Toggle Menu Toggle Search
St George's and City have merged. Find out more.
Entry Criteria, Modules and moreselect to open or close
Duration

Four weeks, full time

Application Deadline

To be confirmed

Location

St George's, University of London

UK, EU and non-EU

(International) citizens may apply

Start dates

14 July 2025

The 2025 Frontiers in Human Health Summer School will take place from 14 July to 25 August 2025 (with accommodation available from 13 July). This page currently features information relating to 2024, but will soon be updated to show details for the 2025 summer school.

If you have any questions about the summer school please email summer@sgul.ac.uk.

About the summer school

The Frontiers in Human Health summer school offers you the opportunity to explore past, present and future approaches to tackling some of the world’s major health challenges. Based here in London, you can connect with fellow students, teachers and researchers as you explore global health challenges and the research approaches used to address them. Fields covered include global health, infection and immunity, genomic medicine, cancer, translational medicine and population health.

With a strong emphasis on research-informed teaching, this four-week summer school will provide you with an opportunity to gain insight into multiple aspects of the research experience by learning face-to-face and first-hand from researchers and undertaking your own short laboratory research project.

Programme highlights

Open all Close all

Face-to-face learning in a unique teaching hospital campus

With a strong emphasis on research, this programme is intended to provide you with opportunities to gain insight into multiple aspects of the research experience.

You will engage with specialists in the field, explore research facilities and have the opportunity to work in a group to design and complete your own short laboratory research project.

Environment

Being the UK's only university to share its campus with a major teaching hospital means you will be learning in a unique environment.

This is a fantastic opportunity for you to experience face-to-face education at one of the oldest medical schools in the country alongside one of the UK's busiest hospitals, whilst staying in one of the most socially and culturally diverse cities in the world.

Living in London

St George’s is located in the thriving, multicultural hub of Tooting in southwest London.

Our location offers students the best of both worlds, as Tooting is small enough to maintain a friendly, local neighbourhood atmosphere while being close enough to all the attractions of central London.

You will have all the advantages of living in one of the most exciting cities in the world without all the cost.

Tooting itself is full of amazing restaurants, an open-air fresh water swimming pool called the Tooting Lido, as well as the always popular Tooting Market.

St George’s is 5 minutes away from Tooting Broadway tube station, which is located on the Northern Line in London Transport’s Zone 3. Central London and all its attractions are just 25 minutes away and accessible via the Northern Line tube service, with trains leaving every 2-3 minutes.

As part of the summer school you will have the opportunity to participate in social activities, such as afternoon tea and trips to attractions across London.

Please see the Social programme tab on this page for an indicative schedule based on a previous year’s activities. Activities for 2023 will be confirmed soon.

If you have any questions about the summer school, get in touch with the course team at summer@sgul.ac.uk.

“I enjoyed this experience so much. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn new aspects about healthcare and research topics. I feel like I’ve learned so much and by moving to a different country for a month was also really fun.”

- 2022 summer school student

“I enjoyed the teaching/lecture component of the course. Overall I though it was delivered to a very high standard.”

- 2021 summer school student

“The summer school far exceeded my expectations, both in terms of the facilities we were able to visit and also the amount of hands-on research we were able to partake in.”

- 2021 summer school student

The following information relates to the 2024 summer school. This will be updated for 2025 soon.

Our four-week summer school programme is a university Level 6 module worth 15 credits (3–4 US credits or 7.5 ECTS credits).

It offers you the opportunity to explore past, present and future approaches to tackling some of the world’s major health challenges and to design and conduct your own group research project while based here in London.

It is also possible to study as a non-credit bearing course.

The full summer school programme handbook will be available to download soon.

