About the School of Medicine
The School of Medicine is a circa £86m project that attracts graduates from a variety of disciplines to study medicine and live in the North West, with the ambition that they will ultimately work there as doctors. The completed Phase 1, in refurbished accommodation on the Ulster University’s Derry~Londonderry campus, opened its doors to its first cohort of students on 23 August 2021 who are due to graduate in July 2025.
The School of Medicine is a nationally and internationally excellent medical school, training the new generation of doctors to deliver whole person care with skill and compassion, to meet future long-term workforce needs in the healthcare system in Northern Ireland and fulfil commitments made under the New Decade, New Approach (NDNA).
The School of Medicine’s Research Strategy to advance medical treatments which improve health outcomes is built on three Research Clusters – Translational Experimental Research, Clinical Medicine, and Public and Population Health.
City Deal & Inclusive Future Fund package
The Derry City & Strabane District Deal and Inclusive Future Fund is the largest ever single investment package by government in the region which aims to create a more competitive, inclusive and regionally- balanced economy.
Phase 2 of the School of Medicine project involves the construction of new state-of-the-art accommodation on a waterfront site on Strand Road, adjacent to the Derry & Strabane District Council offices and the University campus. As part of the wider programme, there will also be a Medical Education Facility developed for the WHSCT on the Altnagelvin Hospital site and the expansion of the existing CTRIC Research Facility at Altnagelvin. Phase 2 is anticipated to complete by 2030.
The School of Medicine will include:
- Teaching space: to provide fit-for-purpose teaching accommodation for medical students and other degree programmes.
- Data Analytics Research Lab - to promote and facilitate development of data-analytics research as a means of predicting disease/patient outcome.
- Data Analytics Training Lab - to upskill the current and future workforce in health data analytics used in Personalised Medicine.
- Investment in specialist equipment to enhance Translational Experimental research - to facilitate the measurement of biological samples across a large cohort of patients to identify potential markers of disease and therapeutic targets.
Benefits of the School of Medicine
The health service and patients are at the core of the School of Medicine's research as its impact is cross cutting at an individual, societal and policy level such as;
- Reducing health inequalities
- Delivering cutting edge therapies
- Making treatments more efficient and cost effective
- Informing policy
It’s vision is to inspire and integrate our local community and clinical partners through high quality, ambitious research and innovation. It conducts research that is locally relevant but delivers global impact, benefiting health across the island of Ireland through interdisciplinary collaborations, whilst seeking to address health inequalities.
Economic value of the medical research is cited as having societal benefits by ~25 pence per year, every year for every £1 invested. (Medical Schools Council). This also boosts the economy by creating a highly skilled and desirable workforce which encourages investment from both private and public sectors.
Project Objectives
The School of Medicine has set out four key objectives which are community focused and globally ambitious.
- Programme for Government/NDNA commitment - To maximise the capacity of the site proposed for the School of Medicine, as part contribution to realising the 10,000 student campus target, in support of the Executive’s PfG commitment to the development and expansion of the Derry~Londonderry campus.
- Building teaching and research infrastructural capacity - To deliver teaching and research accommodation for the School of Medicine on the Derry~Londonderry campus that is fit for purpose and with the capacity to meet current and projected future needs.
- Placemaking - To contribute, in partnership with DCSDC, towards the wider regeneration and placemaking of the Derry~Londonderry Strand Road waterfront area.
- Enabling economic growth - To enhance, adapt and expand the medical research capacity and capability in the North-West to meet healthcare challenges and industry and wider community needs in the Medical, Health and Life Sciences sector.
Study Medicine in Derry~Londonderry
The MBBS Graduate Entry Medicine programme is a 4 year course is open to graduates from a wide range of science and non science backgrounds. The cohort of students will have a diverse range of experience and skills, making this an exciting and stimulating entry route into the medical profession. Upon graduation students will be awarded a primary medical qualification, an MBBS degree, which enables them to start work as a medical practitioner in the United Kingdom.
Virtual campus
Virtually explore the School of Medicine teaching spaces in Derry~Londonderry.
Partners
