The Pears Cumbria School of Medicine

Training the next generation of doctors and transforming health outcomes.

Our unique partnership between the Pears Foundation, the University of Cumbria and Imperial College London has enabled the development of a new collaborative, inclusive and research-informed medical school. We anticipate that this exciting partnership will significantly benefit Cumbria, by advancing healthcare education and fostering innovation within the region.
Professor Mary Morrell,
Head of the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine
It is one of the great advantages of being a family-led foundation that we can take the long view and make long-term investments in initiatives that we believe will have meaningful impact. That is something we believe the new Pears Cumbria School of Medicine will achieve. It will guarantee that year after year, generation after generation, Carlisle and Cumbria will produce its own doctors, drawn from the surrounding communities. With the underpinning of a unique training curriculum, our hope is that the School’s graduates will be deeply committed to the local area and its people and ready to meet their needs.
Sir Trevor Pears CMG

The Pears Cumbria School of Medicine is a unique collaboration between Imperial College London and the University of Cumbria to train more medical professionals to serve their local communities, in regions with the greatest need.

Cumbria is one of the most beautiful regions of the UK, but it is also home to some of the highest levels of poverty and deprivation, and some of the worst health inequalities. The aim of the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine is to recruit, train and retain doctors for the specific needs of Cumbria and Northwest England to help transform healthcare and health outcomes in these communities and build an NHS workforce for the future.

The new School brings together Imperial’s reputation as one of the world’s best medical schools with the University of Cumbria’s expertise in the education of nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals, and a £5million donation from Pears Foundation to enable the set-up and development of the School. It will welcome its first cohort of 58 students in September 2025.

Located in Carlisle, the new School will deliver a four-year graduate-entry programme with curriculum designed specifically to meet the needs of the local community. Learning and placements will be integrated into Cumbria’s wider network of healthcare organisations, including all students completing a community-based prevention and healthcare delivery project as part of their degree. The aim is to inspire students to develop and maintain relationships and a strong sense of commitment to the region.

The School is committed to widening access to medical degrees and raising aspirations for local people to consider a role in healthcare.

Pears Foundation was also a founding partner of Kent and Medway Medical School, a collaboration between Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Kent. The School opened in 2020 and is also committed to widening access to medical degrees. It has provided a much-needed centre in the Kent and Medway region for medical education and research to develop the area’s health workforce and address the growing need for medical professionals in the region and beyond.