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This year marks 25 years since the first cohort of students started on the Graduate Entry medicine course in Oxford – an accelerated programme designed for students with prior degrees in experimental sciences. To mark this milestone, events were held in the afternoon and evening of Saturday 5 July, hosted at St Hilda’s College. Alumni and faculty from across the past 25 years joined to reconnect and reflect on the programme.

people enjoying the event

Introduced in 2001, the Graduate Entry medicine course was one of the first of its kind in the UK and represented a significant step in diversifying routes into medicine, particular for those with an interest in future clinical academic or leadership careers.   

The afternoon reunion brought together around 80 alumni, many accompanied by partners and children, with some travelling from as far as the United States and Norway for a relaxed, family-friendly BBQ in the College gardens. 

Guests were welcomed by faculty and current leadership of the Graduate Entry programme programme, who reflected on the course’s history, its future and the longstanding connections with alumni from across the years - many of whom have gone on after graduation to contribute to the programme themselves in roles such as College Tutors, Clinical Tutors and Examiners. 

In the evening, a formal dinner welcomed a further group of alumni and past and present faculty, including now retired Dr Ken Fleming, who was Head of the Medical Sciences Division at the time of inception of the programme and Professor Chris Pugh, past chair of the Graduate Entry Education Committee.

Attendees were seated largely by year group, supporting reconnection of peer networks. Reflections on the course’s early days were complemented by displays of cohort photographs from the past 25 years and informal conversations about where alumni careers have led, many now contributing in clinical practice, research, education, public health, and policy across the UK and internationally.

The reunion also offered the opportunity to recognise the collaborative spirit that characterises the Graduate Entry course: a programme built on partnerships between departments, colleges, and clinical partners, and reflective of Oxford’s interdisciplinary approach to education and research. 

Looking ahead, the Graduate-entry Medicine course continues to exemplify Oxford’s mission to deliver world-leading education with alumni and faculty. 

Associate Director of the course, Dr Richard Harrington, commented: “We were left appreciative of each other and the diversity of careers and life experiences fostered by the GEM course and the hope that the relationships rekindled over the course of the day will stand the test of time ... and resolved not to leave it so long until we gather again.”

The day concluded with expressions of thanks to the alumni volunteers Dr Hannah Chase (2018) and Dr Roxanna Abhari (2019) whose enthusiasm and commitment made the event possible.