This September, the School was delighted to welcome back the Class of 1969 to mark 55 years since graduation. The tight-knit group has never lost touch and still meets regularly to share fond memories of time spent in Liverpool.
For this reunion, the group got a chance to compare notes with Professor Hazel Scott and two student doctors on how today’s medical training differs from their own, and the high-tech facilities supporting this.
Reunion Organiser Roy Woodward shares more,
“Our latest reunion, in September 2024, celebrated 55 years since qualifying – 60 years since first meeting in the Dissecting Room.
We have been meeting together every 5 years since 1989, when 2 of us took on the task of staying connected with everyone – at first with pen, paper, and postage stamps, but more recently via the power of emails and the internet.
Our last 2 have been 3 years (post COVID) and 2 years apart. This year, out of an initial year size of about 120 (the size of each year is now closer to 320), 32 attended, and agreed to meet again in 3 years (when we will be in our 80s).
There is still considerable enthusiasm to meet regularly – could this be a function of the close bonds that were formed in our first year of weekly anatomy vivas, or a result of the intense experiences we had in our medical, surgical and Obstetrics & Gynaecology “firms” throughout our clinical years? Probably a combination of all of these, as well as enjoying being back in Liverpool.
Our usual format has been to book a hotel for 2 nights, with some form of activity in the intervening day. At first, we would enjoy country walks in Chesire, as we felt that Liverpool had little to offer in the 80’s and 90’s. However, since the Capital of Culture year in 2008, the city has been transformed so we now meet in Liverpool and have been on guided city walks and an excellent Beatles Coach Tour.
Everyone still loves coming back to Liverpool and, as I’m local, I still enjoy telling people what’s new.
This year, having noticed in the Alumni magazine that another reunion did a tour of the medical school, we decided to emulate them. 25 of us were still mobile enough to meet in Cedar House, where we had an introductory talk from the Dean, Professor Hazel Scott, who described the challenges of a modern medical curriculum and the need to put together a course which incorporates up-to-date methods, including online learning.
Following her talk there was a Q & A session during which two second year students Priya and Soma described their first year - completely different to our year which consisted mainly of weekly anatomy vivas. The teaching - a combination of lectures, tutorials and other learning modules, some in the lecture theatre, but all available online - was so different to our learning, which consisted solely of books and lectures.
They were so enthusiastic about the course, we were all very impressed with how Liverpool Medical School continues to develop.
After the discussion we took a look around the student hub followed by lunch in the Victoria Building (where we had taken our final exams).
We then toured the Waterhouse Building (the old Royal Infirmary) to see the learning zones, with dozens of computer terminals, and the simulation suites where students practice examination and phlebotomy skills before being let loose on actual people - another enormous difference from our experiences.
We were also able to see the old circular ward where we did our clinical placements; the students had no idea that this had contained beds and open fires!
The tour certainly gave us much to talk about during the evening drinks and meal!
We also remember colleagues who can’t make it back to Liverpool, but those who do so include a GP in Perth who flies over from Australia each time, a Professor of Renal Medicine in Vienna, a Department of Health official and a wide assortment of clinicians and GP educationalists from across the UK.
Long may it continue.”
Many thanks to Student Doctors Priya Bola and Soma Agaba for taking part in the reunion celebrations.
If you are a Liverpool graduate looking to organise a reunion for your classmates, please do contact our Alumni team at alumni@liverpool.ac.uk who would love to support your event.