Historic first cohort of medical students embody pioneering approach

Bright young students are going down in history as the first graduates of Edge Hill University’s new Medical School.

The pioneering class of 2025 are fulfilling an ambition set when Edge Hill opened its Medical School in 2019: to ensure more patients are cared for by doctors who understand their community’s challenges, who understand their needs, life experiences and the barriers to good health.

80 per cent of this trailblazing cohort are from backgrounds which are often under-represented in medicine – for example, they are the first in their family to go to university, they are from low-income families, or they are from communities with high levels of deprivation.

Student Davina Vadher, from Preston, is excited to have secured work as a Foundation Doctor in the community she grew up in.

The 22-year-old was awarded a leadership prize by the Medical School and highest achiever in the clinical and professional skills assessment.

She said: “Medicine can still be an elite field; it’s all about knowing the right people and having insider knowledge of the recruitment process.

“I come from a non-academic working-class family.

"My dad Sanjay is from Tanzania and both his parents died when he was 16 and he became breadwinner for his younger siblings so didn’t get the opportunity to study. And my mum Sunita left school at 15 because she didn’t have the support or financial backing to continue studying.

“Generationally my family haven’t had the chance to pursue strong professional careers so I knew I wanted to make them proud and to give back to the community that raised me.

“Medical School will teach you the academic knowledge and clinical skills you need to be a doctor but being able to identify with your patient, and for them to feel that you really understand where they’re coming from, that you understand their health struggles, is something you can’t learn.

“It’s an honour to be able to do that.”

Edge Hill is rapidly rising through the ranks of universities recognised for the opportunities and life chances offered to students from a wide variety of backgrounds.

The University is now top 15 in the country in the Higher Education Policy Institute’s Social Mobility Index, thanks in part to the MBChB Medicine with Foundation Year.

The additional year provides a supportive pathway into medical education for students who have the talent and potential but may not have had access to the same opportunities as others.

Students are prepared for the rigours of studying medicine with a focus on topics such as public health, sciences for medicine and multi-disciplinary healthcare, as well as clinical experience, and personal and professional development. Students then join those who have started studying at Year 1 and continue their studies together.

The entire class of 2025, regardless of their entry route, have thrived while at Edge Hill; they have risen to the challenge of studying medicine and excelled personally and professionally: Harriet Thompson, also from Preston, was in the top five per cent of 3,500 students who took part in the 2025 national prescribing safety assessment.

All students have secured jobs as doctors and half are choosing to work in the North West, a region which contains some of the most deprived communities in the country.

Since they began their studies, the Medical School – one of just five new schools to be created by the government in 2019 to address a shortage of doctors - has been awarded formal approval by the General Medical Council and been granted permission to expand from 30 undergraduate places to 63 in the upcoming academic year.

Prof Minal Singh, director of the Medical School, said: “I am delighted by the success of our Medical School but more importantly I am so incredibly proud of each and every medical student.

“They are shining examples of the type of professionals we want to see working in our future NHS. They are committed, compassionate and courageous. They are more representative of the communities they will serve and as such they embody a pioneering approach to community healthcare.

“I have every confidence they will go on to great things, they will serve their communities well and they will be excellent ambassadors for Edge Hill and the University’s ongoing commitment to providing opportunity for all.”

Edge Hill University has a long history of providing opportunity for all. Since 1885, when Edge Hill opened as the first non-denominational teacher training college for women, the University has been dedicated to widening access to higher education and continually investing in the student experience.

Prof Clare Austin, pro vice-chancellor and dean, faculty of health, social care and medicine, added: “Our medicine students are performing well across the board, including when benchmarked against other medical schools, and have received excellent feedback from their placement providers.

“Their success is reward for their hard work, and also the dedication of our colleagues, stakeholders and placement partners who have supported our students with their clinical skills. Thank you to everyone who has supported our students to reach this incredible milestone.”

Edge Hill was named Modern University of the Year in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022 and ranked UK top 35 in the Guardian University Guide 2024. Most recently we were placed top four in the North West in the Complete University Guide 2025.

Find out more about studying medicine at Edge Hill and book on to an upcoming open day.