Fellow of the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) and a Fellow of ther Higher Education Academy
Indicators of Esteem
- Member of the Northern Faculty of Medical Education Course Recognition Panel - Teaching the Teachers:
- Peer reviewer for Medical Education research projects at Peninsula Medical School:
- Reviewer for the journals: Anatomical Sciences Education, The Clinical Teacher, Medical Teacher, Medical Education, Teaching and Learning in Medicine, The International Journal of Medical Education, Advances in Medical Education and Practice, Clinical A:
- Reviewer for the National Teaching Fellow Awards and for the Higher Education Academy Teaching Development Grants:
Research Groups
Research Interests
- Anatomy pedagogy
- Assessment
- Medical Education
- Professionalism
Teaching Groups
- Medicine Phase 1
Teaching Areas
- Anatomy
- Assessment
- Clinical Skills
- Postgraduate clinical anatomy courses
Selected Publications
Conference papers
- McLachlan, JC., Finn, G. & Sawdon, MA. (2010), “With all due diligence” measuring conscientiousness in complex settings (workshop), AMEE Ottawa Conference on the Assessment of Competence in Medicine and the Healthcare Professions. Miami, Florida, USA.
- Finn, G.M. (2010), Adding Colour to Teaching: An Anatomical Palette, CREATE, Conference on Colour. Gjovik, Norway.
- Finn, G.M. (2010), Colourful colons: using colour in medical education (Keynote lecture), 'Working Together, Learning Together'. James Cook University Hospital, Middlesborough.
- Finn, G.M. (2010), Dr Companion and the use of mobile technologies to support student/staff access to electronic teaching materials (Presentation), Improving the future health care workforce conference. Newcastle, UK.
- Finn, G.M. & Sawdon, M. (2010), Factors influencing students’ ability to self and peer assess performance, AMEE International Meeting 2010. Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre (SECC), Glasgow, UK.
- Finn, G. M., Fleming, K. & McLachlan, J. C. (2010), Invisible maps of the body: constructing myths, uncovering legends, 4th International Conference of the European Society for the History of Science. Barcelona.
- Moss, J., Scott, L. & Finn, G. M. (2010), Learning technologies to support student/staff access to electronic teaching materials (Workshop), Improving the Future of Healthcare Conference. Newcastle, UK.
- Finn, G. M. & McLachlan, J. C. (2010), Students' perceptions of body painting as a tool for learning anatomy (Presentation), Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) International Meeting 2010. Glasgow, UK.
- Finn, G. M., Garner, J. & Sawdon, M. A. (2010), Students' perceptions of professionalism: a multi-centre study (Presentation), Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) International Meeting 2010. Glasgow, UK.
- Finn, G.M. & Curtis, F.A. (2010), The art of anatomy teaching, North East Universities (3 Rivers Consortium) Third Regional Learning and Teaching Conference. Sunderland University, England.
- Finn, G.M. & Sawdon, M. (2010), The impact of feedback and personality type upon students’ ability to self-assess skills, attributes and aptitudes, ASME Annual Scientific Meeting 2010. Robinson College, Cambridge, UK.
- Finn, G.M. & Sawdon, M (2010), The impact of feedback and personality type upon students’ ability to self-assess skills, attributes and aptitudes, 14th Ottawa Conference on the Assessment of Competence in Medicine and the Healthcare Professions. Miami, Florida.
- McLachlan, JC, Finn, GM & Sawdon, MA (2010), The relationship between professionalism and conscientiousness, ASME Annual Scientific Meeting. Robinson College, Cambridge, UK.
- Finn, GM, Cox, D, Northend, M & Curtis, FA (2010), The use of videos to aid self-directed learning and improve understanding of living anatomy, AMEE International Meeting. Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre (SECC), Glasgow, UK
- Finn, GM (2009), Body Painting: An alternative approach to anatomy teaching, American Association of Anatomists, Experimental Biology. New Orleans, USA.
