There’s nowhere like London: Celebrating what is unique about studying medicine & dentistry in London

UCL Medical School & the Francis Crick Institute: Bringing biomedical research to life!University College London

The Francis Crick Institute (‘Crick’) is a world-class scientific institute conducting ground-breaking biomedical research into disease. The research looks at why disease develops and new ways to diagnose, prevent and treat illnesses including cancer, heart disease, infections and neuro-degenerative diseases.

UCL is a highly research-active university and one of the Medical School’s aims is to produce scientifically-literate doctors. First year UCL medical students engage with postdoctoral tutors, gaining insights in to how labs operate and how research develops. Students spend eight afternoons at the Crick. Several UCLMS alumni and students are currently researching

at the Crick/UCL, producing cutting-edge research. UCLMS is unusual in having an MB PhD programme and some of the students undertaking this Student Selected Component (SSC) may consider enrolling on this programme. Students also attend world class Crick lectures. The SSC ends with a series of student presentations on key biomedical research papers and their clinical impact.

This collaboration has received excellent feedback since it began in 2017, and we believe that it showcases a unique and remarkable learning opportunity in London.

www.ucl.ac.uk/medical-school/

UCL

/ Fr

anci

s Cric

k In

stitu

te

When it comes to higher education, place is important. Whatever subject an individual is studying a city like London provides a backdrop and environment like no other.

But perhaps no subjects are as embedded in the place where they are studied than medicine, dentistry and other health disciplines. By their very nature studying these subjects means students become involved with the place where they live. For much of their degree medical and dental students combine university-based learning with undertaking clinical placements. They will carry out placements in hospitals, GP or dental surgeries and other locations, working alongside health professionals and interacting with patients and their families. Students will also complete Student Selected Components which give students the opportunity to study areas that are of particular interest to them, and they may pursue volunteering activities related to their course.

While these experiences are common to medical and dental students throughout the UK, students at London’s five medical and three dental schools have the opportunity to benefit from the unique opportunities the city can offer. London’s huge and varied population, its position as a research hub attracting the best researchers from across the globe, and the cityscape itself give students access to a range of experiences. This means that London is an ideal place for launching a medical or dental career.

The following case studies reflect students’ own experiences of some of the unique opportunities available to medical, dental and clinical academic students in the capital.

Professor Deborah Gill, Chair of London Medicine & Director of UCL Medical School & Pro-Vice-Provost for Student Experience, UCL

“Having studied and worked outside of London, I was always drawn to complete my clinical academic training in London.

This is because London offers everything at its best: globally reaching world class research institutions and some of the best clinical training in the country. Early in my career, I wanted the opportunity to explore and develop my research ideas, and with a broad range of networks and

communities working together in a small geographical space, London was perfect.”

Dr Rakhee Patel, NIHR Doctoral Research Fellow, King’s College London Dental Institute

2 | P a g e 3 | P a g e

There’s nowhere like London

Prehospital medicineQueen Mary University of London

Prehospital Medicine is an interdisciplinary field dedicated to the treatment of injury and illness outside hospital, aiming to manage the reversible aspects of physiological processes activated when the human body suffers significant insult through injury.

Barts and the London School of Medicine uniquely offers undergraduate medical students the chance to experience this new field, through their working directly with the teams from London’s Air Ambulance (LAA) and mentors in the London Ambulance Service (LAS). The Prehospital Care Programme (PCP) started in 2007 and was the first of such programmes to be implemented in the UK. In 2014 the Medical School and LAA collaborated to create the first iBSc in Prehospital Medicine in the world, and the team are just about to launch a Masters programme this autumn.

Barts and the London are the only medical school in the UK currently offering this level and range of prehospital medicine.

www.qmul.ac.uk/smd/

Supporting clinical research students to commercialise outputs and improve outcomes for cancer patientsThe Institute of Cancer Research, London

The partnership between the Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust provides a unique environment for clinicians to train in academic research and drive ICR’s mission to make the discoveries that defeat cancer.

Funded by the ICR’s Cancer Research UK Centre Grant, Dr Elisa Fontana is a Clinical Research Fellow undertaking a PhD project focused on developing a test to identify patients with different types of colon cancer that may benefit from different treatment approaches.

Elisa won funding from the MedTech SuperConnector programme, a joint collaboration between eight higher education institutions across London, including the ICR, to drive forward world-class university commercialisation across the country. The programme aims to pioneer a new way for post-docs and graduate students to translate MedTech discoveries from academic labs into start-up companies in order to meet health challenges.

www.icr.ac.uk/

www.medtechsuperconnector.com/

Danë

Goo

dsm

an

4 | P a g e 5 | P a g e

There’s nowhere like London

The community action project: medical students learning through service in the communityImperial College London

The community action quality-improvement project is conducted during a GP placement by year 3 Imperial medical students. Students identify a local community need, work with patients and other settings to design, deliver and evaluate an intervention to improve the wellbeing of the community. The project below is the winning entry from the last placement of over 100 students.

