As Dean of Education, Prof Julia Manning provides strategic leadership to advance the RSM’s mission as a leading provider of continuing professional learning for healthcare professionals, while fostering innovation across healthcare. Julia began her career as a hospital and community optometrist specialising in corneal disease, low vision and diabetes. In 2004, while serving on the Professional Executive of Lambeth PCT, she founded JM Eyecare, pioneering community digital domiciliary optometry services. She then established the healthcare think tank 2020Health focusing on harnessing technology to improve healthcare delivery and patient safety. From 2014 to 2018, Julia co‑founded and directed the Health Tech and You Awards with AXA PPP and the Design Museum. She completed her PhD in human–computer interaction at UCL, was appointed Honorary Professor of Practice in Computer Science at UCL in 2023 and was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science by the University of Buckingham in 2025.