Current Priorities
The College prioritises support in Education, Research and Heritage. The nature of our work leads us to engage with a wide network of patients, surgeons and academics. The opportunities this kind of interaction brings is extraordinary and important. For example, from our home in Edinburgh we are working to improve the provision of breast cancer care in Burma. At the same time we are providing opportunities to train surgeons from all parts of the world in the latest techniques and methods that can transform patient outcomes. Our aim and desire to increase funding for surgical research, places great pressure on our funds. Donations are therefore crucial for us to deliver on our ambitions for better surgical treatment for all.
Your support will help us:
Continue to Attract Students and Trainees of the Highest Calibre – Regardless of Background
The College supports surgeons from the UK and internationally. We train a cross-section of surgeons working in the most dynamic health systems and in the developing world. This approach allows us to bring our expertise to parts of the world where the shortage of surgical provision is dangerously limited. An example of this is our international engagement and training can be found at our International School of Surgery.
Fund the Education of the Next Generation of Surgeons
The College is committed to providing the most innovative, beneficial, and dynamic teaching and education provision to surgeons throughout their working lives. As funding for healthcare faces ever increasing pressures across the world, it falls to institutions like RCSEd to provide the cutting edge for education in areas such as ranging from Pre-Hospital Care to the treatment of cancerous tumours. More information on the range of education provision can be found here.
Maintain and Increase our Medical Research Capacity
The College has a proud tradition in medical innovation and research. Its role in pushing the frontiers of medical science and knowledge from Lord Lister to the development of humanitarian surgery in disaster zones in the 21st Century has allowed the College to benefit patients far beyond Edinburgh.
Over the last 20 years the College, through Research Fellowships, Travelling Fellowships, Small Research Grants and Bursaries, has committed over £7 million to support over 700 individual surgeons working in university departments and hospitals throughout the UK and abroad. Although the College awards a number of Fellowships and Grants annually, the number and quality of applications continues to rise and more resources are needed to meet the College’s ambitions in this area.
Attracting and supporting both trainees and researchers is a competitive and expensive undertaking. It is your support that will enable future surgeons to undertake their research and produce results of international significance. To read about our most recent research please view our Research Reports.
Ensure our World Class Museum and Collections are Open To All
Surgeons' Hall Museums are owned by The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and consist of the Wohl Pathology Museum, the History of Surgery Museum and The Dental Collection.
The Museums' collections grew significantly from 1699 after 'natural and artificial curiosities' were publically sought. In the 1800s, the original museum expanded to include the remarkable collections of surgeon and anatomists, Sir Charles Bell and John Barclay. Originally developed as a teaching museum for students of medicine, SHM's fascinating collections, including bone and tissue specimens, artefacts, and works of art, have been open to the public since 1832, making SHM among Scotland's oldest museums. The Wohl Pathology Museum is also home to one of the largest and most historic collections of surgical pathology in the world.
Having recently undergone a major redevelopment called The Lister Project, the Museums have created a new and enhanced public space to inform and share with the general public the historical journey of surgery and its advances. The Museums also exhibit interpretation that inspires public engagement through interactive computer simulation, audience participation devices, filmic and user-friendly textual explanation and encourages them to think about health and wellbeing.
As a private museum and collection, the College depends on visitors and generosity of supporters to ensure that it can reach a UK and international audience. For more information on the museum please visit the Surgeons' Hall Museums website.
