Cardiff University School of Medicine

Cardiff University School of Medicine was founded in 1893 when the Departments of Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacology, Pathology, Bacteriology were founded at University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire (now Cardiff University), in the same year. Students finishing their preclinical studies at Cardiff went on to other medical schools to continue their clinical studies. Most went to University College Hospital in London, part of University College London to complete their clinical studies. In 1931, the Medical School established a separate identity as the Welsh National School of Medicine, and in 1984, its name changed to University of Wales College of Medicine. In 2004, University of Wales College of Medicine was re-united with Cardiff University, forming the Cardiff University School of Medicine. As of 2008 the medical schools accepts some 305 British medical students per year and an additional 25 students from overseas, making Cardiff one of the largest UK medical schools ^[1].

The Medical School is situated at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK.

Curriculum

In 1995, the college introduced a new medical curriculum from which students should be able to combine and use knowledge, skills and judgement and develop appropriate attitudes to deliver a high standard of professional care.

Cardiff University offers an integrated medical course, whereby majority of the teaching is through lectures, but there also are problem-based learning, self-directed sessions and tutorials for demonstrations of clinical components.

Academic departments

The School's 21 academic departments are organised into three divisions: Division of Clinical Laboratory Science, Division of Community Specialties and Division of Hospital Specialties.

The pre-clinical years are mostly spent within the School of Biosciences at Park Place before moving on to the University Hospital at Heath Park for the remainder of the course. There are however a few teaching sessions within University Hospital during the pre-clinical years.

Research

The School undertakes research in a number of areas. Research facilities have recently been enhanced with the £11m Henry Wellcome Building for Biomedical Research in Wales. The building includes 4500 square meters of state-of-the-art laboratories and equipment for research into Infection & Immunity, Cancer Biology and Psychiatric Genetics, adjacent to a purpose-built Clinical Research Facility. The Henry Wellcome Building is the largest development of its kind ever undertaken in Wales and will be a flagship for biomedical research in Wales and the Principality.

Research in the School is focused on six interdisciplinary themes, each of which links basic science to clinical practice in hospital and community settings. They address cancer; clinical epidemiology; cardiovascular sciences; neurosciences and mental health; infection, immunity and inflammation; metabolism repair and regeneration.

Notable recent successes include the establishment of a Medical Research Council-funded translational research collaboration with Bristol University (called SARTRE), and the award of an MRC Centre in Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics– the first MRC Centre in Wales and the first aimed specifically at harnessing the genetics revolution for research in mental disorders.

The School also houses the Institute of Medical Genetics, winner of a 2007 Queen’s Anniversary Prize^[2].

Despite Cardiff University belonging to the Russell Group of research intensive UK universities, the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise showed that in the key clinical areas, such as Hospital Based Specialities, Cardiff was not as competitive as many other medical schools in the UK.

Alumni

There are many distinguished alumni of the Cardiff University School of Medicine. These include Professor Sir Keith Peters, who is Regius Professor of Physic at the University of Cambridge, where he is also the Head of the School of Clinical Medicine. Another distinguished alumnus is Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz. Professor Borysiewicz was Professor of Medicine and Head of the Department of Medicine at Cardiff University School of Medicine until 2001, when he became Principal of the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London. since 2004, he has been Deputy Rector of Imperial College London. Graduate Annapoorna Kini, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, has the distinction of performing more coronary interventions annually than any other woman in the U.S.

Staff and Students

The School of Medicine welcomes around 320 undergraduates and around 80 post-graduates each year. The Dean of Cardiff University School of Medicine is Professor Paul Morgan.

The School of Medicine has come bottom of the league table published by the National Student Survey for many years, and has a particularly poor record when it comes to student satisfaction with feedback and administrative support. In 2009, however, there was significant improvement shown in the School's NSS results following investment in a more student-focused approach.

In August 2009, the General Medical Council asked the School of Medicine to carry out a full investigation after serious errors were made in the qualifying Final MB Examination. One student, who was told he/she had failed was found to have passed after an Appeal. The Appeals process revealed that 4 students had been told they had passed the examination but, in fact, had failed. The 4 had already gone through the graduation process and had been registered as doctors by the General Medical Council. They were subsequently suspended from practice. This was said to be due to a "clerical error".

External links

• Cardiff University School of Medicine's official website
• i3-IRG: Infection, Immunity and Inflammation interdisciplinary research group
• Cardiff University T Cell Research
• South Wales Immunology Group

v • d • e Education in Cardiff Further and Higher Education Cardiff University • University of Wales Institute, Cardiff • University of Glamorgan • Atrium • Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama • Cardiff Law School • Cardiff University School of Medicine • Coleg Glan Hafren Primary and Secondary Education Bishop of Llandaff Church in Wales High School • Cardiff High School • Corpus Christi RC High School • Fitzalan High School • Howell's • Lansdowne Primary School • Llanishen High School • Radyr Comprehensive School • St John's College • St Teilo's Church in Wales High School • Stanwell School • Whitchurch High School • Willows High School • Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf • Ysgol Gymraeg Plasmawr • Ysgol Gymraeg Treganna • Ysgol Mynydd Bychan Other institutions Cardiff Central Library • CEWC-Cymru • Centre for Occupational and Health Psychology • Estyn • National Institute of Adult Continuing Education • Techniquest • Urdd Gobaith Cymru • WJEC

Coordinates: 51°30′29″N 3°11′11″W / 51.508°N 3.18631°W / 51.508; -3.18631

References