Exeter to provide the Master’s in Genomic Medicine

Exeter will join nine other providers in the UK securing the institution’s position as a leader in the field

The University of Exeter has been named as the latest site to deliver Health Education England’s Masters programme in Genomic Medicine. Exeter will collaborate with the universities of Plymouth, Bath and Bristol, as well as the NHS, to deliver the masters programme in the South West.

This is an exciting opportunity for Exeter to engage with and support the ongoing work of the Genomics Education Programme, to upskill and transform the workforce to meet the future ambitions of the NHS. Throughout the tender process Exeter has demonstrated excellent knowledge and world-leading expertise in genomic medicine which compliments the existing providers. The University of Exeter now join the other nine institutions already delivering the programme, with over 140 healthcare professionals currently studying.

The Master’s in Genomic Medicine and associated CPPD modules have been designed to support the transformation of the NHS through the development of genomic technologies and interventions, in particular to support the work of the NHS England Genomic Medicine Centres and the 100,000 Genomes Project. The Master’s is available as a one-year full-time or a two-year part-time course, and a number of individual course modules will be available as CPPD.

Professor Janice Kay, Provost of the University of Exeter, said: “We’re delighted to work with the NHS and colleagues from other universities to offer this programme, which will help transform patient care in the South West and beyond. At Exeter, our research in genomics has been ranked as world-leading, and we can now share our expertise with healthcare workers to help them make the most of this exciting emerging technology. The key to making a real difference is embedding this technology into everyday practice, which will allow us to ensure patients are getting the best treatment, tailored to them specifically. By collecting these genomic samples on a large scale, we expect to uncover the underlying causes of a wide range of diseases.”

Derek Sprague, Health Education England Local Director, said: “We are delighted to have a Genomics MSc provider based in the South West.  This perfectly supports our two Genomics Medical Centres in Exeter and more recently in Bristol.  We welcome that Exeter University is keen to forge wider partnerships with local education to deliver this programme and we look forward to building genomics expertise locally in this ground-breaking field.”

For more details or to apply please visit our website or visit the University of Exeter news page: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/featurednews/title_502686_en.html