A patient-student co-creation quality improvement project raising mental health awareness in an Arab patient population in a primary care setting

The stigmatisation of mental health in Arab populations and the lack of awareness of culturally appropriate resources available is well

recognised. The aim of this unique co-creation project with Arab patients from a GP practice, was to create an informative and inclusive ‘stop-motion’ mental health animation video to address the issues of stigmatisation and lack of awareness of mental health services in a culturally sensitive and language appropriate way.

This quality-improvement project has a number of wider implications for both medical education and service delivery, promoting a truly holistic approach to patient education.

www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine

Encouraging creativity in London’s medical studentsSt George’s, University of London

There are so many museums and galleries in London, and these are a rich resource for our medical students.

In the first year, students are encouraged to find a piece of artwork or an artefact and write a reflective piece that links to medicine and healthcare. In the final year, we run a 5-week short course where students explore a visual art and health theme of their own choosing and create a sketch book and a reflective essay.

A number of students identified how their visual diagnostic skills had improved by critically evaluating visual artwork in more depth. One student described how these opportunities had allowed them to gain “insight and appreciation for the intersection between community, artistic experience and a need to remain inquisitive as a doctor”.

www.sgul.ac.uk/

Example of art work at St George’s by Nisha Mistry

St G

eorg

e’s,

Uni

vers

ity o

f Lon

don

“Training to be a doctor in London brings you in contact with people from across all walks of life, not just in terms of patients but the opportunities to collaborate across subjects with all of the London

universities.

London is a cultural hub and it is at the forefront of medical research and implementing change.”

Wasay Khan, Third Year Medical Student, King’s College London

6 | P a g e 7 | P a g e

There’s nowhere like London

There’s nowhere like London

8 | P a g e 9 | P a g e

There’s nowhere like London

Working with asylum seeker and refugee communities in LondonSt George’s, University of London

This case study celebrates students’ commitment to working with the asylum seeker and refugee communities and making sure that health and social care issues for this group are embedded into the curriculum.

STAR (Student Action for Refugees) has been very active for many years but this year has been very special as students worked with a local refugee organization and Fulham Football Club so both unaccompanied boys and girls have access to very special coaching to achieve

their full potential. STAR’s close link with a local voluntary organisation has meant both asylum seekers and refugees have been able to be involved in teaching sessions. This year STAR students are also working with staff to develop a new interactive teaching session covering identity, contribution of asylum seekers and migrants and health and social care issues for this community.

www.sgul.ac.uk/

“Training to be a doctor in London has been a great experience. The fact that the city is so diverse, with so many different nationalities and cultures,

means that the patient population is really varied.”

Abdul Elmi, Fifth Year Medical Student, UCL

Barts Community Smiles: bringing oral health to Tower HamletsInstitute of Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London

Barts Community Smiles (BCS) was established as a student volunteering group to raise awareness of oral health, deliver oral health advice and instil health behaviours in community settings.

Oral Health Promotion Events in Primary Healthcare Settings: Our themed events focus around national dental campaigns to foster collaborations with other health advocacy groups and raise public awareness. This year we engaged with over 160 visitors.

Community Festivals & Public Engagement Events: Our oral health stall at QMUL’s annual Festival of Communities reached over 500 members of the public through interactive,

family-friendly activities. This summer, more stalls are planned at other Tower Hamlets community festivals.

SUGAR SMART Tower Hamlets & Barts Community Smiles: The Dental Public Health Department at QMUL collaborated with BCS, dental students, colleagues and Sugar Smart Tower Hamlets to deliver health promotion activities using the SUGAR SMART campaign at nine local primary schools; reaching at least 1,000 children. Pupils in schools learnt about healthy mouths for healthy living and hidden sugars in food and drinks.

www.qmul.ac.uk/smd/

Insti

tute

of D

entis

try,

Que

en M

ary

Uni

vers

ity o

f Lon

don

10 | P a g e 11 | P a g e

There’s nowhere like London

Que

en M

ary

Uni

vers

ity o

f Lon

don

Dent

al In

stitu

te, K

ing’

s Col

lege

Lon

don

Dental Students’ Smile Society: raising awareness of good oral health in London’s schoolsKing’s College London

At the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King’s dental students’ Smile Society runs active learning workshops in London schools to help raise awareness of the importance of good oral health and hygiene within our local communities. The workshops are engaging and entertaining; the children have fun while they learn. Our students are educating children now so they can develop good oral health.

