Medicine gets donor treatment  

8 December 2014

Supporters of the University’s medical fundraising campaign gathered for their first donor ‘thank you’ evening on 4 December, when they were hosted by Professor Stuart Elborn, Dean of the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences.

 

After a welcome from Helen Surgenor, Head of Medical Fundraising, Professor Elborn outlined how the School was training the next generation of doctors, dentists and scientists and supporting key disease research areas. He flagged up University advances in eye disease and cystic fibrosis treatment as two key areas where Queen’s was impacting directly on the quality of patients’ lives on a daily basis.

 

Queen’s Medical Fund was launched in 2012 and has raised over £18k to date to support summer students in medical education and biomedical sciences and the Hardship Fund. In addition, six PhD students funded through philanthropic gifts to Queen’s are now working in cancer research at the University.

 

Professor Pascal McKeown, Director of the Centre for Medical Education outlined how the Medical Fund was benefiting the School’s 2,000 undergraduate students by providing them with important opportunities to develop key transferable skills such as leadership, management and entrepreneurship and giving them insights into working in a research environment. 

 

The highlight of the evening were the presentations by two current students, recipients of gifts made to the School from the Medical Fund and a patient family. Second year student, Helen Monaghan, spoke about her blood cancer focused Summer Studentship during which she investigated proteins in Myeloid Leukaemia, while Matthew Alderdice, a PhD student funded by the family of the late Seán Crummey, talked about his research into alternative treatments for colorectal cancer.

 

The event culminated in the dispersal of £7,500 to the Centre for Medical Education and Centre for Biomedical Sciences for summer scholarships and the Hardship Fund.

 

For further information on Queen’s Medical Campaign please visit the webpage or contact Helen Surgenor.

Photo: (Back row) (L-R) Professor Pascal McKeown, Dr Tom Gardiner, Director, Centre for Experimental Medicine, Helen Surgenor, (front row) Nicola Swenarton, MDBS School Administrator and Dr Gerry Gormley (Centre for Medical Education)

Media inquiries to Gerry Power, Communications Officer, Development and Alumni Relations Office; tel: +44 (0)28 9097 5321, email g.power@qub.ac.uk

 

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