The School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Sheffield

University of Sheffield

The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...

 is a medical school

Medical school (United Kingdom)

In the United Kingdom, medical school generally refers to a department within a university which is involved in the education of future medical practitioners...

 active in three fields of medicine

Medicine

Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....

: teaching

Medical education

Medical education is education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner, either the initial training to become a doctor or additional training thereafter ....

, researching and practicing.

Founded in 1828, the Medical School of the University of Sheffield is among the oldest in the UK. The school operated independently as the Sheffield School of Medicine until its mergers with Firth College in 1879 and with Sheffield Technical School in 1884. In 1897 the schools were renamed University College Sheffield.

The University of Sheffield Medical School is one of 29 bodies entitled by the General Medical Council (GMC) to award medical degrees in the United Kingdom. The GMC is the body responsible for registering doctors to practise medicine as well as regulating medical education and training in the United Kingdom.

Applying for a place to study Medicine at Sheffield is extremely competitive. As of 2010 the medical school admits some 223 home students and a further 25 overseas students per year .
For entry in 2010 the school received over 2,500 applications.

Research

The school's research focuses in seven areas, cardiovascular science; endocrinology

Endocrinology

Endocrinology is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions called hormones, the integration of developmental events such as proliferation, growth, and differentiation and the coordination of...

 and reproduction; 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...

, inflammation

Inflammation

Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...

 and 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...

; musculoskeletal science; neuroscience

Neuroscience

Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...

; oncology

Oncology

Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...

; and primary care

Primary care

Primary care is the term for the health services by providers who act as the principal point of consultation for patients within a health care system...

 and ageing

Ageing

Ageing or aging is the accumulation of changes in a person over time. Ageing in humans refers to a multidimensional process of physical, psychological, and social change. Some dimensions of ageing grow and expand over time, while others decline...

. The school has been associated with a number of notable medical discoveries. In the 1920s, Edward Mellanby's studies on rickets

Rickets

Rickets is a softening of bones in children due to deficiency or impaired metabolism of vitamin D, magnesium , phosphorus or calcium, potentially leading to fractures and deformity. Rickets is among the most frequent childhood diseases in many developing countries...

 established that cod liver oil

Cod liver oil

Cod liver oil is a nutritional supplement derived from liver of cod fish. It has high levels of the omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, and very high levels of vitamin A and vitamin D. It is widely taken to ease the symptoms of arthritis and for other health benefits...

 prevented the disease, which helped lead to its eradication. In the 1930s, Cecil Payne became the first to use Penicillin

Penicillin

Penicillin is a group of antibiotics derived from Penicillium fungi. They include penicillin G, procaine penicillin, benzathine penicillin, and penicillin V....

 to effect a cure. Also in the 1930s, Sir Hans Krebs made significant advancements in the study of cellular energy, codifying his observations in the Krebs Cycle, for which work he received a Nobel Prize

Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...

in 1953.