Congratulations to Dr Sarah Alturkustani on the Successful Completion of her PhD

23 Jun 2026

The Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience is delighted to congratulate Dr Sarah Alturkustani on the successful completion of her PhD, entitled "Innovative Visualisation Approaches in Anatomy Teaching", which was conferred in June 2026.

Supervised by Dr Mutahira Lone and Professor Siobhain O'Mahony, Sarah's research explored innovative methods of enhancing anatomy education through the use of advanced visualisation technologies. Her work investigated how digital and immersive learning tools, including virtual reality and three-dimensional visualisation, can improve student engagement, accessibility, spatial understanding, and the overall learning experience in anatomy education. The research contributes to the growing body of evidence supporting technology-enhanced learning and inclusive educational practices in the health sciences.

During her PhD, Sarah made significant scholarly contributions, publishing her research in leading international journals. One of her key publications, "Measuring students' perceptions of virtual reality for learning anatomy using the general extended technology acceptance model for E-learning," demonstrated high levels of student acceptance of virtual reality as a learning tool and highlighted the importance of ease of use and enjoyment in encouraging technology adoption within anatomy education.

Reflecting on Sarah's achievement, supervisor Dr Mutahira Lone said: "Supervising Sarah throughout her PhD has been an absolute pleasure. Her dedication, creativity, and passion for improving anatomy education have been exceptional. She has made a valuable contribution to educational research, and I have no doubt that she will continue to make a significant impact in academia and healthcare education. We are incredibly proud of her achievement."

Co-supervisor Professor Siobhain O'Mahony added: "Sarah has demonstrated remarkable perseverance and academic excellence throughout her doctoral journey. Her work represents an important contribution to anatomy education research, and we congratulate her on this well-deserved success."

Dr Alturkustani is currently an Assistant Professor of Anatomy in the Department of Basic Sciences in King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where she teaches various health science students, including nursing, medicine, dentistry, applied medical sciences, and pharmacy.

The Department extends its warmest congratulations to Dr Sarah Alturkustani on reaching this significant milestone and wishes her every success in the next stage of her academic and professional career.

News text: Dr Mutahira Lone

Photograph: Bereniece Riedewald