Advance HE Awards
National honours for teaching excellence
Published on: 6 August 2026
Newcastle University is celebrating national recognition for its teaching excellence after receiving two prestigious Advance HE awards for outstanding teaching and collaborative innovation.
Dr Carys Watts has been awarded a National Teaching Fellowship (NTF), while the Young@Heart Clinic team has received a Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE).
The honours recognise exceptional contributions to teaching, learning and student success, bringing Newcastle University's total to 24 National Teaching Fellows and five CATE-winning teams.
Professor Ruth Valentine, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education at Newcastle University, said: “Congratulations to Dr Watts and the Young@Heart team on this well-deserved recognition.
"These awards highlight the outstanding quality of education and innovation at Newcastle University, and the positive impact our colleagues have on students, their learning and future opportunities, as well as the impact our students have on our community.
"As a world-class civic university, we are committed to delivering societal benefit through research and education, locally and globally. This recognition reflects how we are creating lasting impact through education, research and engagement, both within our region and beyond.”
Award-winning educator
Dr Carys Watts, a bioscience enterprise educator, has been recognised for her sustained contribution to inclusive teaching and learning at Newcastle University and across the higher education sector.
Her educational leadership is characterised by her innovative teaching methods, along with her impact on student success, digital education and access to study, work and research opportunities overseas.
Dr Watts said: "I am absolutely thrilled to receive a National Teaching Fellowship, recognising my journey, innovation and achievements in higher education.
“Teaching lets me live my values inspired by the students, colleagues and communities I engage with to make a positive difference, the NTF encompasses all of this."
Dr Watts designed the sector-leading module Business Enterprise for Bioscientists and developed the "Failing to Learn" approach, helping students build confidence, resilience and ambition by encouraging them to learn from real-world experiences and challenges.
The approach was recognised with the Royal Society of Biology's HE Bioscience Teacher of the Year award in 2024 and has since informed teaching practice across the UK and internationally.
Beyond the classroom, Dr Watts has played a leading role in curriculum design, assessment innovation and internationalisation.
She introduced international research internships, industrial placements, study abroad opportunities and virtual exchange programmes, significantly increasing participation in global initiatives, particularly among widening participation students.
.jpg)
Where learning meets community
The Young@Heart Clinic, a student-led cardiovascular disease screening service delivered in community locations across Newcastle, has received a Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence for its sector-leading approach to pharmacy education.
Developed in the School of Pharmacy, in partnership with Newcastle City Council and voluntary sector organisation Connected Voice, it was created in response to the national shortage of clinical placement capacity. The initiative combines authentic student learning with meaningful community impact.
Originally established in Newcastle's Grainger Market before expanding across the city, Young@Heart has provided hands-on clinical experience for more than 600 students while improving access to healthcare for thousands of community members.
By placing learners in real-world settings, it strengthens clinical competence, confidence and professional identity, while helping address health inequalities and barriers associated with traditional clinical environments.
Dr Charlotte Richardson, who co-leads the initiative, said: "The Young@Heart clinic team are thrilled to receive a CATE award in recognition of the collaborative team approach to our innovative student-led clinic provision.
“The award recognises the team's efforts since 2019 to operationalise and grow high-quality clinical education opportunities while simultaneously contributing to the health and wellbeing of our local community."
The Young@Heart model has been shared widely through national pharmacy and healthcare education forums, workshops and invited talks.
The team has also developed evaluation frameworks and implementation guidance, alongside mentoring support, enabling universities across the UK to adopt the initiative.
This work has helped drive national discussion around scalable, community-based approaches to clinical education and placement capacity challenges.
Led by Professor Hamde Nazar and Dr Charlotte Richardson, the Young@Heart team includes Newcastle University colleagues Dr Angela Long, Holly Cuskin, Orieoma Chukwu-Etu, Dr Matt Cooper, Adam Gardner, Dr Nehal Hassan, Dr Daniel Okeowo, Andrea Small, Alison Gregory and Rachel Clark.
External partners include Newcastle City Council Project Manager Karen Inglis and Abbie Rance, Development Officer for the Haref Network at Connected Voice.
Further information can be found via the links below:
