Carolyn Thomas | University of Dundee | United Kingdom
Ms. Carolyn Thomas is a final-year medical student at the University of Dundee, School of Medicine, pursuing her MBChB with distinction and maintaining a strong academic record across five years of study. Since beginning her training in 2020, she has built a comprehensive foundation in clinical medicine, enriched by research, teaching, and leadership contributions to the academic community. Her education includes consistently high performance in Student Selected Components (SSCs), where she explored healthcare inequalities, general practice, surgery, and eating disorders, gaining insight into critical issues such as inequalities faced by transgender individuals, the importance of data literacy in primary care, and the psychosocial complexities of eating disorders. Clinical placements across the NHS Highlands, Tayside, and Aberdeen expanded her understanding of multidisciplinary care, specialty pathways, and biopsychosocial approaches to treatment, while nurturing her interest in psychiatry, adolescent health, and medical education. Alongside her clinical training, Carolyn has developed a strong research portfolio spanning surveys, audits, ethnographic studies, and systematic reviews. Her contributions include a survey on adherence to FSRH contraception guidelines in epilepsy patients, a focused ethnographic study on international medical students’ psychological safety in feedback episodes published in BMC Medical Education (2024), and two systematic reviews on secure care for young people one published in Children and Youth Services Review (2025) and another forthcoming in late 2025. These projects positioned her work to inform adolescent mental health policy and the development of Scotland’s Foxgrove Unit. Recognized for both academic and extracurricular excellence, Carolyn was shortlisted for the Ronald Harden Prize, received the Principal’s Commendation for teaching Gateway to Medicine students, and earned top distinctions in oral presentations, including winning at the Beacon Academy Bridging Gaps 2024 and placing third at the SODECS Annual Scientific Meeting. She also graduated with First-Class Honours and holds Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA), affirming her commitment to medical education and leadership. Her research skills encompass critical thinking, digital literacy, qualitative synthesis, literature review, and audit methodologies, with particular expertise in ethnographic fieldwork and systematic analysis. Combining clinical training, teaching, and scholarly achievement, Carolyn embodies the qualities of a clinician-scholar dedicated to advancing healthcare delivery, education, and outcomes for vulnerable populations.
Profile : Scopus
Featured Publications
Hu, H., Zou, J., Shan, L., Jiang, X., Ni, Y., Li, X., Qian, X., Chen, W., Zhou, Y., & Zhang, W. (2025). Exploring staff perspectives of working in secure care accommodation for young people: A systematic review of qualitative research.