Professor Michele Russell is a distinguished leader in clinical education, higher education policy, healthcare workforce development, public-sector transformation and business innovation. Her career spans universities, government, healthcare, defence, professional education and consultancy.

Within IOWL, she serves as Vice President, Provost and Chief Academic Officer, and chairs the Centre for Positive Value Leadership™. Her contribution strengthens the academic seriousness of IOWL's work by connecting Positive Value Leadership with curriculum quality, learner experience, educational credibility, institutional governance and practical impact.

Her work complements IOWL's mission by bringing extensive senior experience in health education, curriculum innovation, education policy, assessment transformation, widening participation and stakeholder-centred institutional change.

Professor Russell holds a joint position between the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust as Professor of Global Vision and Eye Health Education and Director of Education. In this role, she is supporting the development of London's eye health workforce and strengthening the global leadership of the UCL-Moorfields partnership.

Her education remit is directly connected with the integration of clinical care, research and education within the new Oriel centre, due to open in September 2027. The strategic ambition is that learners anywhere in the world seeking education in eye disease, vision research, science and enterprise should look first to the UCL-Moorfields education portfolio.

This current appointment evidences her standing at the intersection of clinical education, international educational reach, workforce development, institutional partnership and the translation of specialist research and clinical excellence into learning systems.

Professor Russell's academic reputation has been built on improving and enhancing the student experience, particularly in healthcare professions and professionally oriented higher education. Her approach is grounded in students-as-partners research, experience-based co-design and the active involvement of students, employers and other stakeholders in the design of curricula, policies and university processes.

Her work has created opportunities for thousands of students through widening participation initiatives, foundation degrees, workforce development programmes and degree apprenticeships. She has designed online academic and professional skills learning for business, nursing, creative industries and paramedicine, aligning student development with employability and industry expectations.

At Pearson College London, she developed student co-creator roles influencing institutional decision-making and collaborative research. Her work has also connected with innovation projects and learning initiatives involving University College London and IBM, including the Studio Learning Project, which was associated with a Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence.

Professor Russell has more than 18 years' senior strategic leadership experience across higher education, health, government, public-sector and private-sector consultancy. Her senior roles have included Pro Vice-Chancellor and Director of Education-level responsibilities in major universities and national institutions.

At the London School of Economics and Political Science, she held a senior professorial role and led the transformation of assessment. At King's College London, she served in senior academic-development leadership and led major consultation and revalidation activity for MBBS, nursing and midwifery programmes.

Her previous academic leadership also includes Professor of Clinical Education at Northumbria University, Academic Lead for Educational Development in the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery at King's College London, and senior educational-development work across professional and clinical education.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Professor Russell served in the Senior Civil Service and held major public-sector testing responsibilities for the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education. Her work contributed to the rapid rollout of rapid antigen testing and the establishment of asymptomatic testing sites.

She advised ministers, coordinated higher-education pandemic-response work and engaged with sector bodies including Universities UK in shaping policy responses. Her contribution also extended to research and policy activity concerning rapid antigen and antibody testing and to behavioural-insight work with the Cabinet Office.

This period demonstrates her capacity to operate under national urgency, bridge policy and implementation, and convert complex scientific, educational and operational requirements into practical public-sector response.

Professor Russell's IOWL role is concerned with academic quality, educational coherence and the credibility of learning pathways that develop leadership calibre. She helps ensure that Positive Value Leadership™ is positioned not as passive content delivery or conventional training, but as structured reflective learning requiring judgement, responsibility, integrity and applied human purpose.

As Provost and Chief Academic Officer, she supports academic standards, educational development, learning architecture, institutional credibility and the alignment of IOWL's programmes with serious university and professional expectations. As Chair of the Centre for Positive Value Leadership™, she contributes to the academic and policy-facing development of IOWL's leadership-calibre agenda, including OECD-facing work associated with values-led education and future leadership.

Her background in students-as-partners practice, clinical education, curriculum design, revalidation, assessment transformation and stakeholder co-design gives IOWL significant credibility with universities, professional bodies and public institutions considering collaboration.

Professor Russell is a National Teaching Fellow, Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and King's Teaching Fellow. These recognitions reflect her sustained contribution to higher education teaching quality, academic leadership and student-centred educational development.

Her wider service includes involvement in defence learning and leadership through the Royal Navy's Learning and Innovation Advisory Group and trustee activity with the Royal Air Force. She is also a Freeman of the City of London and associated with the Worshipful Company of Educators.

Her career is distinguished by the ability to move between strategic policy, institutional leadership, curriculum design, health education, public-sector delivery and practical learning innovation. That range is directly relevant to IOWL's work with universities and institutions seeking to build credible standards of calibre, integrity and positive leadership impact.