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Dr Catherine Hennessy

Catherine Hennessy Profile Image

Dr Catherine Hennessy B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc., P.C.A.P., F.H.E.A., Ph.D.

Head of Anatomy
E: C.Hennessy@bsms.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)1273 678037
Location: Medical School Building (room 3.07c), Biology Road, University of Sussex, Falmer, BN1 9PX

Area of expertise: Musculoskeletal anatomy

Research areas: Social media use and professionalism by medical students and doctors, Social media professionalism

Other faculty positions: Module 204 Lead, Anatomy Course Lead for MSc. Physician Associate

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Biography

Catherine completed a BSc (Hons) in Exercise and Sport Rehabilitation in 2006, after which she spent five years working in the sports injury industry in Ireland. In 2011, Catherine moved to Edinburgh to work with the military as a rehabilitation therapist before deciding to change career paths and return to university. In 2013, she graduated with a MSc in Human Anatomy which allowed her to remain at the University of Edinburgh as an Anatomy Teaching Assistant for a short period before becoming an Anatomy Teaching Fellow at the University of Southampton. In 2015, Catherine moved to Brighton Sussex Medical School where she has worked her way up to Lecturer and Acting Deputy Head of Anatomy. Due to Catherine’s background in rehabilitation, she has a very keen interest in musculoskeletal anatomy. Catherine is also a member of the Anatomical Society Council and the Chairperson of the Anatomical Society’s Website Media and Communication Committee.

Research

Catherine completed her PhD (part-time while working as anatomy lecturer at BSMS) in 2021 which involved exploring how medical students and doctors develop their understanding of social media professionalism and the development of a professional online identity. Her research interests include social media professionalism and the development of anatomy core curricula for health professionals.

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Teaching

Catherine is the Module 204 lead on the BMBS degree at BSMS and is also the Anatomy Course Lead for MSc. Physician Associate studies. As well as teaching undergraduate medical students and postgraduate students, Catherine regularly teaches on external anatomy courses for Surgical Trainees, Osteopaths, Sports Therapists, Physiotherapists, Radiologists, Rheumatologists and other allied health science students.

Selected publications

Book Chapters:

  • Hennessy CM and Smith CF. (2020) Digital and Social Media in Anatomy Education. In: Rea PM. (ed.) Biomedical Visualisation. In Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, Vol 1260. Springer, Cham. (pp. 109-122). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47483-6_6
  • Smith CF, Finn GM, Holland J, Stewart J, Connolly SA, Hennessy CM, McHanwell S. (2020) Core Syllabi in Anatomy. In: Chan LK, Pawlina W. (eds.) Teaching Anatomy A Practical Guide. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43283-6_43
  • Hennessy CM and Paneris I. (2018) Function and Dysfunction of Joint. In: Petty N, Barnard K. (eds.) Principles of Musculoskeletal Treatment and Management, 3rd Edition, Elsevier.

Articles:

  • Hennessy CM, Royer DF, Meyer AJ, Smith CF. (2020) Social Media Guidelines for Anatomists. Anatomical Sciences Education, 13(4): 527-539.
  • Hennessy CM. (2020) Social Media Guidelines for Anatomists: How They Came About and How They Link to the HTA. Blog Human Tissue Authority, UK. https://www.hta.gov.uk/node/40955
  • Hennessy CM, Smith CF, Greener S, Ferns G. (2019) Social Media Guidelines: A Review for Health Professionals and Faculty Members. The Clinical Teacher, 16:442-447.
  • Border S, Hennessy CM, Pickering J. (2019) The Rapidly Changing Landscape of Student Social Media Use in Anatomy Education. Anatomical Sciences Education, 12:577-579.
  • Finn G, Hennessy CM, Hitch G, Gard P, Apampa B and Smith CF. (2018) The Anatomical Society Core Anatomy Syllabus for Pharmacists: Outcomes to Create a Foundation for Practice. Journal of Anatomy, 232(5):729-738.
  • Hennessy CM, Kirkpatrick E, Smith CF, Border S. (2016) Social Media and Anatomy Education: Using Twitter to Enhance the Student Learning Experience in Anatomy. Anatomical Sciences Education, 9(6):505-515.

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