My College

Dear Colleague

Congratulations on your appointment and welcome to the College of Medical and Dental Sciences.

The College of Medical and Dental Sciences was established on 1st August 2008 and comprises eight Institutes – Applied Health Research, Cancer and Genomics, Cardiovascular Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Immunology and Immunotherapy, Inflammation and Ageing, Metabolism and Systems Research and Microbiology and Infection. The College’s professional services support teams are managed at College level and are embedded across the College.

We employ over 1,400 staff, of whom over 900 are academics, who work together to find cures and treatments for major diseases, improve the health of our nation and educate our future health professionals. Each year the College trains 350 medical students including the Graduate Entry course (around 120 medical students are able to intercalate on a choice of programmes after the second, third or fourth  year of their course), 70 dental students, 20 biomedical materials science students, 140 biomedical science students, 125 nursing students, 70 pharmacy students and 60 physician associate studentsas well as offering continuing professional development to keep health professionals up to date with the latest research developments and best clinical practice.

The College secures around £60m of new research funding each year and has over 900 research active academic staff working in a vibrant research and knowledge transfer environment. The College is at the forefront of biomedical research and has created a unique environment for advancing our understanding of disease processes and applying this knowledge for the benefit of patients.

I would like to wish you every success in your new role and hope your enjoy your time with us.

Yours sincerely,

Professor David Adams
Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Head of the College of Medical and Dental Sciences and Dean of Medicine  

The College provides a broad portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate taught and research programmes. Programmes at all levels are delivered by some of the UK’s most respected clinicians and health professionals, providing you with the best possible learning experience.  

 

The Forum, Centre for Professional Development

A wide range of continuing professional development (CPD) training is also available from just a few hours to a few weeks to help healthcare professional top up their skills and knowledge and stay ahead of the game. Most courses are offered within our on-site conference facilities, the Centre for Professional Development, which has a range of meeting, training and breakout rooms, state of the art AV equipment and business facilities for delegates.

The College is at the forefront of medical, dental and health research. We deliver world leading research activities to develop and nurture excellence in basic and clinical science, and to ultimately improve human health.

With over 900 researchers and in excess of £60m in research funding per year, it represents a major international centre for biomedical research.

The College research portfolio is structured around seven key research domains:

• Cancer
• Genetics and Development
• Health and Population Sciences
• Cardiovascular, Respiratory and Neurological Sciences
• Hormones, Metabolism and Reproduction
• Dentistry
• Immunity, Inflammation and Infection

Each domain is allied to a range of clinical specialties through which the College links its basic research to translational endpoints.

Find out more about our research at the College research website.

The College has encompassed some major developments, expansion and improvement to its facilities, education delivery and research activity in recent years. This includes the £35m Institute of Biomedical Research, the £11.8m Wolfson Centre for Medical Education and a prosectorium facility for anatomy teaching incorporating 10 ventilated tables and high tech AV teaching aids.

The College has a new £1m phantom head teaching laboratory facility within the School of Dentistry and the College also has a Health Research Bus a mobile clinical research facility funded through Birmingham Science City via Advantage West Midlands. This was the first of its kind and a great development for clinical research in the College.

Another exciting development is the building of a new £50m Birmingham Dental Hospital & School of Dentistry which opened in 2016. The hospital and school at Pebble Mill, just a mile from the central campus, is the first integrated, stand-alone dental hospital and dental school to be built in the UK for almost 40 years and is a fantastic opportunity for our staff and students to learn and practice.
The new Birmingham Dental Hospital & School of Dentistry

Birmingham Health Partners (BHP)

Birmingham Health Partners (BHP) is a strategic alliance between University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, the University of Birmingham and Birmingham Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust bringing together clinical, scientific and academic excellence across an integrated medical and life sciences campus.

The long term objectives of BHP are to improve healthcare; contribute to the local economy through job creation and inward investment into the biomedical sector, and increase public engagement and education about biomedicine and clinical research through increased enrolment into early and late phase clinical trials. It will deliver an integrated pan-Birmingham research strategy from childhood to old-age, translating basic discovery science into clinical benefits for Birmingham and the wider health economy.

