Celebrating one year of the School of Health & Medical Sciences

On the Tooting campus, the Robert Lowe Centre reopened in March 2025 as part of a major investment that will bring significant improvements to our campus, from upgraded facilities to essential maintenance.

At an event to mark International Women’s Day, Dr Ohemaa Nkansa-Dwamena was named as the Clerkenwell campus’ Extraordinary Woman for 2025 in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the University and her leadership in promoting gender and racial equity.

In April, the MSc in Genomic Medicine received a scholarship award of £10,000 from Lupin Healthcare UK, allowing us to help students manage the rising costs of living and studying in London by offering a tuition fee discount of £10,000 to support their studies.

Professor Michael Morgan ScD, FRS, was also named a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales (LSW). As Professor of Visual Neuroscience, Professor Morgan’s work covers diverse areas of visual processing such as motion, acuity, colour, 3D representation and spatial vision.

In May 2025, the UK’s national pathology referral centre in the School released research showing that sudden and unexpected heart-related deaths in children are most common during teenage years. The researchers said that the findings have important implications for heart screening and prevention strategies.

Experts from across the UK also came to the Centre for Food Policy’s annual Food Policy Symposium in May, which included a keynote address from Wahaca founder Thomasina Miers OBE. In addition, the AI and Digital Health Lab hosted international and national experts at its inaugural event, which explored the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in health policymaking.

A major new research project involving researchers from City St George’s and the University of Sheffield was awarded over £3.8 million in funding by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Stroke Association to improve communication between people with aphasia and their communication partners.

Researchers from the School also revealed that chimpanzees can catch yawns from androids, that vaping exposes pregnant women to fewer toxins than smoking, and that one in four young adults are now living with a mental health condition.

In addition, a high-level delegation from Malaysia visited the School to strengthen research ties and build upon the existing collaborative initiatives in affordable diagnostics.

SHMS held its first graduation ceremonies as an integrated School in July at the Barbican Centre.

Two City St George’s researchers received new funding from The Academy of Medical Sciences to accelerate global collaborations. Professor Paul Heath and Dr Rebecca Webb from the School of Health & Medical Sciences were each awarded a Networking Grant from the Academy.

Senior academics and students from Umm Al-Qura University (UQU) in Saudi Arabia visited the University in July to explore the development of student exchange programmes and research partnerships between the two institutions. The meeting brought together academic leaders from SHMS and the School of Science & Technology (SST) at City St George’s.

The School was awarded a prestigious Silver Athena Swan Award in August in recognition of its strong and ongoing commitment to advancing gender equality in higher education and research.

The School was ranked 1st nationally in the Anatomy and Biomedical Sciences category in the Daily Mail University Guide 2026. The University was also ranked among the UK’s top 10 universities for graduate salaries and high-skilled jobs in same guide, confirming the status of City St George’s as one of the country’s most career-focused institutions.

In The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026, the School was ranked 12th in the category ‘Subjects Allied to Medicine', and it was ranked 1st in London for Health Professions in The Guardian League Table 2026.

On the research side, academics launched the City St George’s Research in Radiography Radiology Radiotherapy Group (CRRA3G) at a special event, and it was announced that a simple cheek swab test could potentially detect children who have arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

Dr Lucia Ricciardi was awarded a £2 million UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Leaders Fellowship in October to support her cutting-edge Parkinson’s research. She is one of the 77 talented researchers to have been awarded the prestigious UKRI Fellowship in the latest funding round, totalling £120 million.

The School was officially designated as a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Antimicrobial Policy and Stewardship in November. This impressive recognition highlights the School and University’s global leadership in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research and policy development. The new Collaborating Centre is hosted by the Antibiotic Policy Group within the Institute of Infection and Immunity.

Researchers also announced the development of the world’s first real-world head-to-head testing platform to determine whether commercial artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms are fit for NHS use.

In November, Dr Christina Malamateniou was also recognised with a Fellowship of the College of Radiographers, Professor Lindsay Bearne was awarded a prestigious NIHR Research Professorship, and St George’s Hospital Charity received a landmark £4.8 Million Donation to support world-leading lymphoedema research across City St George’s and St George’s Hospital.

In early December, the School hosted its first Research Day on the Tooting campus. Showcasing and celebrating expertise from both campuses the landmark event brought together researchers from across the new School.

The year started off with a major story on the research front, as a study confirmed that taking paracetamol during pregnancy does not increase the risk of autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or intellectual disability among children. It was a huge global story following the Trump administration’s previous comments on paracetamol use during pregnancy.

Another study also revealed the hidden drivers of drug resistance in aggressive breast cancer.

On the policy side, researchers from the School were recognised in a landmark Scottish Parliament debate on aphasia, and they also spoke about the need for bold food regulation reform in evidence to MPs.

The First Spotlight on Science event – when we open our doors to the public for free evening events, themed around key areas of our health research - was delivered on the Clerkenwell campus.

The School-wide Inaugural Lecture series launched this month with its first event on the Clerkenwell campus. These events are an opportunity for City St George's newly arrived or promoted professors to introduce themselves, update colleagues on current and future work and share this with wider audiences. The first event of the series, “Assisted reproduction and the family”, was delivered by Professor of Family Psychology, Vasanti Jadva. Other forthcoming inaugurals include Professor Lucy Dipper’s in March, Professor Baba Sheba’s in April and Professor Madeline Cruice’s in June. You can find out more about our upcoming Inaugural lectures and other events here.

The University launched the Centre for Poverty and Innovation in February following a landmark £1.7 million philanthropic gift from the Bryson Charitable Group. A distinctive feature of the Centre is its cross-school foundation. It brings together expertise from the School of Policy and Global Affairs, Bayes Business School and SHMS.