New RCPCH Officer for Education Programme Development appointed

Dr Bob Klaber has been appointed as the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health's Officer for Education Programme Development.

During his term in post he hopes to support the development of an educational strategy that looks to develop programmes that are focused on the future, are multi-professional, are evidence-based, relate to developments in policy and clinical standards, are strongly evaluated and above all are rich in learning.

 Dr Klaber is a Consultant Paediatrician at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust who also trained as a medical educationalist alongside his postgraduate paediatric training in London. He continues to be involved in leading educational initiatives and educational research projects and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Educators. He is the Head of Education for Women’s and Children’s Services at Imperial and is a Training Programme Director within the London Deanery. He remains an active member of the NHS London ‘Prepare to Lead’ mentoring scheme, both as alumni and facilitator of action learning sets.

Bob’s clinical interests are in general and ambulatory paediatrics and he is currently working with colleagues in primary and secondary care to look at integrated care models of service and training within paediatrics. He has developed his medical education experience through work with medical schools, the London Deanery, different Medical Royal Colleges, NHS London, e-learning for Healthcare and the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, where he was a member of the Enhancing Engagement in Medical Leadership project team who designed and implemented the Medical Leadership Competency Framework (MLCF).

Bob has particular educational interest in the development of leadership, management and team skills and behaviours in doctors and other healthcare professionals. Driven by a desire to facilitate junior doctors in developing these skills and behaviours within a work-based setting he has both led and supported a number of different leadership development schemes and initiatives within the UK, and established the ‘Paired Learning’ (managers and clinicians) and ‘Shared Learning’ (multi professional) leadership development programmes.