Through engaging with the Summer School programme, you will be able to:

  • identify past advancements and current research to address challenges at the frontiers of global health, infection and immunity, genomic medicine, translational medicine and population health
  • appraise and discuss key concepts, research approaches and enabling technologies that underpin(ned) these advancements and apply informed speculation about how they may advance human health in the future
  • apply hypothesis-driven research principles to laboratory bioscience experimentation, providing a rationale for experimental design and methodology choices
  • critically analyse experimental data and present findings clearly and meaningfully for a research audience using a visual medium (poster) and associated oral presentation.
View all Close all

Course content

  • Global health challenges
  • Epidemiology and public health initiatives
  • Infection and immunology
    • Pandemic and Endemic infections (e.g. Covid-19, tuberculosis, malaria, HIV)
    • Antimicrobial resistance
  • Non-communicable diseases (e.g. cancer)
  • The application of ‘big data’ in research
    • Omic technologies and their application
    • Personalised medicine
  • Translation of research from bench to bedside and community
  • The relevance of public engagement with research
  • Cell and molecular laboratory experimentation
  • Experimental design, data analysis and presentation
  • Visits to St George’s facilities including research labs, dissection room, pathology museum, archive and image resource facilities
  • Career development advice
    • Identifying transferable skills
    • Progressing your research career.

Mini-research projects

A major feature of the summer school is the opportunity to carry out a mini-research project based in the University’s biomedical research laboratories, supervised by active researchers.

Based around a current research question, you will work in groups to design and execute your own research project within a scenario provided, analysing the data and presenting your findings as a scientific poster suitable for a research conference. No previous experience is necessary.

The project will include a thorough grounding in the laboratory techniques involved and a series of experimental design and data analysis workshops will take you step by step through the process from start to finish, with ample opportunities to practice and receive feedback.

Approximately one third of the summer school will be devoted to the research project, with the laboratory sessions focused largely in the third and fourth weeks.

Course delivery

  • Direct face-to-face contact via lectures and seminars (30 hours), and interactive workshops and tutorials (20 hours), including visits to research facilities.
  • Laboratory research project with supporting tutorials (30 hours).
  • Self-directed study and analysis (40 hours).
  • Preparation for examination, and preparation of research project presentation (30 hours).

Total: 150 hours.

At-a-glance indicative timetable

Over the first 2.5 weeks, taught sessions will be scheduled in the mornings from 10am, with interactive group sessions, visits and activities in the afternoons, usually finishing at 4pm.

Apart from Research Insights talks every Tuesday evening, the rest of the evenings are kept free for social activities. Every Wednesday afternoon is free of sessions, and Friday in week three is also a free day to allow for a mini-break. 

A typical day will start with seminars/lectures and interactive sessions in the morning (typically in 45 minute blocks with regular breaks between), usually breaking for lunch at 1:30pm. The afternoon’s interactive workshops (including facilities visits and sessions focused on careers) typically run between 2:30 and 4pm.

This phase finishes with a two hour seen examination in the middle of the third week, preceded by revision and consolidation workshops.

The laboratory mini-research project is the focus of the second half of the third and the fourth week, ending with a conference-style poster presentation session of your research findings with an expert panel.

The research project days will be from 10am to 4pm (with regular breaks) but might occasionally be longer. They will be evenly balanced between hands-on laboratory work and interactive workshops for design and analysis.

Final details of academic sessions and social activities will be confirmed before the start of the summer school and may be subject to change.

View the timetable for the 2023 summer school (PDF) to get a flavour of the sessions and activities that will take place.

Welcome and arrival

The welcome and arrival timetable for 2023 was as follows, details will be updated in February 2024.

Sunday 9 July 2023: St George’s orientation trail

If you have arrived ahead of the start of the programme, join us for an orientation journey around Tooting and learn about the history of St. George’s University and Hospital.

We will be meeting outside the Marks and Spencer shop outside the main entrance to St George’s Hospital, Grosvenor Wing (see campus maps at the end of the handbook).

Monday 10 July 2023: Induction day

The induction day will start at 10am and will include the following:

Welcome and introduction to the Frontiers in Human Health programme

In these sessions we will introduce you to St. George’s, University of London and the programme, as well as demonstrating how you can use Canvas – our online virtual learning environment.

