Cardiff University School of Medicine
Encyclopedia
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 .
The Medical School is situated at the University Hospital of Wales
, Cardiff
, UK.
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.
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.
. 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.
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.
, 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.
The School of Medicine has improved its performance in the 2011 National Student Survey, with higher ratings in all the themes of the survey. It is now ranked 3rd from bottom in the UK rather than being at the very bottom of the NSS table, although it is still bottom of other league tables.
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".
In January 2010, Cardiff University Medsoc
hosted a Deans Question Time for the first time, to help facilitate communication between students and staff. The session was highly productive, allowing many students to voice concerns or post commendations for the school of medicine.
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
, Physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
, Pharmacology
Pharmacology
Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...
, Pathology
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
, Bacteriology
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
were founded at University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire
Cardiff University
Cardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
(now Cardiff University
Cardiff University
Cardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
), 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
University College Hospital
University College Hospital is a teaching hospital located in London, United Kingdom. It is part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is closely associated with University College London ....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, part of University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of 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
University of Wales College of Medicine
The University of Wales College of Medicine was a medical school based in the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, that formed a part of the University of Wales...
. In 2004, University of Wales College of Medicine was re-united with Cardiff University
Cardiff University
Cardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
, 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 .
The Medical School is situated at the University Hospital of Wales
University Hospital of Wales
University Hospital of Wales , opened in November 1971, is a major 1000-bed hospital situated in the inner city district of Heath in Cardiff, Wales...
, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, 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
Cardiff University
Cardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
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 WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The building includes 4500 square meters of state-of-the-art laboratories
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
and equipment for research into Infection
Infection
An infection is the colonization of a host organism by parasite species. Infecting parasites seek to use the host's resources to reproduce, often resulting in disease...
& Immunity
Immunity (medical)
Immunity is a biological term that describes a state of having sufficient biological defenses to avoid infection, disease, or other unwanted biological invasion. Immunity involves both specific and non-specific components. The non-specific components act either as barriers or as eliminators of wide...
, Cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and Psychiatric
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
Genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
, 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.
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 PetersKeith Peters (medicine)
Sir David Keith Peters FRS FMedSci FRCP FRCPE FRCPath FLSW was Regius Professor of Physic at the University of Cambridge from 1987 to 2005, where he was also head of the School of Clinical Medicine.- Career :...
, who is Regius Professor of Physic
Regius Professor of Physic
Regius Professor of Physic may refer to:*Regius Professor of Physic , a professorship at the University of Cambridge*Regius Professor of Physic , a professorship at the University of Dublin, Trinity College...
at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, where he is also the Head of the School of Clinical Medicine. Another distinguished alumnus is Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz
Leszek Borysiewicz
Sir Leszek Krzysztof Borysiewicz, FRS is a Polish British physician, immunologist and scientific administrator. He is currently the 345th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, his term of office started on 1 October 2010...
. 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
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
. since 2004, he has been Deputy Rector of Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
. Graduate Annapoorna Kini
Annapoorna Kini
Annapoorna Kini, M.D., is an American cardiologist and an Associate Professor of Cardiology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City....
, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the United States. In 2011-2012, Mount Sinai Hospital was ranked as one of America's best hospitals by U.S...
, 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 improved its performance in the 2011 National Student Survey, with higher ratings in all the themes of the survey. It is now ranked 3rd from bottom in the UK rather than being at the very bottom of the NSS table, although it is still bottom of other league tables.
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".
In January 2010, Cardiff University Medsoc
Medsoc
MedSocs are the students' unions for the 32 medical schools in the UK. It is their remit to look after the educational, pastoral, social and representational needs of the 7,000 medical students in the UK.- History :...
hosted a Deans Question Time for the first time, to help facilitate communication between students and staff. The session was highly productive, allowing many students to voice concerns or post commendations for the school of medicine.