Clinical Humanities Programme

Our society requires clinicians who are innovative and caring. Clinical learning that integrates arts and humanities approaches supports student critical thinking skills and aids the ability to care for both patients and themselves. The Clinical Humanities programme we have piloted and are developing at King’s

is a first in dentistry. The learning is in diverse locations including art galleries and museums away from the usual clinics, including a visit to the Old Operating Theatre at London Bridge to learn about the history of medicine in London. The students also have opportunities to engage with vulnerable groups in the community, conveying oral health messages through a variety of means including art.

These collaborations draw on London as both a living classroom and an active laboratory, creating distinctive learning and research opportunities while serving London and helping to ensure the success and wellbeing of the city and its communities.

www.kcl.ac.uk/dentistry

Widening Success: becoming a doctor or dentist at a London medical and dental schoolQueen Mary University of London

London is known for its cultural diversity and the enriched learning experience that diversity can provide. Yet, whilst diversity is widely celebrated, the experience of becoming a doctor or dentist for those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds can sometimes be challenging. It is a well-documented national finding that BAME medical and dental students underperform in examinations as a cohort compared to their White counterparts.

This case study showcases research developed at Queen Mary that aims to understand and address these challenges. It describes the emergence of a collaborative interdisciplinary working group with faculties from the School of Medicine and Dentistry, Engagement, Retention and Success and Educational Development. A key component of the research is also working

collaboratively with students to develop findings and instigate change.

This research study is in its initial stages, preliminary analysis of undergraduate dental students’ reflective logs show insightful trends around students’ experiences of starting dental school and the range of adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies they adopt. Early pilot one to one interviews with undergraduate medical schools across the five years illustrate contrasting experiences and identify where BAME students are struggling academically. We anticipate the findings of this extensive research project will inform policy and interventions aimed to promote an inclusive learning environment. Other anticipated outcomes from this study include curriculum review, adaptations to support provisions and consideration into different types of assessment methods.

www.qmul.ac.uk/smd/

12 | P a g e 13 | P a g e

There’s nowhere like London

Insti

tute

of D

entis

try,

Que

en M

ary

Uni

vers

ity o

f Lon

don

Health Education EnglandLondon is an amazing city to train in, offering a variety of opportunities. The experience of studying in London will encompass all you need to be a successful doctor or dentist, including community and general practice, highly specialised hospitals, mental health services, district general hospitals, world-renowned research institutions and a unique diverse patient population.

Health Education England (HEE) is a national NHS body, working to support the delivery of excellent healthcare by ensuring that the NHS workforce has the right numbers, skills, values and behaviours, at the right time and in the right place.

HEE London is responsible for commissioning undergraduate and postgraduate education for doctors and dentists across the capital. With over 40 acute, mental health and dental hospitals and hundreds of primary care services, there is a huge range of learning environments. In partnership with medical schools, HEE ensure that clinical placements

are of the highest quality for students. Funding is provided from HEE to education providers to enable this. Where quality is below the expected standards, medical schools, HEE and the placement providers will work together to make improvements.

HEE liaise with medical schools to discuss curriculum content, acknowledging priority NHS areas such as widening access to medicine, sepsis and dementia care.

Supporting doctors and dentists to have fulfilling careers is vital. HEE are involved in a wide range of initiatives to enhance the experience of those in training, such as promoting flexible work portfolios and clinical leadership development. Workforce transformation is also a key function of HEE, working with our London hospitals and community services to facilitate a workforce responsive to changes in care now and in the future.

www.hee.nhs.uk/in-your-area/london

14 | P a g e 15 | P a g e

There’s nowhere like London

Danë

Goo

dsm

an

London Medicine brings together the Heads of schools of medicine, dentistry and associated clinical academic institutions in London. The London Healthcare Education Group brings together senior representatives from London’s schools of healthcare including nursing, midwifery and the allied health professions. Together, the two groups form London Medicine & Healthcare. Learn more about our members and our work: www.londonmedicine.ac.uk and find us on Twitter at @londonmedicine.

London Medicine & Healthcare is a division of London Higher. London Higher is an ‘umbrella’ body representing nearly 50 universities and higher education colleges in London. To learn more visit www.londonhigher.ac.uk

Our members Health Education England www.hee.nhs.uk/in-your-area/londonImperial College London www.imperial.ac.ukThe Institute of Cancer Research, London www.icr.ac.ukKing’s College London www.kcl.ac.ukLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine www.lshtm.ac.ukQueen Mary University of London www.qmul.ac.ukSt George’s, University of London www.sgul.ac.ukUniversity College London www.ucl.ac.uk

Cover photo: Institute of Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London