You will also meet some of the members of the Frontiers in Human Health course team.
Campus tour

Staff will show you around the St. George’s University and Hospital site including important features such as our library, coffee shops and restaurants as well as the location of teaching rooms. 
Registration

Before you arrive, you will receive an email giving directions and information about what to expect on your first day.

We will organise your registration on the programme and production of Identity/Access cards.

In this guide we have included maps of the university and teaching rooms. Please use these maps to help direct you to your teaching rooms.
Lunch

Food and drinks will be provided as you get to know your fellow students.
Canvas and Health and safety

Our team will introduce you to our virtual learning platform (Canvas) and will give you a demo on the system.

The health and safety talk will cover the fundamental aspects of our health and safety regulations including:

  • risk assessment
  • the need for supervision in labs
  • the importance of students reporting any concerns
  • fire awareness.
Welcome social event Join us in our Student’s Union bar for drinks, refreshments and an opportunity to chat to some of the programme team.

 

“I enjoyed the research the most. It was very hands on and I had a lot of fun doing my first ever “official” research project.”

- 2022 summer school student

“I’m elated that global health/policy was intertwined with laboratory experiences. That made it a full academic package!”

- 2021 summer school student

The following information relates to the 2024 summer school. This will be updated for 2025 soon.

For award of academic credit, achievement of module outcomes will be assessed by 2 summative assessments:

  1. A 2 hour written examination
  2. A visual poster with an accompanying short oral presentation.

An aggregate mark of 40% across the 2 assessments will result in award of 15 academic credits.

Written examination

You will undertake an invigilated 2 hour online examination in which you will answer a single question that will have been presented to you during the first week of the summer school (a seen examination).

The question, which will be formulated around the theme of Frontiers in Human Health, will require you to write an article for informed non-specialists (e.g. Scientific American), drawing on insights gained during the course, complemented by your own critical analysis, reflections and speculations.

Poster and oral presentation

Together with your group research project peers, you will design and produce a scientific poster describing the background, rationale, methods, and findings of your mini-research project, critically analysing the results and discussing their limitations, wider implications, and next steps.

You will give a group oral presentation on your poster to peers and an expert panel of assessors.

The oral presentation will be a maximum of 7 minutes followed by 3 minutes for questions and answers.

Assignments weighting

Assessment title
Percentage of final grade

Seen exam

60

Research project report

  • Written poster
  • Poster oral presentation

40

(20)

(20)

The following information relates to the 2024 summer school. This will be updated for 2025 soon.

Our social programme allows students to get to know their peers and academics, in the heart of London. The variety of events is catered to all budgets and allows students to experience the best cultural experience.

The programme is designed such that students always have Wednesday afternoons free, as well as a free Friday in the third week.

Future social activities will be confirmed before the start of the summer school and may be subject to change.

If you have suggestions for what you would like to be included, please let us know by contacting the course team at summer@sgul.ac.uk.

Examples of social activities from the 2022 summer school

  • Buckingham Palace visit and picnic at Hyde park: Watch the famous Changing of the Guard ceremony, enjoy London green areas and have a picnic at Hyde Park (cost: free, drinks and food extra).
  • Day at Greenwich and boat trip in the Thames (cost: approx. £15, drinks and food extra): Visit the famous Cutty Sark, go to the Maritime Museum, do not miss Greenwich Market, picture yourself at the Prime Meridian and enjoy a boat trip in the Thames while learning a bit of London’s history.

“It was an enjoyable experience for many reasons, not only did I enjoy the lectures, sessions, and lab, I had the chance to meet incredible people. Also, it was a growing experience in that we were not coddled through the month here. We got to grow and experience having control of what we were doing. ”

- 2022 summer school student

“I enjoyed this experience so much. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn new aspects about healthcare and research topics. I feel like I’ve learned so much and by moving to a different country for a month was also really fun.”

