A PROFESSOR at the University of Worcester has been awarded a prestigious teaching fellowship for his outstanding work.

Only 50 fellowships are awarded each year by the Higher Education Academy, in recognition of teachers and learning support staff who have made outstanding contributions to higher education within England and Northern Ireland.

Professor Dominic Upton, head of psychology at the University of Worcester, has been awarded the prestigious title for his work in psychology education.

Prof Upton's work across a range of health, social care and psychology settings was highly praised by the academy. This includes his observational work with students in practical client and patient settings, to highlight the importance and relevance of psychological analysis within practical client/patient areas.

His work in supporting inclusion within higher education was also commended by the academy. This includes the introduction of peer monitoring systems and online tutorial material to help support mature, part-time and other under-represented groups within higher education.

University of Worcester vice-chancellor, Professor David Green, said: "Only 50 fellowships are awarded each year, so this is really a terrific achievement. I'd like to congratulate Dominic and all involved with his work as an educator across several professions."

Prof Upton is a fellow of the British Psychological Society and chairman of its division of teachers and researchers in psychology. He has worked with the committee to introduce a range of activities to promote learning and teaching, including bursaries to attend relevant conferences, the re-launch of the division's journal and development of its newsletter and website. Prof Upton has published across a range of topics, for diverse readerships including podiatrists, dieticians and speech therapists. He currently has three textbooks in press, Psychology For Nurses; A Podiatrists Guide To Research and A Users' Guide and Lifestyle Psychology.

Prof Upton joins fellow University of Worcester lecturers, Dr John Peters and Dr Val Chapman, as national teaching fellows. He will receive a £10,000 award to support his teaching activities.