Celebration event for a new Cumbrian medical school
An exciting chapter in healthcare education in Cumbria, is marked with the official launch event for the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine, a new graduate entry medical school based at University of Cumbria, at the Fusehill Street campus.
The launch event takes place on Thursday (17 Oct 24) at The Halston, Carlisle, bringing together stakeholders from healthcare, education and local government.
Celebrating this milestone, the event will also give thanks to special guest Sir Trevor Pears CMG from the Pears Foundation, which has generously supported the School and helped make this vision a reality. In November 2023, the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine received £5 million in philanthropic support from the Pears Foundation to support the development and launch.
Keynote speakers include Professor Julie Mennell DL, Vice Chancellor, University of Cumbria; Professor Hugh Brady, President, Imperial College London; Professor Brian Webster-Henderson OBE, Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Cumbria; and Mr Martin Lupton, Vice Dean (Education), Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London.
Professor Brian Webster Henderson OBE, Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Cumbria, said:
“The launch event is a wonderful opportunity to reflect and celebrate such a significant milestone for the University of Cumbria, Imperial College London, the Pears Foundation and our key stakeholders. From an initial conversation in 2018, to where we are today and looking ahead to 10 to 15 years’ time, the impact that the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine will have on the region, for people’s lives, health and wellbeing is phenomenal.”
The Pears Cumbria School of Medicine is embedded in the communities of Cumbria. It will offer its students unique learning opportunities across the region, as the School works closely with local health trusts and employers. The bespoke programme blends expertise from the highly rated MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) programme at Imperial College London, with the University of Cumbria's longstanding reputation in training allied healthcare professionals.
Professor Mary Morrell, Head of School said:
“The Pears Cumbria School of Medicine is a different kind of partnership from many medical schools. We will learn from each other and support the local region. We have created a bespoke programme, which we anticipate will directly serve the needs in Cumbria. We are very pleased to so many of our partners will join us at this event and share the School’s progress ahead of our first cohort joining in August 2025.”
The Pears Cumbria School of Medicine is a four-year programme open to health and bioscience graduates. The course will equip students with practical skills and knowledge to serve the region’s healthcare needs.
Students will be based at the Fusehill Street (Carlisle) campus at the University of Cumbria and will participate in placement learning across the region, gaining valuable experience of practising medicine and working with patients and professionals in a wide range of settings throughout Cumbria.
Successful students will graduate with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from Imperial College London, one of the leading medical schools in the world.
A number of scholarships worth £5,000 each are now available, designed to help students who are in the most need of financial support. Further information can be found on the website: www.cumbriamed.ac.uk.
Applications for the Graduate Entry Programme in Medicine close on 15 October 2024 at 18:00 BST.
To find out more about the next Open Events, visit https://cumbriamed.ac.uk/events/
Notes to editors
The Pears Cumbria School of Medicine
The Pears Cumbria School of Medicine is a unique partnership between the University of Cumbria and Imperial College London, with generous support from the Pears Foundation.
About the School and its curriculum
The Pears Cumbria School of Medicine is a collaborative and inclusive medical school. It will train skilled clinicians focussed on the delivery of high-quality person-centred care.
The graduate-entry programme will open in August 2025 at the University of Cumbria’s Fusehill Street campus in Carlisle. The cohort of 58 students will study a bespoke four-year curriculum designed to train doctors who will help to improve health outcomes in Cumbria and the North West.
The curriculum blends expertise from the highly-rated MBBS programme at Imperial College London, with University of Cumbria’s longstanding reputation in training allied health professionals. It has been created with regional NHS partners to reflect the future workforce, skills, health, and social care needs of the region and beyond.
Students will gain early exposure to clinical practice alongside research-informed medical sciences teaching. Students will also complete a community-based project, linked with preventing disease and healthcare delivery. Clinical skills training and interprofessional collaborative learning will occur throughout the four-year programme.
For further information about the School and entry requirements, please visit www.cumbriamed.ac.uk
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