Professor Aileen Bell
- Head of the Dental School Professor of Oral Surgery and Dental Education (Dental School)
email:
Aileen.Bell@glasgow.ac.uk
School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing, R606 Level 6, 378 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow Dental Hospital & School, Glasgow, G2 3JZ
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5701-7012Research interests
Biography
Professor Aileen Bell graduated from the University of Stirling with a BSc with Honours First Class in Biology in July 1990. She worked at the Hannah Research Institute in Ayrshire as a Research Assistant on a Mammalian Biochemistry project in the interim period before taking up a PhD position at the University of Glasgow in October 1990. This was an MRC funded post to look at the Effects of Alcohol on Rat Lingual Epithelium and was carried out as a joint project between The Department of Cell Biology and The Department of Oral Pathology, Glasgow Dental School. She obtained her PhD in July 1993.
During her time in Glasgow Dental School she developed an interest in clinical research and patient contact and began studying Dentistry as a second first degree in October 1993. She graduated from Glasgow University as the Most Distinguished Graduate for 1998 with a BDS with Honours and was awarded the Dean Webster Prize and the Lord Provost's Prize for the most marks obtained in Dental School Examinations.
In August 1998 she embarked on a two year General Professional Training Programme, with one year in General Dental Practice as a Vocational Dental Practitioner and one year as a GPT House Officer in Glasgow Dental Hospital and School. By the end of this period she had obtained an MFDS from The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and was awarded the T.C. White Medal for outstanding performance in part C of the exam.
From 2000-2002 she worked as a Senior House Officer in Glasgow Dental Hospital and School after which she took up the post of Specialist Registrar in Surgical Dentistry in Glasgow (2002-2004). In June 2004 she was appointed as a Clinical Lecturer in Oral Surgery/ Honorary Specialist Registrar in Academic Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Glasgow. During this period she completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice which was awarded by the University of Glasgow in June 2007 and she is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She gained an FDS(OS) RCPS (Glas) and obtained a United Kingdom Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training in 2008. She took up the post of Clinical Senior Lecturer/ Honorary Consultant in Oral Surgery at Glasgow University Dental School in May 2009 and was also appointed as Deputy Director of Dental Education. Other roles included Education Lead for Clinical Dentistry and Oral Surgery Teaching Lead. In 2012 she took on the role of Director of Dental Education.
In 2015 she was elected as a Fellow of the International Team for Implantology and in 2019 was appointed Chair of the Intercollegiate Specialty Fellowship Examination in Oral Surgery and Training Programme Director for Specialty Training in Oral Surgery in the West of Scotland.
She is currently Professor of Oral Surgery and Dental Education at the University of Glasgow (2021) and was appointed as Head of the Dental School in September 2021.
Research interests
Professor Bell's main research interests lie within the field of Educational Research and Three Dimensional Imaging. She is a member of the Community in Dental Research and Scholarship at Glasgow Dental School and the Association of British Academic Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons National Education Group. Current themes include assessment and digital and blended learning.
She has a particular interest in 3D Imaging and Digital Technology as an Educational tool and previously worked as part of a team on 2D and 3D Visualisation Supporting Interactive Dental Education, which was a £1.5million NHS Education for Scotland Funded project in collaboration with The Digital Design Studio (Glasgow School of Art), The Department of Anatomy (University of Glasgow), The University of Dundee and Glasgow Dental School.
She also worked as part of a multidisciplinary team with links to Computing Science, Clinical Psychology, Statistics and Plastic Surgery. The group interests included the clinical application of 3D imaging in facial trauma and the use of this imaging tool to assess surgical outcomes in patients with cleft lip and palate (CSO funded work).
She has held an educational grant with one of the major Dental Implant companies for teaching Dental Implantology to undergraduate students since 2012 and is now involved in work in the area of digitally guided surgery and robotics, both as clinical and educational tools.
Grants
Grants and Awards listed are those received whilst working with the University of Glasgow.
- A multidisciplinary assessment of residual deformities following surgical repair of cleft lip and palate
Scottish Executive Health Department
2005 - 2009
