Utilising Microsoft HoloLens2 to deliver remote clinical placement experiences as part of a simulated placement model in higher education: Challenges and solutions

Author's Biography

Elizabeth Lomas is an Advanced Orthoptist at Royal Stoke University Hospital (RSUH) and has been an Orthoptic Lecturer at the University of Liverpool since 2021. She began her clinical career at the Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre, later specialising in Stroke and Neuro-rehabilitation with an Msc at Keele University whilst working as clinical tutor at RSUH. Elizabeth contributed to the British and Irish Orthoptic Society’s award-winning Clinical Placement Expansion Project, which enhanced clinical learning opportunities through digital innovation. This project is still transforming the teaching and learning that Elizabeth, and all the staff at UoL, can offer on their undergraduate and Msc Orthoptics courses, with a wonderful variety of authentic clinical resources.

Joanne Adeoye BSc MMedSci FHEA, is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Director for the BSc Orthoptics Programme and Deputy Lead for Quality for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at the University of Liverpool. She began her clinical career at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust where she championed patient-centred care by developing clinical pathways for specialist eyecare for patient with neurological conditions. She later moved into academia where she founded and Chaired the British and Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS) Neuroorthoptic Clinical Advisory Group to support clinicians in enhanced and advanced practice roles. She was appointed as BIOS representative for Advanced Practice, developing a National Curriculum and Competency Framework for Orthoptists and Neuroophthalmic Practitioners. Joanne’s passion for clinical education has fuelled her drive to establish various local and national, impactful projects, including the BIOS award-winning Clinical Placement Expansion Project. Key projects she has led on relate to placement expansion, structuring and embedding authentic clinical experiences and resources for pre-registration learning as well as developing structured pathways and resources for postgraduate education and career development.

Michelle Murray is the Strategic Programmes and Business Development Lead for the British and Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS). With a background in digital transformation, programme management, process improvement, and clinical pathway redesign — supported by a degree in Business Information Systems — she brings 19 years’ industry experience, including 17 within the NHS. Michelle leads programmes that drive workforce transformation across orthoptics, enhancing the profession’s visibility and supporting BIOS’s ambition to position orthoptics as a leading Allied Health Profession. From 2020 to 2021, she project-managed BIOS’s Clinical Placement Expansion Project (CPEP), integrating remote clinical learning through HoloLens technology and developing a secure video platform for storing patient-recorded assessments. This work earned the NHS England Chief Allied Health Professions Officer Award — Category: Creative Provision of Placements in 2022. In her business development role, Michelle provides operational leadership while strengthening processes, advancing efficiency and digital infrastructure and translating BIOS’s strategic priorities into clear objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) — ensuring measurable impact.

Hannah Harwood is an Advanced Orthoptist working at Lancashire Eye Centre. Graduating from the University of Liverpool in 2007, she briefly worked in Northern Ireland before developing her early career at Royal Bolton Hospital. Hannah has a passion for Orthoptic Education taking her current post at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals as Lead Clinical Tutor in 2014. She contributed to the BIOS award-winning Clinical Placement Expansion Project by being the first clinician to live-stream Orthoptic assessments to Universities. She still continues this service weekly.

Alice Donnachie is an Advanced Orthoptist at Moorfields Eye Hospital and EdD candidate at University College London. She began her career in 2015 at Cambridge University Hospitals before moving to Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Alice contributed to the British and Irish Orthoptic Society’s award-winning Clinical Placement Expansion Project, which enhanced clinical learning opportunities through digital innovation. She is currently serves as a Module Lead and Deputy Director for the MSc Orthoptics (pre-registration) programme at UCL.

Veronica Greenwood is the Director of Allied Health Professionals at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and has been in post since October 2022. Prior to her current AHP leadership role she was Head of Orthoptics at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust. During all these posts Veronica has been involved locally and regionally with the AHP’s at Trust, Faculty and Council levels. Throughout her extensive clinical career as an Orthoptist she has championed clinical education placements for orthoptic pre-registration learners through roles as Lead Clinical Tutor, external examiner and guest lecturer at the University of Liverpool. Veronica served two terms of office from 2017–23 as Chair of the Professional Body for Orthoptists, the British and Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS). She was awarded a Fellowship of BIOS in 2023, the Chief Allied Health Professionals Officer (CAHPO) AHP Gold Award in 2024 and honoured with an OBE in the Kings Birthday Honours list in June 2024.

Helen Davis is Professor Emeritus of Orthoptics at the University of Sheffield. She began her career as a clinical Orthoptist at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital. Helen became and Orthoptic Teacher and later Senior Teacher, educating Orthoptic students on the Orthoptic Diploma programme. In 1991 Helen moved to the University of Sheffield as head of Orthoptics and developed the degree programme in Orthoptics. She later became head of Ophthalmology & Orthoptics and was promoted to Professor in 2012. Helen has presented at many national and international conferences being keynote speaker at four. She was a co-inventor of the Frisby Davis Distance stereo test, a clinical test assessing distance stereopsis. Helen was awarded an OBE for services to Orthoptics in 2022 and received a lifetime award from the British and Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS) in 2024. Helen served on the Health and Care Professions Council and was a member of the education committee. She was the chair of the BIOS education and professional development committee and contributed to the BIOS award-winning Clinical Placement Expansion Project, which enhanced clinical learning opportunities through digital innovation.