Dr Andrew Brittlebank qualified in medicine from Newcastle University in the UK in 1983. He trained in Psychiatry and became a Clinical Lecturer at Newcastle University before taking up a consultant post in a rural area of Northumberland. He holds a Master´s in Management and Leadership from Leeds University.

He became interested in medical education and has been a College Tutor and Training Programme Director in Psychiatry before becoming Director of Medical Education for a large mental health trust in the northeast of England. He has been one of the Associate Deans and Specialist Adviser for Curriculum for the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He has researched and published a number of original articles on performance assessment, quality assurance and other medical educational topics.