Today we’re reflecting on the generosity of our donors who enable us to have a greater impact and create opportunities for our students.
Our donors have generously supported:
Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS)
Kent and Medway Medical School was launched in September 2020 and we are so very grateful to our generous benefactors who have supported us so far.
Highpoints include:
- Giving all first-year medical students an iPad on commencing their 5-year medical programme
- Celebrating the success of the KMMS Scholarship programme, with over 55 first year medical students having now been awarded scholarships worth over £1million thanks to generous benefactors including charitable foundations, corporates, NHS trusts and individuals
- Offering 15 philanthropic prizes for first year students and beyond
- Buying state-of-the-art clinical equipment e.g. Butterfly Ultrasound Probes, a Virtual Microscope
- Construction began on the Pears Building housing the first purpose-built GP Simulation Suite. The building also includes a 100 seater lecture theatre, seminar rooms, IT suite, multi-user rooms, board room, student common space and refreshment areas
- Construction began on the Verena Holmes Building housing Anatomy Learning Centre, collaborative lecture theatre, medical simulation suites, mock hospital wards, fully functioning X-Ray suite, clinical and observation rooms
- Raising over £5M in philanthropic gifts to date from 139 benefactors – helping students to achieve their dreams of becoming the doctors and scientists of tomorrow
First 500 Scholarship
Our First 500 Scholarship is funded by the undergraduates who helped found the University in 1965 and we thank them for assisting students to reach their potential.
One scholarship is worth £2,000 per annum (or pro-rata for part-time students) for the duration of the recipient’s degree programme.
Sol Herrera Penido, recipient of a First 500 Scholarship at Kent, explains more in this video…
Kent Opportunity Fund
Our supporters’ kind donations to the Kent Opportunity Fund, have helped us to provide equal opportunities for all students.
The Kent Opportunity Fund was established to provide a firm foundation on which to build Kent’s future. It supports a broad range of scholarships, student projects to enhance extra-curricular activities at Kent, and bursaries to support students working through financial hardship. Committees of Kent staff, alumni and donors allocate the funds raised and ensure that they go to the students who are most in need.
This year we’ve been able to provide over £200,000 among record numbers of students desperately needing support and the gifts they have made will inspire the future.
Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy
We thank those who have so far supported our fundraising efforts to launch a new Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy in 2022. In partnership with Parkinson’s Care and Support UK, the Centre will provide innovative and life changing non-drug therapies to support those with Parkinson’s.
These include the use of ground-breaking new research led by Professor David Wilkinson that focuses on stimulating the balance organs of the inner ear to improve brain health.
An estimated 2,000 people will visit the Centre during its inaugural year, with its integrated approach filling a much-needed gap in the support options currently available.
Our fundraising campaign aims to secure the £600,000 needed to make our vision a reality. The funds will enable free access to the stimulation therapy and to established non-drug therapies that help reduce the disabling symptoms that Parkinson’s drugs struggle to reach.
Find out more about how to support the Parkinson’s Centre for Integrated Therapy.
