Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh officially opened the Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS) on Wednesday 26 April.
After a tour of Kent’s KMMS partner institution, Canterbury Christchurch University, Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Karen Cox welcomed Her Royal Highness to the Pears Building on the University’s Canterbury campus. After meeting staff, and students from the School’s first three cohorts, Her Royal Highness unveiled a plaque to officially launch the School.
Professor Cox said: ‘I was delighted to welcome Her Royal Highness to the Kent and Medway Medical School today. In the short time it has been open, the School has established itself as one of the most important facilities for medical training in the region, whilst also providing one of the best medical school experiences in the country. I hope Her Royal Highness has gained a sense of our ambition to not only train doctors of the highest calibre but to help transform health care provision in Kent and Medway.’
Following the unveiling, staff and students gathered for a celebration with those who have made the School possible including NHS colleagues, benefactors and representatives of the wider community of Kent and Medway.
Professor Chris Holland, Founding Dean of Kent and Medway Medical School said: ‘Today has been a really joyful moment in the School’s journey. After the delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been really important to finally have the opportunity to thank those that have helped the School open.’
Krzysztof Mokrzycki, third year medical student and president of the student medical society, said: ‘Kent and Medway Medical School is what medical education strives to be. We can put into practice everything we are taught from the very first term and make a difference to a community that is desperate for doctors and other medical professionals. That’s what makes me proud to be a KMMS Student; that we’re already making a difference to the community around us.’
