Dr Gemma Ryan-Blackwell

Professional biography

Gemma has a diverse background as a qualified teacher with Qualified Teaching and Learning Status with Society for Education (fellow) and is also a registered adult nurse and nurse teacher with a Principal Fellowship of Higher Education Academy (now Advance HE). She is currently Co-Programme Leader for the BSc (Hons) Nursing (apprenticeship) and Senior Lecturer in nursing. 

Her experience includes secondary, further and higher education (maths, biology, health & social care), research management, private and NHS healthcare (community and acute setting). She holds a Doctor of Nursing (her professional doctoral study examined the concept of professionalism and social media), MSc Professional Education and PGCertHE obtained from DeMontfort University; BSc (Hons) Health & Social Care and PGCertAdvancing Healthcare Practice from the Open University. Gemma has extensive experience in online and distance education at a range of academic levels.  

Research interests

Gemma currently works on a range of research projects with a particular interest in professionalism, accountability (including the legal aspects of this), professional regulatory standards and apprenticeships. Ongoing research involves raising awareness of, assessment and decision making for [un]professional behaviours of nurses in social media, 'e-professionalism' policy, guidance and interventions, professionalism, and leads a team in the dissemination of a completed NIHR funded project Witness to harm, holding to account | Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (open.ac.uk) This project uniquely explored the experiences of public witnesses in Fitness to Practise proceedings, involving all thirteen UK health and social care regulators. Gemma led a workpackage; a novel content and website usability analysis of webpages and documents, making recommendations about how regulators can better communicate with people who want to raise a concern about a professional and after they raise a concern. Dissemination is via OU Open Societal Challenge funding 'Improving how the public engage with health and care professional regulation fitness to practise hearings'. We also have a collaboration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland. 

Among other school, faculty and univeristy groups and committees, Gemma is Vice Chair on a Health Research Authority Human Research Ethics Committee - North West, co-chair of the Open Nursing and Allied Health Research Group at the OU and the OU WELS Faculty REF Impact Lead for Unit of Assessment 3 'Allied health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy'.

Current and past projects

2025                Witness to Harm, Holding to Account: evaluation of the impact of project findings and associated outputs

2024-2026       Witness to Harm, Holding to Account: evaluation of the impact of project findings and   associated outputs

2024-2025       SONAR: Scope of Nursing Associate Roles, a thematic content analysis of how organisations are implementing the nursing associate role

2022-2024       Improving patient, family and colleague witnesses’ experiences of fitness to practice   proceedings: a mixed methods study.

2021-2024       Witness to harm, holding to account: Patient, family and colleague experiences when   directly involved in health and care regulator Fitness to Practise (FtP) hearings when   they have been harmed by a registered professional’s behaviour

2019-2023        CHASM: Competency Hearings About Social Media

2021-2022       Using the OU foundation degree curriculum to support trainee nursing associates to   develop professional identity

2019-2022       Developing Education for E-Professionalism (DEEP)

2018                Professional Regulation In Social Media (PRISM) extension grant

2017                Professional Regulation In Social Media (PRISM)

2013-2014       SOS: SignPOst. Developing an online advice tool for pre-registration nursing students.

2013-2014       4Es of Good Degrees. What are the modifiable factors that facilitate pre-registration     nursing student’s progression?

2013-2014       ADHD One Stop Shop. Evaluation of a nurse led multi-agency drop-in clinic for   children and young people with ADHD (incorporating the DRIFT project, Disseminating   Research Information through Facebook and Twitter)

2013-2014       ADHD & You. Evaluation of an online educational programme for parents, healthcare    and education staff on the topic of ADHD.

2013-2014         Evaluation of the 4D interprofessional education framework. 

2013                   Abdominal massage in children with constipation

2012-2013         Evaluation of a community based, nurse led sleep management service for children and young people with physical and developmental disability.

Teaching interests

Gemma has a diverse teaching background with a particular focus on nursing, health and social care and interprofessional education in the online environment. She is also interested in the use of participatory social media technologies such as blogging for reflection in partnership with students, including the use of this to teach research methods and theory. In complement to her research interests, critical realist principles and embedding these into pedagogic practices are part of her approach to the design and delivery of online materials.  

Gemma has many years’ experience in the validation, development, design and delivery of online focused modules and programmes. She was production chair for module K*234 Healthcare theory for practice and K*805 Advancing professional practice. She has extensive knowledge of regulatory (NMC) and apprenticeship quality, governance and compliance having been programme leader for the Foundation Degree in Nursing Associate Practice (apprenticeship) for six years and now for BSc (Hons) Nursing (apprenticeship).

Impact and engagement

2025                'Being seen and being heard' What we can learn from two studies about complaining (or not) to professional regulators. Professional Standards Authority Blog.

2024                OpenLearn Course. Improving patient, family and colleague witnesses’ experiences of Fitness to Practise proceedings. Production lead.

2024                Just a sharp scratch. Podcast on nursing associates in my capacity as programme leader. 12^th July 2024. Promoting the OU programme and my research.

2024                Proud of nursing associates: who they are and why they are important

                        Used to disseminate the findings from my PRAXIS project ‘Using the OU foundation degree curriculum to support trainee nursing associates to develop professional identity’

2024                Nursing associate career pathways: not just the top-up

                        Used to disseminate the findings from my PRAXIS project ‘Using the OU foundation degree curriculum to support trainee nursing associates to develop professional identity’

2024                Witness to Harm, Holding to Account, Friends House, London, 1^st February 2024

2024                Witness to Harm, Holding to Account, The Juniper Auditorium, Dundee, 17^th January 2024

2023                Witness to Harm, Holding to Account stimulus video with a summary of the project findings.

2023                Witness to Harm, Holding to Account EdApp resource used to disseminate findings of my work package to professional regulators.

2019                DRIFT project dissemination video and embedded in K102 Block 6 Topic 3

                        This is a video animation I produced to disseminate the findings to stakeholders in the DRIFT research project.

2018                Feature in Metro Newspaper on being an OU Nurse Academic.

                        The OU marketing team invited me to be interviewed for an article in the Metro Newspaper to share my experience of working as a nursing academic while practicing as a nurse and to promote the OU.

2017                Dissemination of 3Cs rule. Being professional in social media.

                        This is a video animation I produced to disseminate the findings from my doctoral research study.

2016                DRIFT project: Nomination for ‘Health and Care in Health Tech and You’ Awards 2016

                        The DRIFT project was nominated for this award.

2015 Advertorial/Editorial for Health Times (print & online) (2015) University of Derby Online Learning is proud to value inter-professional practice and education, 15 November 2015: 14.

                        This article was published for an Australian magazine to promote nursing and nurse education. This magazine receives over 150,000 visits per month.

2014                ADHD information on social media: An interview with Gemma Ryan MedicalNews.net 24th October 2014.

                        As a result of my East Midlands Academic Health Science Network Innovation in Healthcare Award winner (mental health). DRIFT: Disseminating Research Information through Facebook and Twitter I was invited to interview by Medical News.net to be a ‘thought leader’ about the role of social media in research.

 2014                DRIFT project, ADHD research on social media: An interview with Gemma Ryan, BBC Radio Derby, 23rd October 2014

                        As a result of my East Midlands Academic Health Science Network Innovation in Healthcare Award winner (mental health). DRIFT: Disseminating Research Information through Facebook and Twitter I was invited to interview by Radio Derby to talk about the role of social media in research