Dr Karen Stanley BSc PhD FHEA
Principal Lecturer
Summary
I joined Sheffield Hallam University in 2003 after undertaking various postdoctoral projects in Aberdeen, Bristol, Mexico and Ghana. I am the professional lead for biomedical sciences and pharmacology and contribute to other college teaching. I am also the departmental lead for assessment.
I currently teach microbiology across our programmes and lead postgraduate modules in Infection and Immunity, Professional Development, Biomedical Sciences research project module and a second year undergraduate module Applied Ecology and Environmental Biosciences.
In collaboration with Professor Tom Smith my research focuses on the role of the hospital environment as a reservoir of organisms that cause hospital acquired infections. I am a member of the Society for Applied Microbiology, the American Society for Microbiology and the Microbiology Society.
About
I joined Sheffield Hallam University in 2003 after undertaking various postdoctoral projects in Aberdeen, Bristol, Mexico and Ghana. I served as an ordinary committee member for the Society for Applied Microbiology between 2005 and 2008. In 2008 I took up a post in the college international team. I supported recruitment of international students and worked with the British Council, overseas education institutions and other international agencies to develop summer schools, collaborative postgraduate courses and continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities for healthcare work forces, especially in the Indian subcontinent. I also lead the development of the 'international student experience' on our MSc programme in Biosciences and Chemistry.
I have since returned to the department and am the professional lead for biomedical sciences, manage colleagues who teach pharmacology and contribute to other college teaching. I am also the departmental lead for assessment. I gained fellowship of the Higher Education Academy in 2014.
I currently teach microbiology across our UG and PG programmes and lead postgraduate modules in Infection and Immunity (Microbiology and Immunology from 2016) and Professional Development which develops students' employability. I lead the postgraduate research project module that supports Biomedical Scientists to undertake a research project in their NHS workplace. I lead a second year undergraduate module 'Applied Ecology and Environmental Biosciences' which integrates local and global environmental issues as well as a range of current microbial ecology topic. It links to the annual field trip which is taken by Biology students.
I gained a PhD on 'The seasonality of thermophilic Campylobacter in farm animals and the farm environment' from Lancaster University in 1992. I subsequently undertook postdoctoral research on environmental fate and transmission of the foodborne zoonoses including Campylobacter and E. coli O157. In collaboration with Professor Tom Smith my research now focuses on the role of the hospital environment as a reservoir of organisms that cause hospital acquired infections. I am a member of the Society for Applied Microbiology, the American Society for Microbiology and the Microbiology Society.
Specialist areas of interest
Environmental microbiology, pathogens in the environment
Teaching
The hospital environment as a reservoir of organisms that cause hospital acquired infection
Department of Biosciences and Chemistry
BSc Biomedical Sciences, BSc Biology, all courses on the MSc Biosciences Programme
Applied Ecology and Environmental Biosciences
Professional Development
Infection and Immunity
MSc Research project (Biomedical Sciences)
Research
Microbiology of the hospital environment
The microbial ecology of hospital sink units
Healthcare Infection Society Dr Rob Townsend, Mr Bob Kerry (Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust )
Publications
Journal articles
Olvera-Ramírez, A.M., McEwan, N.R., Stanley, K., Nava-Diaz, R., & Aguilar-Tipacamú, G. (2023). A systematic review on the role of wildlife as carriers and spreaders of campylobacter spp. Animals, 13 (8). http://doi.org/10.3390/ani13081334
Duncan, S.H., McWilliam Leitch, E.C., Stanley, K.N., Richardson, A.J., Laven, R.A., Flint, H.J., & Stewart, C.S. (2004). Effects of esculin and esculetin on the survival of Escherichia coli O157 in human faecal slurries, continuous-flow simulations of the rumen and colon and in calves. British journal of nutrition, 91 (5), 749. http://doi.org/10.1079/BJN20041101
Stanley, K., & Jones, K. (2003). Cattle and sheep farms as reservoirs of Campylobacter. Journal of applied microbiology, 94 (s1), 104-113. http://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2672.94.s1.12.x
McWilliam Leitch, E.C., Duncan, S.H., Stanley, K.N., & Stewart, C.S. (2001). Dietary effects on the microbiological safety of food. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 60 (2), 247-255. http://doi.org/10.1079/PNS200078
James, C.E., Stanley, K.N., Allison, H.E., Flint, H.J., Stewart, C.S., Sharp, R.J., ... McCarthy, A.J. (2001). Lytic and lysogenic infection of diverse Escherichia coli and Shigella strains with a verocytotoxigenic bacteriophage. Applied and environmental microbiology, 67 (9), 4335-4337. http://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.67.9.4335-4337.2001
Fitzgerald, C., Stanley, K., Andrew, S., & Jones, K. (2001). Use of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and flagellin gene typing in identifying clonal groups of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in farm and clinical environments. Applied and environmental microbiology, 67 (4), 1429-1436. http://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.67.4.1429-1436.2001
Theses / Dissertations
Al-Luaibi, Y.Y.Y. (2015). Molecular genetics and microbiology of bioremediation using methane-oxidising bacteria. (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Smith, T., & Stanley, K.
Bradshaw, C.E. (2013). Molecular microbial ecology of hospital ward environments. (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Smith, T., & Stanley, K.
Kay, G.L. (2010). Microbial ecology and antibiotic resistance of microorganisms in intensive care unit environments. (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Smith, T., Stanley, K., & Mills, G.
Postgraduate supervision
The microbial ecology of hospital sink units
Distribution and survival or norovirus following vomiting and toilet flushing
Molecular Microbial ecology of hospital ward environments
Microbial ecology and antibiotic resistance in intensive care unit environments