Medical degree of global proportions

In one of Northumbria’s most innovative partnerships, students spend their first year studying medicine in Newcastle before travelling to the stunning Caribbean island of Grenada to continue their studies at St George’s University.

The School of Medicine at St George’s University is renowned as one of the world’s leading international centres of medical education and academic excellence.

The University has been working to enhance its provision in distance learning in recent years to fit around the differing lifestyles and needs of our international communities. Thanks to use of the latest technologies, students can now become part of our multinational, multicultural online community.

Postgraduate courses, including Education, Business, Construction, Computing, Law and English Literature, are all available to study online, with support available through video, phone calls and email.

Ama Carmichael, who studied Computing and Information Technology from her home in the Caribbean while working in her full-time job, travelled to the UK this summer for the first time to graduate with her classmates. She spoke to Northumbria University News about her distance learning experience.

“Coming to Northumbria was a ‘wow’ experience for me,” said Ama, who lives in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

“Although this was my first time on campus, and in the UK, have had a lot of contact with my lecturers through video and phone calls so it’s been fantastic to meet them in person.

Ama earned a distinction for her dissertation project which investigated the implementation of green information and communications technologies for the government in her home country.

“I’ve received a lot of support from my tutors, despite having to work around the time differences and my working hours. All the staff I’ve worked with contacted me to say congratulations.

The ceremony was really special and know definitely made the right choice to study with Northumbria. feel like all the hard work has paid off.”

Ama’s project supervisor, Rebecca Strachan, was delighted to finally meet her on the day of graduation. “It’s not an easy option to be a distance learning student and combine postgraduate study with a full-time job but Ama is an excellent exemplar of how students rise to this challenge,” she said.

Northumbria University offers a wide range of postgraduate and distance learning opportunities for students.

Founded in 1976 by academics who had been educated in the United States, Canada, Europe and many Commonwealth countries, the founding members were keen to create an innovative curriculum that would combine the best of American and British medical traditions. Today, the School is dedicated to developing outstanding doctors and improving health standards and healthcare delivery systems throughout the world. Northumbria University first began working with St George’s in 2002 and over the next five years developed the Keith B. Taylor Global Scholars programme, providing an exciting new route to becoming a doctor and giving students a truly international experience.

Keith B. Taylor, an Oxford-educated, former Professor of Medicine at Stanford University who subsequently became Vice-Chancellor of St George’s, was an eminent English physician who had a vision for St George’s to develop strong links with the UK.

Students enrolling on his Global Scholars programme can choose to spend their first year of pre-medical study in the tropical island of Grenada, or in the bustling city of Newcastle at Northumbria’s city campus. The University’s Drill Hall has been transformed into a teaching facility specifically for St George’s students. It includes an anatomy lab used to conduct teaching on plastinated cadaveric specimens and anatomical models, a 240-seat lecture theatre and three flexible teaching spaces. Students also have the opportunity to use X-ray, MRI, CT and ultrasound techniques. Their second year is spent in Grenada before moving on to two years of clinical rotations in hospitals and clinical centres in the USA, Canada, the UK or Grenada. On completion, this leads to a Doctor of Medicine degree.

Since 2007, more than 1,300 students – primarily American and Canadian –have chosen to spend the first year of this medical sciences programme at Northumbria.

One student, Brook Ruffo, tells of the reasons why he chose to study in the UK on page VI.

Professor Kath McCourt, CBE, FRCN, Executive Dean for Health and Life Sciences programmes, said:

“Northumbria University is committed to building its global reputation, research profile and increasing the number of international students on campus. Our partnership with St George’s is a key example of how this works in practice.

“Our strong and growing collaboration with teaching and research staff working on joint projects across both institutions is delivering high-quality research publications from both organisations and increasingly large numbers of international students coming to study at Northumbria each year.

“We are fortunate that the partnership with St George’s brings us some fantastic students. They are taught by the national and international experts in healthcare that we have in the North East and have the opportunity to learn first-hand about the NHS and the delivery of care from both a UK and European perspective.

“The Keith B. Taylor scholars are all focused on benefitting from a global experience and see their time in Northumbria as enhancing their CVs. All, without exception, speak highly of the opportunities this brings them.

“They not only utilise our high-quality laboratory and clinical practice settings, but they also work in the health and social care sector as volunteers, and outside of study, they are able to enjoy the culture, scenery and friendliness of the North East and take advantage of our excellent links to Europe for further travel.”

Dr David Holmes, the Associate Dean of Basic and Allied Health Sciences at St George’s, worked at Northumbria

University for 35 years before joining St George’s to lead the programme four years ago. He added: “If you want to be a physician you need to have a very intensive academic programme, and this one is not only intensive, but innovative.

“The course is particularly attractive as it gives students a truly global experience. They can study here in this vibrant former industrial city. It’s very appealing for international students with its historical sites and for constantly coming up as being one of the UK’s best cities for students, before moving over to Grenada to study in one of the most picturesque campuses in the world.

Fact File

• St George’s is the capital of Grenada

“St George’s has a strong affiliation with more than 70 hospitals and clinical centres, not only in the Caribbean and USA, but also in the UK, Canada, Kenya, India and Thailand. This ensures that students on the Global Scholars programme have a truly distinctive educational experience and the unique opportunity of experiencing different ways of life and different healthcare systems.”

Discover More

Scan this QR code for more information on the Keith B. Taylor Global Scholars programme.

• The island was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1498 but was not colonised until 1666 by the French, when it was purchased by the governor of neighbouring Martinique

It was given to Britain in 1763 following the Treaty of Paris. The main port town, Ville Forte de Royale, was renamed St George’s after the patron saint of England

• The island is a popular tourist destination

• The country’s main exports are nutmeg and spices including cocoa, cloves, vanilla, mace, cinnamon, ginger and sugar cane

• It was severely damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004