- 2022 summer school student

“I most enjoyed getting to become friends with the other students throughout the course and gaining a new perspective on the medical field and global health topics.”

- 2021 summer school student

The following information relates to the 2024 summer school. This will be updated for 2025 soon.

For the duration of the summer school you can choose to live in Horton Halls, our halls of residence, which is a 15-minute walk from the University campus.

Each bedroom has an en-suite bathroom, and you will have shared use of a kitchen and common room.

Standard (single) room accommodation is provided at a cost of £192 per week.

There will be a £50 deposit taken when the accommodation cost if paid. This will be returned once our Accommodation Officers have given their approval when the summer school has finished.

We offer a 10% discount to St George’s alumni and groups of four or more students from the same institution.

Accommodation costs are in addition to the tuition fee, and you have the option of sourcing alternative accommodation elsewhere. You will also need to consider additional costs for living expenses and optional social activities.

“Horton Halls was an amazing experience to share with schoolmates. Very safe and clean. ”

- 2018 Summer School student

The following fees are for 2024. Fees for the 2025 summer school will be added here soon.

The fees for the summer school are:

  • Tuition fee: £2,500.
  • Early bird fee (dates TBC): £2,250.

Current St George’s students will receive 10% off the tuition fee cost whenever they apply.

Accommodation fees are not included in the tuition price. Please see the Accommodation tab on this webpage for more information, including costs, for Horton Halls, St George’s halls of residence.

Please note that activities within the social programme may also incur some additional costs.

The following information relates to the 2024 summer school. This will be updated for 2025 soon.

Dr Efthymia (Efi) Papaevangelou, Course Director

Efi Papaevangelou

I am the Course Director for the Frontiers in Human Health Summer School, where I am involved in admissions, course monitoring, curriculum development, provision of lectures and student project supervision.

My research is concerned with the study of pharmacological therapies of cancer and their combination in preclinical models both in vitro and in vivo. My main research interest is to identify potent immunotherapies (therapies that use the immune system) that can be combined either with other immunotherapies or with conventional therapies to treat different types of cancer, with a focus on prostate cancer. My goal is to identify combinatorial treatments for cancer patients that lead to curable disease outcomes.

I obtained my PhD in Cancer Biology and Imaging at St George’s, University of London (SGUL, 2013). My postdoctoral research at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR, Sutton, UK), focused on applying a range of cancer therapeutics, including chemotherapies, targeted therapies and their combinations in preclinical models of colorectal and ovarian cancer. I later joined King’s College London (KCL, London, UK), where she investigated the effects of cancer immunotherapies, such as cytokines and checkpoint inhibitors, on preclinical models of prostate cancer. In September 2021, I returned to St George’s as a Lecturer in Cellular Pharmacology and is part of the Clinical Pharmacology BSc team, where I currently provide cell biology, cancer biology and cancer treatment-related lectures for the course. I am also the Year 2 Academic Lead and Admissions Tutor. I am also the leader for the Fundamentals of Science Year 2 and Laboratory Skills Years 1 and 2 modules of the course. I am actively involved in undergraduate and graduate student project supervision.

Nikki George, Professional Education Manager

Nikki George

I lead and manage the operational development of the Centre for Professional Education. The Professional Education Centre concentrates on expanding and coordinating a portfolio of standalone modules, short courses and CPD courses for healthcare professionals.

With the help of the course team, I coordinate and provide administration for the Frontiers in Human Health summer school.

As the first point of contact, the summer school is a great opportunity for me to get to know the students throughout the duration of the course. I will help students with any queries relating to the summer school from application stage through to completion. The social programme is a huge part of the programme, and I am heavily involved in the planning and organisation of the activities – this is a great way for students to meet each other and enjoy what London offers outside of the classroom.

Apply now

Duration

Four weeks, full time

Application Deadline

To be confirmed

Find a profileSearch by A-Z