Dr Sana Shah, a Pakistani dental graduate, Assistant Professor and Head of Medical Education at CIMS Dental College, Multan, has received the 2026 Small Research Grant from the UK-based Association for the Study of Medical Education (ASME) for research exploring inclusive clinical teaching and support for neurodivergent students in health professions education.
The award will support her study, titled “Exploring Neurodiversity-Affirming Clinical Teaching: A Qualitative Study of Clinical Educators in Health Professions Education,” which forms part of her ongoing PhD research at the Institute of Health Professions Education and Research (IHPER), Khyber Medical University.
The research focuses on how clinical educators understand and support neurodivergent learners in undergraduate health professions education, including medicine and dentistry. It aims to bring educators’ perspectives into discussions about creating clinical learning environments that recognise different ways of learning and help students participate and thrive.
Dr Shah’s recognition places a Pakistani dental professional among the recipients of ASME’s 2026 Education Research Committee (ERC) Small Grants, a competitive funding programme designed to support research and strengthen scholarship in health professions education.
Research aims to advance neurodiversity-affirming clinical education
Neurodiversity-affirming education recognises that people may think, learn, communicate and process information differently. In clinical education, understanding these differences can help educators consider how teaching approaches, learning environments and educational support affect students’ experiences.
Dr Shah’s qualitative study will explore the perspectives of clinical educators and their role in creating more inclusive learning environments for neurodivergent students. By examining educators’ experiences and approaches, the research seeks to contribute evidence that can inform clinical teaching practices across health professions education.
For undergraduate medical and dental programmes, inclusive clinical teaching is particularly relevant because students must develop professional knowledge, communication, clinical reasoning and practical skills in demanding learning environments. Understanding how educators can support different learning needs may help institutions reflect on how clinical teaching is designed and delivered.
Dr Shah said the award was especially meaningful as a researcher from Pakistan, adding that she hoped her work would help bring the perspectives of clinical educators into efforts to create more inclusive environments for neurodivergent learners.
She said the grant would also allow her to concentrate on the research without the additional constraints of funding.
“My vision is to help shape a future where every neurodivergent student in health professions education in Pakistan feels understood, supported and empowered to thrive,” Dr Shah told Dental News Pakistan.
She described her broader goal as helping lay the foundation for inclusive learning environments in which students with different learning needs can be better understood and supported.
ASME grant supports health professions education research
ASME’s Education Research Committee administers the annual ERC Small Grants programme, which offers competitive seed funding of up to £5,000 for research intended to advance scholarship in health professions education.
According to ASME, the scheme is open to individual members, with a particular focus on supporting first-time research grant applicants. It aims to build research capacity, encourage innovative educational practices and support emerging education researchers.
ASME announced its 2026 grant recipients on September 2, 2026. The funded projects cover a range of issues in medical and health professions education, including antimicrobial resistance education, the career development of locally employed doctors, clinical skills assessment, psychiatric workforce retention, professionalism curricula and teaching for doctors caring for older adults.
Dr Shah’s project adds a focus on neurodiversity-affirming clinical teaching and the experiences of educators working with neurodivergent learners.
Other recipients of the 2026 ASME ERC Small Grants
The other projects announced by ASME include:
- Dr Clair Preece — University of Sunderland School of Medicine: “From Awareness to Action: A Multi-Level Intervention to Improve Antibiotic Use and Antimicrobial Resistance Understanding in Medical Students and the Public in England.”
- Dr Michael Page and Dr Liz Carty — Dr Page is affiliated with Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London: “Precarious Professionals: Exploring the Career Trajectories and Support for Locally Employed Doctors in the UK – What Works, for Whom, How and in What Circumstances?”
- Mr Ryan George — “Establishing Consensus-Based Competency Thresholds for Undergraduate Clinical Skills Assessment: A Delphi Study.”
- Dr Jun Jie Lim — Newcastle University and Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust: “Why Doctors Leave Psychiatry (The MAP Study): A Realist Evaluation of Attrition Mechanisms to Inform Training and Retention.”
- Dr Marina Sawdon — Hull York Medical School and the UK Council for Educators of Medical Professionalism (UKCEMP): “Addressing Variation in Professionalism Teaching by Developing a National Curriculum for UK Undergraduate Medical Education.”
- Dr Janani Thillainadesan — Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney: “Teach Me What They Need: Co-Designed Microlearning for Early-Career Doctors Caring for Older Adults.”
ASME said the funded projects demonstrate the breadth of research interests across health professions education and its commitment to supporting evidence-based improvements in teaching, training and practice.
Advancing inclusive education in Pakistan
For Pakistan’s medical and dental education sectors, research into neurodiversity-affirming clinical teaching offers an opportunity to examine how educators can better recognise students’ different learning needs and foster supportive learning environments.
Dr Shah’s study is intended to contribute to this area by exploring the experiences and perspectives of clinical educators. Its findings may help inform future discussion and research on inclusive teaching practices in undergraduate health professions education.
The grant marks a research milestone for Dr Shah as she continues her doctoral work at IHPER, Khyber Medical University, while serving as Head of Medical Education at CIMS Dental College, Multan.
Source: Association for the Study of Medical Education (ASME), Celebrating Innovation in Health Professions Education: 2026 ASME ERC Small Grants Winners, published September 2, 2026.
Read the official announcement: ASME 2026 ERC Small Grants winners
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