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Susan Allen

Job: Senior Lecturer

Faculty: Health and Life Sciences

School/department: Leicester School of Pharmacy

Research group(s): Pharmacy Practice Research Group

Address: ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH.

T: +44 (0)116 207 8772

E: sjallen@dmu.ac.uk

W: /pharmacy

 

Personal profile

Graduated from Nottingham University in 1987 and undertook pharmacist preregistration training with Wyeth Laboratories and the Royal London Hospital. Upon registration worked at Hammersmith Hospital and after two years in hospital pharmacy moved to the community sector.

Interest in pharmacy education was fostered during two years as a Teacher Practitioner in the Brighton School of Pharmacy. This interest developed further during the following five years at Boots The Chemists head office as Clinical Tutor, with responsibilities including the preregistration programme and pharmacist distance learning. A clinical pharmacy diploma was obtained.

Work as a freelance writer and copywriter for 5 years in diverse areas from marketing to writing workshops and articles for wide ranging clients both within pharmacy and outside the sector gave another perspective on writing and learning. Interest in pharmacist development continued and in 2005 joined Leicester School of Pharmacy as a Senior Lecturer.

The innovator and developer of the web-based, individualised Skills Evaluation and Development program, iSED®which has been part of the current MPharm skills development programme since 2012.

iSED® has many potential applications and is currently used by: MPharm students in Years 1, 2 and 3 to facilitate their self-regulated skills development in responding to symptoms; and commercially for the evaluation and development of competence of community pharmacy teams. 

Personal and professional interest in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Mast Cell Activation Disorders.

Research group affiliations

Publications and outputs


  • dc.title: Can H2-receptor upregulation and raised histamine explain an anaphylactoid reaction on cessation of ranitidine in a 19 year old female? dc.contributor.author: Allen, Susan; Dixon, C. J.; Chazot P L dc.description.abstract: The anaphylactoid reaction described follows cessation of ranitidine in a 19 year old female with the disease cluster: mast cell activation syndrome, hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and postural tachycardia syndrome. Anaphylaxis can give wide-ranging symptoms, from rhinorrhea and urticaria to tachycardia and system-wide, life-threatening, anaphylactic shock. Individuals with a disorder of mast cell activation can experience many such symptoms. H2 receptor antagonists, such as ranitidine, are commonly prescribed in this population. A mechanism for the reaction is proposed in the context of ranitidine, as an inverse agonist, causing upregulation of H2 histamine receptors and raised histamine levels due to enzyme induction. This effect, following extended and/or high antihistamine dosing, may have implications for other individuals with a disorder of mast cell activation, such as mastocytosis or mast cell activation syndrome. There are potential policy and patient guidance implications for primary and secondary care with respect to cessation of H2 antagonists. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.

  • dc.title: Writing a paper: a guide for early career researchers Part 2 dc.contributor.author: Allen, Susan

  • dc.title: Writing a paper: a guide for early career researchers Part 1. dc.contributor.author: Allen, Susan

  • dc.title: Self-care: a model for consultation dc.contributor.author: Allen, Susan

  • dc.title: An investigation of pharmacy student perception of competence-based learning using the individual Skills Evaluation and Development program, iSED dc.contributor.author: Allen, Susan; Waterfield, Jon; Rivers, Peter dc.description.abstract: The Objective Structured Clinical Exercise (OSCE) is the mainstay of clinical competence evaluation of healthcare professionals. The iSED® (individualised Skills Evaluation and Development) program, developed by Leicester School of Pharmacy, embraces various learning theories and was conceived to enhance the OSCE experience and facilitate students’ self-regulation in developing clinical competence. Aim: To explore pharmacy students’ experience of using iSED® to develop clinical competence. Method: Data were collected using a mixed methods study comprising an attitudinal Likert-style questionnaire, completed by second year MPharm students at Leicester School of Pharmacy, and focus groups with second year and third year students. Results: Students expressed a positive perception towards iSED®, characterised by three emergent themes: ‘Visualisation and nature of feedback’, ‘Self-regulation and cyclical learning’, ‘Seeing yourself as others see you’. Conclusion: Experience of iSED® supports clinical skills development through objective self-observation against a gold standard and facilitates understanding of individual learner identity. dc.description: This is an Open Access Journal.

  • dc.title: Managing Raynaud’s Phenomenon dc.contributor.author: Allen, Susan

  • dc.title: Ever heard of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome? dc.contributor.author: Allen, Susan

  • dc.title: Chickenpox and shingles infection dc.contributor.author: Allen, Susan

  • dc.title: Management of myasthenia gravis dc.contributor.author: Allen, Susan

  • dc.title: How to deal with constipation dc.contributor.author: Allen, Susan

Research interests/expertise

  • Development of transferable communication skills in the pharmacy undergraduate.
  • Use of iSED® as a self-regulated learning tool for skills evaluation and development of competence.
  • Minor ailment management by the community pharmacist and the P medicines market and evaluation of competence using iSED®.
  • Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Hypermobility Type and its associated condition Mast Cell Activation Disorder.

Membership of professional associations and societies

General Pharmaceutical Council
Royal Pharmaceutical Society GB

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