UCL Medical School

UCL Medical School is the medical school of University College London (UCL) and is located in London, United Kingdom. The School provides a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate medical education programmes and also has a medical education research unit and an education consultancy unit.

UCL has offered education in medicine since 1834. The currently configured and titled medical school was established in 2008 following mergers between UCLH Medical School and the medical school of the Middlesex Hospital (in 1987) and The Royal Free Hospital Medical School (in 1998).

The School's clinical teaching is primarily conducted at University College Hospital, The Royal Free Hospital and the Whittington Hospital, with other associated teaching hospitals including the Eastman Dental Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Moorfields Eye Hospital, the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and Luton and Dunstable University Hospital.

The School is currently ranked 4th in the UK by the Complete University Guide 2016, 3rd by the Guardian University Guide 2016, and 10th in the world by the QS World University Rankings.

History

The Cruciform Building on Gower Street, which houses the preclinical facilities of the UCL Medical School; it was previously the main building of University College Hospital

UCL Medical School formed over a number of years from the merger of a number of institutions:^[1]

• The Middlesex Hospital opened in Fitzrovia in 1745 by Edinburgh Medical School graduate Charles Bell, and was training doctors since 1746.
• University College Hospital opened in 1834 as the North London Hospital, with the purpose of providing the then newly opened University College London with a hospital to train medical students after refusal by the governors of the Middlesex Hospital to share its facilities with UCL.

Middlesex Hospital and University College Hospital merged their medical schools in 1987 to form University College & Middlesex School of Medicine (UCMSM).

• The London School of Medicine for Women was established in 1874 by Sophia Jex-Blake, as the first medical school in Britain to train women. In 1877 The Royal Free Hospital agreed to allow students from LSMW to complete their clinical studies there and by 1896 was renamed The London Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine for Women and became part of the University of London.

In 1998 The Royal Free & University College Medical School (RFUCMS) was formed from the merger of the two medical schools. On 1 October 2008, it was officially renamed UCL Medical School.^[2]

In appreciation of the historic beginnings of UCL Medical School, its student society has retained the name "RUMS" (Royal Free, University College and Middlesex Medical Students Society) and runs clubs and societies within University College London Union.^[3]

Teaching

The current main building of University College Hospital on Euston Road, which opened in 2005

The medical school is one of the largest in the country with a yearly intake of 330 students.^[4] Undergraduate teaching is spread across three campuses based in Bloomsbury (including University College Hospital), at Archway (including Whittington Hospital) and in Hampstead (including the Royal Free Hospital).^[5]

Teaching takes place in arguably some of the best clinical sites in the country including: Great Ormond Street Hospital, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (Queen's Square), Moorfields Eye Hospital, The Heart Hospital, The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital.

The school is not only widely regarded as one of the best medical schools in the country (frequently ranked between number 1–5 in the country), but also one of the best in the world; being ranked consistently in the top 10.

Course

The course in medicine at UCL leads to the award of the MB BS and BSc (Hons) degrees and is a six-year integrated programme: Years 1 and 2 Fundamentals of Clinical Science; Year 3 Integrated BSc degree; Year 4 Integrated Clinical Care; Year 5 The Life Cycle and Specialist Practice and Year 6 Preparation for Practice. UCL offers a wide variety of integrated BSc degrees ranging from the traditional subjects like anatomy, physiology and biochemistry, to more clinical courses such as Primary Health.

Since 1994 there is also the opportunity to intercalate a PhD, as part of the integrated MB PhD programme (based on the highly successful MD-PhD programmes which are prevalent in the United States).^[6] UCL also operates a MBBS Oxford Transfer programme where each year a small number of students from Oxford Medical School can transfer to complete their clinical training at UCL.

