Yasmin Adelekan-Kamara is entering her second year of the Medicine (MBBS) course at Imperial College School of Medicine. Here she is pictured reading on Imperial's South Kensington Campus

Imperial College School of Medicine has developed an innovative spiral curriculum for students embarking on the six-year MBBS/BSc in Medicine course from the academic year 2019-20. Life sciences, child health and development, and clinical paediatrics from conception to adulthood are threaded through the six years, with an increasing emphasis on the provision of longitudinal undergraduate experiences. 

There are more than 2,000 undergraduates in the School of Medicine, attracted by our reputation for internationally competitive research and clinical expertise, with medical campuses across North and West London enabling placements in a wide range of high-quality children’s services in NHS hospitals, clinics, community facilities and primary care practices. 

Drawing on the exceptional talent across our Centre, our Faculty supports the emergence of graduates with a good understanding of clinical paediatrics and child health. 

We also provide opportunities for our students to engage with world-leading paediatric research groups, nurturing those with aptitude and talent, and growing the leaders of tomorrow. 

Current students undertake the core seven-week rotation in clinical paediatrics during their 5th Year, but many will have benefitted ahead of this from other opportunities that enable them to interact with children. For example, the innovative Follow My Footsteps course, starting in their 2nd Year, introduces self-selected students in pairs to a pregnant woman, who they follow over the next three years to observe and learn about child development and the NHS services that promote child health. 

We have a well-established, student-led Play Scheme that supports undergraduates across all the Years to volunteer out-of-hours including weekends to spend time with children and young people who are receiving in-patient care.  

A successful innovation has been run over three years as a pilot to explore longitudinal placements in primary care for one day each week through the 42 weeks of the 5th Year. Students are given their own cohort of patients including children with chronic conditions, for whom they take authentic responsibility. It is intended that this will be rolled out to all students on the new curriculum in their clinical years.  

In their 4th Year, many students undertake BSc projects with our paediatric research groups, including basic science, laboratory-based projects, clinical research studies, child public health projects and systematic reviews. Students may also undertake summer research projects supported through the undergraduate research opportunities programme (UROP), for which bursaries may be available. 

UG Education

Key priorities


  • Strengthening the learning opportunities of medical students in clinical paediatrics in the 5th Year. 
  • Increasing our contributions to the spiral curriculum, supporting learning at every stage of our undergraduates’ education that has relevance to improving population health through a focus on early life.  
  • Expanding the Follow My Footsteps programme to every student in their 2nd Year, with a longitudinal element enabling students to follow the infants through the first two years of life. 
  • Expanding opportunities for interested medical students to be involved in basic science and clinical research relating to paediatrics and child health. 
  • Engaging medical students interested in paediatrics to contribute to the development of our public engagement with children through our website, to volunteer for the Play Scheme, and develop new initiatives.

Undergraduate Education Lead


Dr Ewa Lichtarowicz-Krynska
Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer
 

Ewa Lichtarowicz-Krynska is an Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer and the Lead for Undergraduate Paediatrics and Child Health at Imperial College. She is a consultant paediatrician and paediatric endocrinologist at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust.

Undergraduate Education team

  • Dr Bob Boyle

    Dr Bob Boyle

    Personal details

    Dr Bob Boyle Reader in Paediatric Allergy

    Bio

    Bob is a Clinical Reader in Paediatric Allergy and leads the Follow My Footsteps course. He is also a module lead on the Reproductive and Developmental Biology BSc, deputy course director for the Imperial MSc in Allergy and an experienced BSc project supervisor.

    Location

    Paediatric Research Unit, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Wing (QEQM), St Mary's Campus

  • Dr Alex Chan

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    Personal details

    Dr Alex Chan Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer

    +44 (0)1895 238 282

    Bio

    Dr Alex Chan is the Phase 3 Module Development Lead for Child Health.

    Location

    1st Floor, Postgraduate Centre (Hillingdon), Hillingdon Hospital

  • Dr Ewa Lichtarowicz-Krynska

    Personal details

    Dr Ewa Lichtarowicz-Krynska Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer

    Bio

    Ewa Lichtarowicz-Krynska is an Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, and the Lead for Undergraduate Paediatrics and Child Heath at Imperial College. She is a consultant paediatrician and paediatric endocrinologist at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust.

    Location

    Faculty of Medicine Centre, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, South Kensington Campus

  • Dr Tom Lissauer

    Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer

    Personal details

    Dr Tom Lissauer Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer

    Bio

    Dr Tom Lissauer is a Consultant Paediatrician, retired Neonatologist and internationally recognized educator. Tom has been a most energetic editor of acclaimed undergraduate textbooks, of which his Illustrated Textbook of Paediatrics  is about to be published in its 5th Edition.

    Location

    Department of Paediatrics, Norfolk Place, St Mary's Campus