Geney Gunston qualified with an MBChB from the University of Cape Town (UCT) and, after practicing at state institutions as a medical officer, she joined the Department of Human Biology as an Applied Anatomy lecturer and completed an M Phil in Higher Education Studies through the Faculty of Humanities. She is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Biology, teaching undergraduate students in years 1-3 of the MBChB programme and postgraduate students in Applied Anatomy.

She is a life member of the Anatomical Society of Southern Africa (ASSA), and joined the Faculty of Health Sciences Educational Leadership Fellowship Programme in 2022.

Her research interests range from clinical anatomy, particularly related to variations of the cardiovascular system, to medical education, with a focus on successful transitioning from high school to first- and second-year tertiary education.

Medical education innovations:

• Development of audio-visual material for Problem Based Learning, funded by two Teaching with Technology Grants, to highlight the relevance of basic health sciences.
• Introduction of clinical exposure in first year to promote integration of theory and practice.
• Introduction of interactive physiology laboratory simulation programmes to help students to understand and apply physiological concepts.
• Design and implementation of an intervention to improve students’ spatial visualisation ability.

Current Research projects:

• Translational research in anatomical variation, particularly of the cardiovascular system.
•  Promoting conceptual change in anatomy learning.
• Teaching anatomy to promote transfer to clinical skills and reasoning.