Celebrating the history of medicine and dentistry at Queen Mary

To celebrate this anniversary and the long history of world-leading medical and dental research and teaching at Queen Mary, a special event was held in the Garrod Building’s Old Library, with guest speakers sharing personal experiences and insights from their time in academia and student life at Queen Mary. This included Professor Brian Colvin who gave a detailed history of the London Hospital Medical College, founded by surgeon Sir William Blizard, as a place for physicians, apothecaries and surgeons to study, work and to exchange ideas.

The celebration also marked the 30th anniversary of Barts and The London Students’ Association (BLSA), recognising three decades of student representation and community within Queen Mary’s Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. The joint event highlighted the close relationship between the Faculty and its student body, past and present.

Speakers at the event included:

Queen Mary medical student and Great British Bake Off winner, Jasmine Mitchell, who spoke about her experience as a contestant on the Great British Bake Off. Jasmine told the audience how baking had become a labour of love, and shared her experience of juggling huge amounts of baking practice with studying for her final medical exams. Battling imposter syndrome and tiredness, Jasmine found her way and managed to get through her exams and also walk away with the coveted prize of being the GBBO winner.

Professor Dame Parveen Kumar told the audience about how 37 years ago, she and her colleague, Michael L. Clark, came up with the idea of writing ‘Clinical Medicine’: a no-nonsense, easy-to-read guide for medical students, which is still a must-read today. Aiming to escape the verbose medical books of the past, Professor Dame Parveen wanted it to be fun to read, evidence based and small enough to carry on the back of a bike.

Professor Jo Martin, Deputy Vice Principal for Health in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, took a moment to celebrate the University’s long-standing partnership with Bart Health NHS Trust and our partners across the hospitals. She spoke about the legacy of each, including David Beckham being born at Whipps Cross Hospital. The healthcare provided by each hospital has adapted to serve each community, as well as the thousands of students coming through their doors. Professor Martin emphasised the importance of empathy-focussed communication and allowing students to put that into practice.

Co-Presidents of the Barts and The London Dental Society, students Yousef Arabchahi and Hannah Shamim, gave a history of dentistry from 1911 until the present day, explaining how it was the first dental college in the UK to be affiliated with a medical college – becoming the present day Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. They went on to tell the audience about how the dental student’s life has changed over the decades, thanks to technological advances, medical progress and the focus on patient-centred care. 

President of Barts and the London Students’ Association, Maria Rubbani, took the audience through 30 years of BLSA with a whistlestop tour of the history of the association and the former Presidents who have made their mark in numerous ways.

Professor Sir Mark Caulfield wrapped up the event by thanking the speakers and inviting the audience to celebrate Queen Mary’s unique history. He stressed how the hundreds of students in medicine and dentistry, clinicians and the staff are honouring that history.

Professor Martin P. Griffiths, Royal London Hospital’s Trauma Surgeon, gave a captivating talk about his very difficult but rewarding month working with victims of the conflict in Gaza with UK-Med.