Admission

Admission to the medical school, in common with all 32 medical schools in the UK, is extremely competitive. The medical school receives approximately 2,500 applications yearly of which up to 700 applicants are selected for interview. Approximately 450 offers are given for 322 places. Prospective students must apply through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).^[7]

As of 2015 entry, conditional offers for entry include grades A*AA at A-level, to include at least Chemistry and Biology, and an additional pass at AS-level, this has been a significant change as previously the university was willing to accept A-Level grades of AAA. The International Baccalaureate (Full Diploma), although less common, is also an acceptable entry qualification. The course is also open to graduates with a minimum of a 2:1 required. Additionally, applicants must sit an entrance exam, the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) which is used alongside the rest of the UCAS application to determine selection for interview.^[8][9][10]

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Associated hospitals and research institutes

Hospitals

UCL Medical School is associated with the following hospitals:

• University College Hospital
• Royal Free Hospital
• Whittington Hospital
• Eastman Dental Hospital
• Great Ormond Street Hospital
• The Heart Hospital
• Moorfields Eye Hospital
• National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
• Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital
• Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital

Great Ormond Street Hospital  Royal Free Hospital  Eastman Dental Hospital  Moorfields Eye Hospital  National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery

Research institutes

UCL Medical School is associated with the following research institutes:

• UCL Cancer Institute
• UCL Ear Institute
• UCL Eastman Dental Institute
• UCL Institute of Child Health
• UCL Institute of Neurology
• UCL Institute of Nuclear Medicine
• UCL Institute of Ophthalmology
• UCL Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Science
• UCL Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research at UCL
• National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR)

UCL Medical School forms part of the UCL Faculty of Medical Sciences, together with the Division of Medicine, Division of Infection and Immunity, Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, UCL Cancer Institute, UCL Eastman Dental Institute and UCL Wolfson Institute. UCL Faculty of Medical Sciences is one of four Faculties within the UCL School of Life and Medical Sciences.

The UCL Institute of Child Health on Guilford Street in Bloomsbury  The UCL Institute of Ophthalmology

Rankings

In the 2014/15, QS World University Rankings by Subject UCL was ranked 10th in the world (and 5th in Europe) for Medicine.^[11]

In the 2014 Academic Ranking of World Universities subject tables, UCL was ranked 17th in the world (and 4th in Europe) for Clinical Medicine and Pharmacy.^[12]

In domestic rankings for Medicine, UCL is ranked 2nd in the 2015 Complete University Guide,^[13] 4th in the 2014 Guardian University Guide,^[14] and 4th in the 2014 Times and Sunday Times League Table.^[15]

Student societies

All students at UCL Medical School are also members of The Royal Free, University College and Middlesex Medical Students’ Association (RUMS MSA) - a student-led organisation that is independent of UCL Medical School.^[16] RUMS has a proud and illustrious past having been formed in the wake of the merger between the three constituent medical schools in 1998. Its predecessor, The Middlesex Hospital Medical Society is reportedly the oldest student society in England having been formed in 1774.^[17] Since its formation in 1998 RUMS (RUMS) has gone from strength to strength and now provides social events, sports teams, societies, welfare services and representation to the 1200 or so medical students at UCL Medical School.

RUMS MSA also run a number of medical school sports clubs and societies in conjunction with University College London Union. The sports clubs particularly have a fierce rivalry with the UCLU counterparts and victory over them is vociferously celebrated in the medical student bar, The Huntley. Furthermore, the competition across London Medical Schools is strong. Notably, after more than 120 years of waiting, RUMS Rugby 1st XV became the winners of the United Hospitals Cup in 2015 by defeating Imperial College School of Medicine in a one sided match at Ealing Trailfinders.

In 2011, UCLU Medical Society was established separate from RUMS MSA to provide careers advice and peer teaching for medical students, as well as special interest events. These events can be centrally organised or by various subdivisions or "sections" within the society ranging from those devoted to medical specialities such as Paediatrics or General Practice to Medical Leadership & Management and Global Health.^[18][19] Since 2012, one of the most popular sections of UCLU Medical Society has been UCLU Med Soc Education, which provides peer-to-peer and near-peer teaching events, run by medical students for other medical students. The novelty of this section is their collaboration with the medical school faculty to ensure quality and validity of the student-produced material and student-led teaching on offer.

