More than 50 key representatives from health organisations across Kent and Medway participated in a special forum on Thursday 5 July to discuss what the county’s first ever medical school will bring to the region and how they can contribute to its success.
A collaboration between Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Kent, the Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS) brings together the combined strengths of both universities and local healthcare organisations to offer a new model of person-centred medical education.
The first intake of undergraduates will be in September 2020.
Participants were welcomed by Kent’s Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Karen Cox and Canterbury Christ Church University’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Rama Thirunamachandran.
Professor Cox and Professor Thirunamachandran said: ‘We were delighted to welcome so many of our regional health partners to this event. Their support for the School is integral to its success and we were grateful for this opportunity to not only discuss with them our vision for the future and their role in it, but also to hear their thoughts and feedback on the progress we have made since the School was announced and our plans going forward.’
The vice-chancellors, alongside colleagues that included Debra Teasdale, Dean of the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing and Pro Vice-Chancellor Medical Education Development at Christ Church, and Dr Peter Nicholls, Kent’s Dean for Health, discussed their shared vision for KMMS as a beacon for first-class medical education and research, and how it will help address the healthcare provision challenges in the region.
This includes the ability of KMMS to attract the most talented aspiring doctors from within the local community and beyond, offering training and development opportunities with local partners that will help to keep that talent in Kent.
The forum, which took place at the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus, was attended by a wide range of practitioners including those working in general practice, psychiatry, social care and medical training.
Regional health partners attended an event to learn more about the Kent and Medway Medical School.