BHP provides the infrastructure to enable members to draw upon the synergies of the West Midlands’ diverse economic and ethnic population to integrate service innovation, delivery and education within the full spectrum of the biomedical science from discovery to applied health research. The diverse population of Birmingham and the wider West Midlands area, concentrated in an easily accessible geographical footprint, provides a sizeable patient base that no other centre in the UK can deliver.

Find out more at www.birminghamhealthpartners.co.uk

 

Institute of Translational Medicine (ITM)

The Institute of Translational Medicine, aims to cure disease and save lives by applying transformative science and technology and by educating and training the healthcare workforce. It will speed up the rate at which research can improve patient outcomes by using a multi-disciplinary, highly collaborative approach that will ensure a rapid bench-to-bedside pathway.

More information on both BHP and the ITM can be found on the website: www.birminghamhealthpartners.co.uk

 

Over 60% of all staff (across all staff groups) in the College of Medical and Dental Sciences are externally (non-HEFCE) Funded.  This is broken down as follows:

Academic Staff
Clinical	147
Non clinical	100
Early Career   Researchers (ECR)
Clinical	48
Non clinical	317
Professional Services Staff
Admin & other related	141
Admin supporting Research	79
Admin supporting Teaching	7
Support staff	223

 

STUDENTS

•  3205 undergraduate (UG)

– 3050 HEU

– 155 overseas

 

• 457 postgraduate taught (PGT)

– 402 home

– 55 overseas

 

• 619 postgraduate research (PGR)

– 349 home

– 270 overseas

We endeavour to have a well-structured framework within which we communicate with all staff. Communication is carried out via various channels and includes regular College update emails from the Head of College; a weekly College newsletter, MDS Messenger, containing news, events and other relevant information for staff; a College intranet which is continually being developed in order to provide staff with up-to-date information and resources; termly College Assemblies; College Leadership Forum which is chaired by the Head of College; and meetings with the School senior management teams, which are also attended by the Head of College.

Buzz - Newsletter

University wide there is also a staff e-newsletter called Buzz Bitesize, sent monthly, as well as a bi-monthly printed edition of Buzz – the University’s award winning staff magazine. You can find more information on Buzz and Buzz Bitesize, and how to contribute, at this link: https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/buzz/index.aspx

MDS Messenger

If you’d like to contribute an item to MDS Messenger, it can be sent to MDS-Information@adf.bham.ac.uk

You can also follow the latest news from the College via our website and social media channels:

Website: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/mds

Facebook: www.facebook.com/collegemds

Twitter: @unibirm_MDS

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unibirmingham/

 

College Board

College Board are responsible for overseeing all aspects of College life and report into the University Executive Board (UEB). The purpose of College Board is:

-To advise and support the Head of College in the strategic and operational management and leadership of the College

-To facilitate communication and ensure the effective co-ordination of all matters relevant to the running of the College and its activities

-To make recommendations to University Senate, the University Executive Board or any other body within the University on any matters not within the Board’s authority to determine

The College Board consists of:

• Head of College (Chair)
• Heads of School
• College Director of Education
• College Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer
• Director of Operations
• College Finance Partner
• College HR Partner
• College Planning Partner
• Secretary to College Board

COG (College Operations Group)

The College Operations Group are responsible for overseeing all decisions relating to professional services staff. The purpose of COG is to:

- Ensure senior Professional Services managers with College responsibility are aware of current issues raised at core College/University meetings

- To provide a forum for sharing best practice

- To support the development and maintenance of effective working relationships and shared understanding of roles and responsibilities with professional services colleagues from across the University

- To ensure senior Professional Services managers with College responsibility understand and effectively engage in development and implementation of plans/policies of common interest

- To consider operational management issues raised within and across Schools and College operational teams, which are of College wide interest, or relevance, and ensure effective resolution or action, as appropriate.

- To resolve College wide operational management issues

Birmingham Professional Programme

Birmingham Professional has been created to give staff an opportunity to network with other colleagues within the College of Medical and Dental Sciences. They also provide an excellent opportunity for College staff to learn about the activities of other College and University services and  share knowledge and best practice.