Professor Alex Anstey is Consultant Dermatologist at Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust and Honorary Senior Lecturer at University of Wales College of Medicine. He founded the Practical Dermatology Nursing Distance Learning Course in 1998 with Sisters Ann Davies and Bev Gambles. He also created a 5 day residential course in Phototherapies in 1995 with David Taylor and Linda Collins.

Professor Anstey has an academic interest in Photodermatology and Phototherapy. He is director of Research and Development for Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust and is currently the co-chairman of the England and Wales Dermatology Clinical Assistants meetings.

Sister Ann Davies has been in dermatology since she qualified in 1977. Although she has been in the same speciality for many years, like many other dermatology nurses, her career has never stood still. She has  managed the dermatology ward at the University Hospital of Wales since 1981. During the latter part of the 1990s Ann took over management of the  dermatology outpatient clinic in addition to managing the ward. She saw this as a new challenge as she said "inpatient and outpatient dermatology cases are very different with regard to the conditions you see".

Currently Ann is faced with a new challenge as the Dermatology Unit within UHW is being moved to a building dedicated to dermatology.

Ann has been involved with the practical dermatology course since the planning stages. She has a diploma and nursing degree, which she completed in 2000.

Sister Bev Gambles has worked in Dermatology for 20 years. Her first role was as a staff nurse on a Dermatology ward and she is currently a phototherapy specialist nurse.

Having always had an interest in education, Bev has been involved in setting up and implementing the dermatology educational modules since the planning stages.

Over the years, Bev says she has "seen many changes take place in Dermatology; the loss of beds, the introduction of nurse-led clinics, the establishment of a phototherapy clinic".

Bev completed a degree in 1991 and PGCE in 1995. She has recently been appointed by Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust as a Lecturer/Practitioner in Dermatology.

Sister Tracy Bale has worked within the speciality of dermatology for 10 years. Initially based on a medical ward with some dermatology beds, she then spent just over three years in a dermatology and plastic surgery out patient department in Suffolk.

Tracy moved to South Wales in 1998 and took on the role of ward manager of the 14-bedded dermatology unit in Newport. She is currently a Clinical nurse specialist in Dermatology and works across secondary and primary care. Her particular interests are acne, hyperhidrosis and the nursing management of chronic disease.

Tracy has a BSc (Hons) in Nursing Studies and joined the Dermatology Nursing Distance Learning course as a Tutor in 1998.

John Mason began his career in nursing in 1981. His first job was a one year position on the dermatology ward as a staff nurse. He went on to work in acute medicine which included a one year contract as a charge nurse on an acute medical ward. He has also worked in haematology for a number of years.

John returned to dermatology as deputy ward manager in 1993. During this time he qualified as a teacher (Cert Ed) and, on a part time basis, taught Health and Social Care in a further education college. He joined the Practical Dermatology Nursing course in 1998. 

Throughout his career, John has had a keen interest in teaching and education and believes that "nursing and education are profoundly linked".  He is currently working as a Specialist Nurse in Dermatology and studying for a BA (Hons) degree in Post Compulsory Education and Training. 

On leaving school, Margaret trained at the Bank of England as an audio typist. In 1969 she joined the Civil Service, working as a Personal Secretary in H M Customs & Excise, before transferring from London to Newport as an Administration Officer in 1973. After a break of 14 years, bringing up her 3 sons, she returned to Customs & Excise in 1990 working in the Newport VAT Office. When the Newport office closed in 1995 she went to work as a receptionist in County Hall, Cwmbran and then in a local GP surgery.

Margaret joined the course team in 2000 as Assistant Course Administrator. When the Course Administrator left in 2003 it was decided to appoint somebody on a part-time basis, with whom she could share the role.