Medical Society

Each academic year starts with a welcoming party for new students. Going forward, the the Society arranges regular speaker meetings covering a broad range of topics related to medical practice or research and to medicine in society, with a focus on areas of interest outside the standard curriculum. The aim is to bring together people at different stages of their education and careers, for a relaxed and enjoyable evening once per term to stimulate social interaction and discussion. In addition to current students and teachers, we invite alumni living and working in or near Oxford. After each talk, we have a reception and supper – either an informal buffet or, once each year, a formal dinner. The Society is flourishing, with typically over 30 present on each occasion – and up to 50 for the talk and formal dinner.

The Society is overseen by a small committee of present and past students and College Fellows, and it helps to maintain contact with the College’s medical alumni. Alumni very generously support the Society with membership fees and donations which are used to keep the cost of meetings minimal for present students as well as to provide substantial support for individual students for their travel.

Every three years, the Society has a reunion for all alumni and their guests and all members including students on course. These are more than just social events and more than opportunities for old students to ‘catch-up’: they include short talks and a lecture or debate covering themed topics in medicine and showcase the achievements of our alumni. Present students enjoy the chance to meet alumni and hear about their experience and careers (in some cases, careers outside medical practice or research). It is a focus of the Society in all its activities to provide a sense of community an enriching and valuable opportunity for social contact, discussion and networking.

Using funds contributed donated generously contributed by old members, the Society provides financial help every year to medical students above that routinely provided by the College:

• Two or three grants of up to £500 each for pre-clinical students to travel with the intention of pursuing, perhaps, a physical challenge or some particular interest typically not related to their studies; the aim being to support a general broadening of their knowledge and experience
• Grants of up to £1,000 each to clinical students to support their sixth-year clinical electives (a routine part of the clinical curriculum) away from Oxford (these electives may, for instance, be in the Far East, Africa, Australia or the USA). Electives give clinical students experience of a range of pathologies they may otherwise rarely encounter or else show them different approaches to delivering health care, either in richer or poorer circumstances. The College also gives a further grant of around £650 for this purpose.
• Grants, again of up to £1,000 each to clinical students who gain an optional clinical placement abroad (typically in Obstetrics and Gynaecology or Paediatrics): these students may also be eligible for further help from the College’s graduate support funds.
• Occasional grants to students at any stage of their careers to support their making presentations at research conferences or perhaps travelling to undertake research.
• The College also provides minor grants to help clinical students with the cost of equipment they may need during their course.

Please contact med.soc@wadham.ox.ac.uk for further information about these grants and how to apply for them.