Friday 1st May saw the official opening of the new Clinical Skills Unit at West Suffolk Hospital (WSH).  The Unit has been named the Siklos Centre for Clinical Skills and Simulation in recognition of the huge contribution made to our students’ medical education by Dr Paul Siklos.   

As the first Director of the Cambridge Graduate Course in Medicine (CGC), Paul was instrumental in designing, developing and implementing our Graduate Entry Programme.  

Crucial to this venture was the creation of a partnership between the Clinical School, WSH, Hughes Hall, Lucy Cavendish and Wolfson Colleges, and six General Practices in Bury St Edmunds and Newmarket.  

The Siklos Centre reflects this collaboration, having been funded jointly by the Clinical School and WSH and having received a substantial contribution towards equipment from the Friends of WSH.   

In the fourteen years since our first CGC students matriculated, the course has gone from strength to strength, with CGC students regularly over-represented in the top quartile of Final MB rankings.  This reflects the inspiration and enormous hard work provided by Paul and his team, particularly Dr John Clark, Paul’s successor, Emma Barber Lomax, (Course Administrator) and James Whatling (Clinical Skills Tutor).  

Diana Wood (Clinical Dean) was delighted to be invited to open the new Siklos Centre – it is a state of the art facility which our students deserve.  Please go and visit if you have the opportunity!