Dr Emma Tonner
Emma Tonner has extensive experience in healthcare leadership, systems and policy at all levels. Emma graduated from the University of Leeds in 2020 where she received several awards for impact and contribution to academic and extracurricular activities.
Through her role as RCGP lead for Medical Students and Foundation Doctors over several years, she has contributed to national policy and curriculum collaborating with multiple regional and national stakeholders. This role included campaigning for the undergraduate tariff to be increased, influencing curriculum, providing access to medicine opportunities and outreach work impacting thousands of students, presenting new policy at the Houses of Parliament and the organisation of conferences reaching hundreds of prospective GPs. For her contribution, she has received several RCGP awards.
During her BSc in Management at Imperial Business School, Emma developed experience in business, innovation and digital healthcare through recognised entrepreneurship programmes and voluntary work. Resultantly, she now contributes to digital policy working groups and as an invited speaker in several forums.
Emma has just completed the Academic Foundation Programme in Leadership in the East Midlands. During this time she advocated for her peers as a Foundation, regional executive BMA, LNC and Doctors in Training representative and through award-winning wellbeing and digital champion roles. She also completed a PGCertificate in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement from University of Nottingham. Emma has contributed to research through publications and promotion of academic careers, as well as through the organisation of and presentation at national and international conferences.
Reason for applying for the scheme
Emma aspires to be influential in shaping health systems that accommodate the needs of our population. She is passionate about leadership, policy, digital health, quality improvement, patient safety, workforce and reducing health inequalities. These challenges require solutions that work across health and wider systems and that are integrated within their communities, to best support our patients and staff.
Through her elective with NHS England and Improvement’s primary care directorate, she was able to represent medical students and foundation doctors and observe and contribute to national strategic encounters and develop NHS systems understanding. She now welcomes the opportunity to have greater experience with similar projects and continue to develop her skills over the next year.
Emma is passionate about sharing her knowledge and empowering healthcare professionals to be change-makers within their systems and communities at all levels; providing them with the skills and voice to achieve this. She currently fulfils this through her roles as honorary lecturer in healthcare leadership and as Cohort Director at the Healthcare Leadership Academy.
Emma is delighted to be joining the NIHR this year and is excited to continue to develop her skills at the Clinical Research Network working with senior colleagues across national healthcare organisations. This role will provide the opportunity to better understand health research planning and how the evidence-base contributes to clinical integration and health policy.
Emma welcomes the opportunity to connect and is happy to be contacted.