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of UCL Medical School and its predecessor institutions include:

• Josephine Barnes, championed the cause of women’s health throughout her illustrious career. First female president of the British Medical Association in 1979
• Diana Beck, first woman to be appointed to the honorary staff of the Middlesex Hospital, in 1947, and is thought to have been the first female neurosurgeon in the world
• Charles Bolton, appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
• John Bowlby, pioneer of attachment theory
• Michael Brown, former Physician to the Queen
• Walter Carr
• G. Marius Clore, Member of the United States National Academy of Sciences, molecular biophysicist and structural biologist known for foundational work in three-dimensional protein and nucleic acid structure determination by multidimensional NMR spectroscopy.^[20]
• Archie Cochrane, physician who pioneered randomised controlled studies and after whom The Cochrane Library is named.
• Leslie Collier, virologist who helped to create the first heat stable smallpox vaccine key in the eventual eradication of the disease.^[21]
• Jane Dacre, President of the Royal College of Physicians (2014–incumbent), only the third female President in its nearly 500-year history^[22][23]
• Deborah Doniach, leading expert on auto-immune diseases^[24]
• Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust
• William Henry Flower, comparative anatomist and 2nd director of the Natural History Museum.
• Eva Frommer. Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, child psychiatrist and pioneer of arts therapies in hospital, for children.
• Clare Gerada, former Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners (2010–13), the first female Chair for 50 years^[25][26][27]
• Ben Goldacre, academic and science writer
• Anita Harding, neurologist who co-authored the first paper which identified pathogenic mitochondrial DNA mutation in human disease (in Kearn-Sayre syndrome).
• Gwen Hilton, A major figure in the campaign to allow women students to be admitted to the UCH Medical School in 1920, went on to establish the first radiotherapy department at University College Hospital
• Victor Horsley, pioneering Neurosurgeon
• Allan Octavian Hume, one of the founders of the Indian National Congress^[28]
• Donald Jeffries, leading expert on HIV^[29]
• Christian Jessen, television presenter
• Nick Lane, biochemist and writer
• Thomas Lewis, cardiologist who was appointed CBE and also knighted.
• Kalman Mann, 8th director general of Hadassah Medical Organization^[30]
• Henry Marsh, neurosurgeon who was appointed CBE.^[31]
• Arthur Martin-Leake, soldier who received both the Victoria Cross and the Bar.
• Clare Marx, first female president elected at the Royal College of Surgeons of England (2014-incumbent)
• Michael Mosley, television journalist and presenter
• Hugh Owen Thomas, father of orthopaedic surgery in Britain
• Philip Randle, the Randle cycle is named after him
• Bernard Ribeiro, Baron Ribeiro, former President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (2005–08). Life peer in House of Lords since 2010.
• Sydney Ringer, a British clinician, physiologist and pharmacologist, best known for inventing Ringer's solution.
• William Scoresby Routledge, ethnographer
• Rosemary Rue,
• Edward Treacher Collins, ophthalmologist and first described Treacher Collins Syndrome
• Dawson Turner, rugby union international who represented England (1871–75).
• Margaret Turner-Warwick, first female president elected at the Royal College of Physicians (1989-1992)
• Albertine Winner, physician and medical administrator
• R. A. Young

References

Sources

• University College Hospital and Its Medical School: A History by W R Merrington (1976) ISBN 0-434-46500-3

External links

• UCL Medical School official website
• Royal Free, University College and Middlesex Medical Students Society website
• UCL Medical School Clinical Assessment Centre website
• UCL Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Science
• How British Women Became Doctors: The Story of the Royal Free Hospital and its Medical School - Neil McIntyre/Wenrowave Press 2014

Coordinates: 51°31′18″N 0°08′05″W / 51.5218°N 0.1348°W / 51.5218; -0.1348