News stories
Brighton and Sussex Medical School launch their annual fund
This term has seen the launch of BSMS’s annual fund, and with it, their first ever phonathon . A team of current medical students are telephoning BSMS alumni to find out what they have been doing since their graduation and to let them know about news and developments on campus. They have also been inviting support for the BSMS annual fund, which will be used to help support student electives, equipment and provide assistance to BSMS students who fall into financial difficulty through no fault of their own.
As the Medical School is still in its infancy there is not yet a huge number of alumni to call upon for help. However, from a small number of newly qualified doctors, the team as raised nearly £10,000 in gifts and pledges in just two weeks. In order to help create a culture of giving to BSMS amongst its graduates, Michael Chowen, local philanthropist and BSMS’s long standing benefactor, has kindly offered to match by 50 per cent the first year of regular gifts by paperless direct debits.
“It will be fantastic to be able to talk with those doctors that have gone before us and to hear how their careers have progressed since graduation. Also, being able to help my peers really makes this project worthwhile.” (Dilan Joshi, 2nd year medical student and BSMS Student Union Councillor)
Brighton and Sussex Medical School is a joint venture between the University of Sussex and the University of Brighton. Medical students from the School have their course financed through the University of Sussex’s First Generation Scholarship programme:
“This will help in addressing Alan Milburn’s [the government's independent reviewer of social mobility] concern that medical schools are not doing enough to ensure that all socio-economic groups, especially those at the lower end, are fairly represented within medical schools and the profession in general.” (Declan Rainey, Annual Fund and Legacies Manager)
