An exciting chapter in healthcare education in Cumbria will be marked later this week.
The official launch of the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine, a new graduate entry medical school based at University of Cumbria, at the Fusehill Street campus, will take place on Thursday.
The event, at The Halston, Carlisle, will bring together representatives from healthcare, education and local government.
Celebrating this milestone, the event will also give thanks to special guest Sir Trevor Pears CMG, of the Pears Foundation, which has 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, 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 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 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. T
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.
