Swansea University is to to play a leading role in Wales's National Health Service by providing a top-quality medical, health and academic centre to make advances in patient care.
Professor Julian Hopkin, Head of the School of Medicine and Institute of Life Science, and Professor Gareth Morgan, Deputy Head of the School of Medicine, start today as non-executive directors of the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University NHS Trust, and the Hywel Dda NHS Trust respectively.
As a result, Swansea University and its Schools of Medicine and Health Science can now play a key role in the advance of medical and health care for the regions of Swansea, Bridgend, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.
Professor Hopkin said, "It is a great moment to see the new University NHS Trust launched between Abertawe and Bro Morgannwg, and to see the Trusts of the West come together. There's a great opportunity for the University, the University NHS Trust, and the Hywel Dda Trust to advance medicine and health together in South-West Wales.
"In line with NHS priorities, Schools of the University will provide a top-quality medical, health and academic centre in order to drive advances in medical care with the introduction of highly innovative practices that link hospitals and community services, and to contribute to the recruitment and retention of high quality healthcare staff."
The Schools of Medicine and Health Science are collaborating on improving clinical skills training for young doctors and nurses, and where effective team working is advanced.
Interdisciplinary research is the keynote at the University where researchers at the Schools of Medicine, Health Science, Human Sciences, and Engineering, come together through the Institute of Life Science to discover new solutions to old medical problems, to advance health delivery and to advance the knowledge economy.
Areas of important research progress include infections, allergies, diabetes, epilepsy, psychiatric disorder, and the application of super IT technology to advance health service delivery.
The Institute of Life Science - established through the Welsh Assembly Government, EU, and Industrial support - is already attracting great commercial collaboration (e.g. with IBM and Boots) and creating spin-out companies from research which will progress medicine and health.
Swansea School of Medicine is one of the UK's fastest growing research-led graduate entry medical schools. Its innovative fast-track 4-year medical degree was launched in 2004 jointly with Cardiff with 35 graduate entrants. The School has since already doubled student intake and in October 2007 it was awarded the four-year course on its own.