The future, in practice

In December 1825, a young surgeon named William Sands Cox welcomed 19 students into his father’s house on Temple Row in Birmingham for a series of anatomical demonstrations. Those first lessons laid the foundations for what would become the University of Birmingham’s Medical School.

200 years later, the University is preparing thousands of future healthcare professionals for careers in a world Sands Cox could scarcely have imagined. Artificial intelligence is transforming diagnosis. Robotic surgery is becoming increasingly common. Yet despite such technological advances one guiding principle remains steadfast: clinicians learn best by doing.

The value placed on hands-on experience is prevalent in the University’s newest investment in healthcare education. The Birmingham Centre for Anatomy, Surgical and Clinical Skills (BCASCS), will bring together anatomy,clinical skills and surgical training in one purpose-built facility designed to prepare undergraduate and postgraduate healthcare trainees and professionals for the realities of modern healthcare.

While textbooks and lecture theatres still have their place,students need plenty of opportunities to practise, solve problems and build confidence long before they encounter real patients. Creating those opportunities is where the new centre will make a huge impact.

Students will move through three floors of realistic hospital wards, GP consulting rooms, operating theatres and simulated home environments, developing their skills in spaces that mirror the settings they’ll work in throughout their careers.

Anatomy teaching will also be transformed, with a larger prosectorium that allows for smaller teaching groups, and greater use of digital anatomy, ultrasound and advanced imaging technologies.

Every space has been designed to evolve with healthcare itself. ‘We wanted to create something that was as future-proof as possible,’ says Professor Tracey Wilkinson, Sands Cox Chair of Anatomy. ‘Healthcare will continue to evolve, so we need spaces that can evolve with it.’

The new Centre is part of Birmingham Health Innovation Campus – the West Midlands’ first dedicated life sciences campus – where students will learn shoulder-to-shoulder with researchers, clinicians, entrepreneurs and health technology companies working to solve some of healthcare’s biggest challenges.

Immersive simulation suites, realistic clinical environments and integrated audiovisual technology will enable students to practise everything from routine consultations to emergency scenarios before applying those skills in real healthcare settings.

Importantly, they won’t be learning in isolation. Future doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and midwives will train together, reflecting the collaborative nature of modern healthcare and developing the communication and leadership skills that are every bit as important as clinical knowledge.

Far from replacing Birmingham’s long-established approach to medical education, the innovative new centre builds on that legacy with enhanced learning and training.

In addition to cutting-edge simulation, students will continue to learn from ethically donated human material, while new techniques such as Thiel embalming will create even more lifelike opportunities for anatomy teaching and surgical skills training.

‘The ambition is exactly the same as it was 200 years ago,’ says Professor Wilkinson. ‘To give our students the knowledge, confidence and practical experience they’ll need to improve lives.

’William Sands Cox could never have imagined robotic surgery or immersive simulation, but he would have recognised the curiosity, compassion and commitment to practical learning that still define Birmingham’s approach to medical education today.

200 years after those first anatomy demonstrations on Temple Row, Birmingham’s commitment to preparing students for the future of healthcare remains as strong as ever.

For more than 60 years, the University of Birmingham has been part of the Wong family’s story.

Dr Jeffrey Wong’s grandparents had eight children. Six became doctors, with four training at Birmingham before inspiring the generations that followed. Today, 10 members of the Wong-Tsang family across two generations have graduated from Birmingham Medical School, pursuing careers across the UK, Hong Kong, North America and Australia.

For Jeffrey, a specialist radiologist who graduated in 2001, choosing Birmingham was never in doubt. ‘I had offers from Birmingham, Manchester and Leicester, but I chose Birmingham purely because of the family history,’ he says.

‘The University has meant everything to us personally as a place of growth and professionally as the perfect foundation for our future careers.’

For Dr Patricia Wong, who graduated in 1995 and is now a GP and senior partner of a primary care centre in Wales, Birmingham’s history became personal during her own training.

‘Working in the neonatal unit at Birmingham Women’s Hospital was particularly special because my father had worked there, and I’d been treated there myself as a newborn,’ she recalls. Hearing nurses share memories of her father and his work was ‘a fascinating reminder of how much neonatal medicine has advanced.’

Jeffrey is excited by the opportunities today’s students will have. ‘Healthcare delivery and medical education have advanced significantly with better technology and interdisciplinary approaches since our training,’ he says.

‘The state-of-the-art simulation facilities at the new Clinical Skills Centre will deliver even stronger practical training, yet the core emphasis on patient-centred care remains unchanged.’

The Wong family’s support for the University of Birmingham Hong Kong Foundation reflects a shared commitment to helping future generations – particularly aspiring doctors from Hong Kong – benefit from the same strong foundations they found at Birmingham.

Do you have a Birmingham story that spans generations? We’d love to hear it.