- Fleming, K, McLachlan, JC, Finn, GM & Ludlow, A (2009), Invited Speakers Flex and Ply: does my S3 look big in this?, AMEE International Conference. Malaga
- Finn, GM (2009), The Art of Anatomy: alternative approaches to anatomy teaching, Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Oxford, UK..
- Finn, GM (2009), The Impact of Scrubs on Contextual Anatomy Learning. Poster, Experimental Biology (American Association of Anatomists). New Orleans, USA..
- Finn, GM (2008), Making Use of the Living: Innovative Methods of Teaching Living Anatomy. Poster, Yorkshire and North East UKGRAD Poster Competition and Networking Event. University of York, England..
- Finn, GM (2008), Making Use of the Living: Innovative Methods of Teaching Living Anatomy. Poster. (Prize winner: Best poster as voted for by the entrants), Durham University Doctoral Fellowship Event.
- Finn, GM & McLachlan, JC (2008), The colour of your inside: Using the body as a canvas. (Invited key speaker), “Create” conference on colour. University of Ulster, Northern Ireland.
- Finn, GM , Patten, D & McLachlan, JC (2008), The Impact of wearing scrubs on contextual learning(Poster), ASME Annual Conference New Horizons in Medical Education.
Journal papers: academic
- Finn, G. M., Sawdon, M. & Griksaitis, M. (2012). The additive effect of teaching undergraduate cardiac anatomy using cadavers and ultrasound echocardiography. European Journal of Anatomy 16(3): 199-205.
- Griksaitis, MG, Sawdon, MA & Finn, GM (2012). Ultrasound and cadaveric prosections as methods for teaching cardiac anatomy: A comparative study. Anatomical Sciences Education 5: 20-26.
- Finn, G. M., White, P. & Abdelbagi, I. (2011). The impact of color on retention of knowledge: A body-painting study within undergraduate medicine. Anatomical Sciences Education 4(6): 311-317.
- Finn, G. M. & Scott, L. (2011). Timely and Tiny: Supporting remote learning through the use of Personal Digital Assistants. Medical Education 45(5): 521-522.
- Finn, G. M. & Garner, J. (2011). Twelve tips for implementing a successful peer assessment. Medical Teacher 33(6): 443-446.
- Finn, Gabrielle Maria, Garner, Jayne & Sawdon, Marina (2010). "You're judged all the time!" Students' views on professionalism: A multi-centre study. Medical Education 44(8): 814-825.
- Finn, Gabrielle M. & McLachlan John C. (2010). A Qualitative Study of Student Responses to Body Painting. Anatomical Sciences Education 3(1): 33-38.
- Finn, Gabrielle M. , Patten, Debra & McLachlan, John C. (2010). The Impact of Wearing Scrubs on Contextual Learning in Undergraduate Medical Students. Medical Teacher Forthcoming.
- Finn, Gabrielle Maria (2010). Twelve tips for running a successful body painting teaching session. Medical Teacher 32(11): 887-890.
- Hodges, David., McLachlan, John C. & Finn, Gabrielle M. (2009). Exploring reflective 'critical incident' documentation of professionalism lapses in a medical undergraduate setting. BMC Medical Education 9(44): 5.
- Finn, Gabrielle M., Sawdon, Marina A., Clipsham, Laura & McLachlan, John C. (2009). Peer estimation of lack of professionalism correlates with low Conscientiousness Index scores. Medical Education 43(10): 960-967.
- McLachlan, John C., Finn, Gabrielle M. & Macnaughton, Jane (2009). The Conscientiousness Index: A Novel Tool to Explore Students’ Professionalism. Academic Medicine 84(5): 559-565.
- Donnelly, Leo, Patten, Debra, White, Pamela M. & Finn, Gabrielle M. (2009). Virtual Human Dissector as a Learning Tool for Studying Cross-sectional Anatomy. Medical Teacher 31(6): 553-555.
Presentation
- Finn, G.M. (2009), Using art in medical school. Researchers Revealed, Hancock Museum..
Grants Awarded
- 2011: NIAA research grant: The Conscientiousness Index
- 2009: Enhancing the Student Learning, Durham University.
