Doctors of the Future? Nick Pettingale, Director of External Relations at Ellesmere College
Ellesmere students experience the 2016 Congress of Future Medical Leaders in Boston, USA.
In recent years many of our Sixth Form students have been keen to study medicine, and so we set about finding opportunities for them to experience the real world of the medical profession. Both the Orthopaedic Hospital in Gobowen and the Royal at Shrewsbury have been outstanding in providing work experience for our aspiring students.
However, given the global shortage of doctors and the need to inspire many more students, it seemed to me that there was still something more that we could provide. It was then that, through a mutual acquaintance, I came across a unique conference in the United States called the Congress of Future Medical Leaders—an incredible gathering of over 6000 high- achieving, American high school students, passionate about a future career in medicine. And so, over the past two years this strategic partnership has enabled ten students from our Lower Sixth to attend this Congress through a scholarship competition. So far, Ellesmere College has been the only school invited to participate outside of the States.
To say that this has been a life-changing experience is to state the obvious, however it has been just that. These future young medical leaders embark on three inspirational and educational days of: watching a live surgery in real-time and having the opportunity to ask the surgeon questions during the actual procedure, talking to and being mentored by some of the greatest living minds in medicine today, discovering the latest medical advancements and technology and developing life long friendships with young passionate people just like them who want to change the world and serve humanity through the honourable profession of medicine.
Ben Hall, for instance, came to Ellesmere from the maintained sector on a scholarship funded by an Ellesmere old boy. Ben was our first ambassador to attend the Congress of Future Medical Leaders in 2014 and is now in his third year of Medicine at Liverpool University. Ben says, “Attending the Congress of Future Medical Leaders was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I got to meet, and listen to, some amazing individuals at the very top of their profession; Connie Mariano, M.D., once ‘White House Physician’ to the President of the United States, Francis Collins, Director of the National Institute of Health and Sir Richard Roberts, Winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine, to name a few! A more inspiring and focussed environment could not possibly exist. Hearing their experiences of a healthcare system that is so dramatically different to our own was particularly intriguing, and certainly provided food for thought. I am convinced that talking about this experience during my interview for Med School made a massive difference to my application and gave me an edge, for which I am most grateful!”
This once-in-a lifetime experience is open to all our Year 12 students, who compete for a scholarship through an essay to me and the Head of Sixth Form. Louisa Michel, one of our 2016 ambassadors said, “For people like me, who are keen on studying medicine or really any of the three sciences, the Congress of Future Medical Leaders was an amazing experience: Meeting the top doctors and scientists from the American medical scene, to be able to talk to them and to take them as an inspiring example, as well as getting up to date with the latest advances in medicine and science, is an absolute privilege for any aspiring medic!”
In addition to sending ambassadors to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders in 2017, for the first time this year we will send four students to the Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders (a “sister” Congress facilitated by the same organization—The National Leadership Academies), this conference specialises in the science and technology genre.
Science Director for the Academy, John C. Mather, Winner, 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics is just one of the many high profile speakers that will mentor these future young leaders. Others include: Sylvester James Gates, Jr., Ph.D., Winner of the National Medal of Science; Robert S. Langer, Ph.D. Recipient of the National Medal of Technology and the National Medal of Science; J. Craig Venter, Ph.D., Genomics Genius and Recipient of the National Medal of Science; Robert Metcalfe, Ph.D., Inventor of the Ethernet and Recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation; Neil Gershenfeld, Ph.D., Director of MIT’s Centre for Bits and Atoms; Adam Cheyer, Co-Founder of Siri and Director of Engineering at Apple; Amy Hess, Assistant Director of the FBI (responsible for the FBI’s most controversial high-tech tools); plus many more…
Headmaster, Mr Brendan Wignall commented, “Giving our students opportunities, that both inspire them to dream big and that also shape their future career path is one of the joys of education at Ellesmere. I have seen these students return from Boston with a focussed dedication to their academic work and to their future ambitions. I whole heartedly recommend the Congress of Future Medical Leaders to you”.
The Congress of Future Medical Leaders and the Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders are now accepting applications from other schools across the UK. Each Congress is an honours only program and students must have predicted grades in the Sciences of AAB at A-Level or the IB Diploma.
For more information on the Congresses themselves, please visit www.FutureDocs.com for the Congress of Future Medical Leaders and www.ScitechLeaders.com for the Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders.
Applications are now open for the 2017 Congresses. For information on how to enrol your students contact Ellie Shewring, The National Leadership Academies Recruitment Director, by email at [email protected] or call Ellie on 07894 540694.