Professor Deborah Bowman, former Deputy Principal (Institutional Affairs) and Professor Emerita of Bioethics, Clinical Ethics and Medical Law at St George’s, was part of the original programme team for Graduate Entry Medicine (GEP) programme. She held a number of different roles during her time at St George’s, joining as a lecturer in ethics, becoming the lead for Personal and Professional Development and overseeing the personal tutor provision for students. Here, she reflects on the early days of the programme and her experience as part of the team.
“When the first GEP students arrived, the core team had been talking about and planning the programme for a year or more.
We could not have been more thrilled or excited to meet our first cohort. Those were formative days for me as we got to know each other.
“I remember vividly time spent with that first cohort of students in our base room as we began learning together with the story of George Marshall. Ethics sessions were always a stimulating and rich experience. The diversity of experience, background and view combined with irrepressible enthusiasm to create discussions that I remember to this day.
“Watching people grow as students and become the terrific doctors they are today was rewarding and inspiring. I remember being immensely moved at the party we held at the Royal College of Surgeons when the four years ended and having to swallow hard at graduation not to become a crying mess on the platform.
To have had the chance to be there at the beginning and to be part of something so special remains one of the greatest highlights of my career. Thank you to everyone who was there with me.”