The Trust has been working closely with the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine in setting up their new medical school. It is an innovative partnership between the prestigious Imperial College London and the University of Cumbria.
Pears Medical School - Photo credit news.cumbriamed.ac.uk
It’s is more than a medical school, it’s a regional movement to train and retain doctors who will bring lasting improvements to healthcare in Cumbria.
With a bespoke curriculum focused on prevention, digital innovation and community-based care, PCSM is designed to train doctors where they are most needed, right here in Cumbria.
The curriculum has been specifically developed with Cumbria in mind, taking into consideration the unique position of the region, with its varied and widespread geographical reach, health inequalities and high prevalence of long-term conditions. The focus is on the needs of those in Cumbria, ensuring that care is compassionate, respectful, and responsive to patient needs.
The curriculum sets out to equip graduates to understand the importance of teamwork, and the links between, secondary, primary care & community services, vital to the care of patients in Cumbria.
The Trust has a number of joint appointments with colleagues working at NCIC and teaching as part of their curriculum and we support students on placements throughout their studies.
In parallel, the PCSM Research Hub has awarded a range of fellowships (MRes, Pre-Doctoral and PhD) to health professionals in Cumbria in order to support research capacity at the University of Cumbria and NCIC while fellows continue NHS practice.
These include:
Our Chief Pharmacist Hadar Zaman
Our Executive Chief Nurse, Dr Gillian Findley
Our Associate Director of AHPs, Sarah Elliott
The School welcomed the first cohort of students in 2025 and from 2029, graduates will be equipped to play a key role in healthcare across the region.
“We are very excited about this, having a partnership with an organisation with a reputation like iImperial is a real game changer in securing a long term, sustainable plan for the people of this region.”