Keep up to date with the School of Medicine's MBBS curriculum review
Ways to get involved
- Send an email directly using the 'Contribute to the review' button below
- Come along to an open town hall event, hear an update and discuss your ideas with the panel
- For any specific feedback or suggestions, get in touch with a Thematic Review Group Chair using the details on this page
An Introduction from Dr Joanne Harris, Deputy Head of Undergraduate Medicine and Chair of the Curriculum Review project
In response to an ever-changing landscape for medical education, Imperial College School of Medicine is undertaking a major curriculum review covering all aspects of our undergraduate medical programme.
The School's six-year course is heavily science-focused in the early years (1&2), followed by three clinical years, during which the majority of teaching is delivered in hospitals. Clinical teaching is interspersed with a return to science in the BSc year in Year 4. We are proud of our focus on the scientific underpinning of medicine; however, over twenty years the curriculum has remained broadly the same.
New drivers for change have emerged for medical education in the UK. The NHS is facing unprecedented pressure and is seeking to train more doctors to work as generalists in community settings. Developments in technology put more knowledge than ever at our fingertips, and we are now educating students who are used to accessing information at the touch of a button. Technology has also given rise to innovative teaching approaches and different modalities of delivering curricula.
Significant change is also expected in the way that doctors are licensed in the UK. A Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA) has been proposed by the GMC, which we expect to be introduced in or near to 2022.
We therefore anticipate that we will need to make structural changes to our course to better prepare our students, and have launched this exciting project to ensure we are equipping our students with everything they need to be at the forefront of their fields, whether they choose a medical or scientific career.
This page will be updated with news, and the ways you can get involved are listed on the right. We are always keen to hear from you and hope that you'll stay up to date with our progress and contribute along the way.
Dr Joanne Harris
More information
The Curriculum Review (Undergraduate Medicine) is being led by Dr Joanne Harris, Chair, and overseen by a Project Board chaired by Mr Martin Lupton, Head of Undergraduate Medicine, Imperial College London. Its work is overseen by the School of Medicine Board.
The members of the Curriculum Review Project Board are:
- Mr Martin Lupton, Vice Dean (Education) and Head of Undergraduate Medicine
- Dr Joanne Harris, Deputy Head of Undergraduate Medicine
- Professor Mary Morrell, Head of Years 1 & 2
- Professor Alison McGregor, Director of Undergraduate Science and Head of Year 4
- Dr Omid Halse, Head of Year 3
- Dr Niamh Martin, Head of Year 6
- Dr Sonia Kumar, Director of Undergraduate Primary Care Education
- Dr Amir Sam, Head of Curriculum and Assessment Development
- Dr Andrew McKeown, Course Director, Year 5 Integrated Clinical Apprenticeship
- Professor Naomi Low-Beer, Vice Dean (Education), Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine
- Dr Alan Spivey, Assistant Provost (Learning & Teaching)
- Mr Gideon Shimshon, Director, Digital Learning Hub
- Ms Anna Romito, Curriculum Development Lead, Faculty of Medicine Centre
- Ms Susan English, Director of Education Management
- Mr Chris Harris, Head of Programme Management
- Mrs Rebekah Fletcher, Head of School Secretariat
- Mr Steve Marchant, Curriculum Review Project Officer
Following initial reports by Thematic Review Groups, an Away Day brought together colleagues from across the College to discuss learning outcomes for each phase, and the content and structure of the curriculum. Three phase development leads have been appointed to manage the work of the Curriculum Review and along with the project team they will consult widely within the medicine community, seeking advice from students, staff and educational experts.
Professor Mary Morrell is Development Lead for Phase 1 (Years 1-3), supported by Dr Omid Halse. Professor Alison McGregor is Development Lead for Phase 2 (Year 4/BSc Year), supported by the team currently working on this process. Dr Niamh Martin is Development Lead for Phase 3 (Years 5 & 6, Preparation for Practice) supported by Dr Andrew McKeown, community lead for the Curriculum Review. Dr Elizabeth Muir has been appointed as the development lead for Professional Values and Behaviours across all the phases.
July 2017 – Review begins with initial reports from working groups
January 2018 - Away Day and appointment of phase development leads
Academic Year 2017-18, 2018-19 – Detailed work on curriculum content undertaken and approved
Academic Year 2019-20 – New curriculum begins roll-out