The Pears Cumbria School of Medicine
Training doctors in Cumbria, for Cumbria
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
Where people live should not determine the quality of healthcare they receive. Yet rural and coastal communities often face persistent shortages of doctors, making it harder to recruit and retain the workforce they need. Addressing these challenges requires new ways of working and long-term collaboration between universities, the NHS and local communities.
The Pears Cumbria School of Medicine was created through a unique partnership between Imperial College London, the University of Cumbria and Pears Foundation. The new School brings together Imperial’s reputation as one of the world’s leading medical schools with the University of Cumbria’s expertise in educating nurses, midwives and allied health professionals, alongside Pears Foundation’s £5 million investment to establish and develop the School. Together, the partners share a common ambition: to improve healthcare in Cumbria by training doctors in Cumbria, for Cumbria. The School welcomed its first cohort of graduate-entry medical students in August 2025, becoming Cumbria’s first medical school.
Rather than replicating an existing model, the curriculum has been designed around the needs of the region. Students learn in hospitals, GP surgeries and community settings, developing the knowledge and skills needed to serve rural and coastal communities. Alongside world-class medical education, the programme places particular emphasis on prevention, multidisciplinary working, innovation and community-based healthcare.
The partnership extends well beyond the curriculum. Local NHS organisations, clinicians, patients and communities have all played a central role in shaping the School, reflecting a shared commitment to improving health across the region. By bringing together different perspectives and expertise, the partnership aims to create not only outstanding doctors, but a new model for medical education rooted in collaboration.
Together, this partnership reflects our belief that complex challenges are best addressed when organisations work together towards a shared purpose. By bringing together complementary strengths around a common ambition, the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine has created something that none of the partners could have achieved alone.
The Pears Cumbria School of Medicine builds on our experience as a founding partner of Kent and Medway Medical School, a collaboration between Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Kent. Since its opening in 2020, the School has become an important centre for medical education and research, with a shared commitment to widening participation and developing the region’s future health workforce.