Dr Joanna Thurston

As Associate Dean for the Student Experience, Joanna works with the Faculty Executive, Department Heads and their Deputies, Programme Leaders, Programme Support colleagues and the Student's Union to support and enhance all aspects of our students' experience. Joanna strives to build a strong and collaborative relationship with the student body, ensuring feedback channels are available to all students, and responses to that feedback are transparent and actioned where appropriate. As Deputy Head of Department for the Department of Rehabilitation and Sport Science, Joanna uses her innovative and student centred pedagogic philosophy to support programmes in their development of efficient, effective curricula, with a strong focus on the development of students as self motivated learners. During her time at BU Joanna has been nominated for and received a number of awards for her innovative approaches to learning and was one of only 6 academic staff to be named as a BU Learning and Teaching Fellow in 2014.

Joanna's PhD research was an exploration of the experience of a diagnosis of premenopausal osteoporosis for a young, active female. She is currently working on a number of research publications in this area, as well as qualitative work in the fields of autism spectrum disorder, obesity and pedagogy. Joanna joined BU following two years teaching at the University of Bath. Within BU she has been integral to the success of two key developmental areas: The establishment of the Academy of Performance Coaching, a platform through which any BU student can gain Health and Fitness qualifications; And the writing, accreditation and programme leadership of the BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy degree that launched in the Faculty in 2017. Joanna joined academia in 2007 following a career in Sports Rehabilitation, during which she gained experiences from working with an elite performance coach in professional football, to supporting Hollywood movie stars on location. Within the football world Joanna completed consultancy as Bolton Wanderers, players at Chelsea FC and AFC Bournemouth. During her MSc in Sports Science and Medicine, Joanna completed work at the British Olympic Medical Association and orthopaedic theatres in both the NHS and private hospitals.