The UCL Centre for the History of Medicine (UCLCHM) was an academic research and teaching centre for the

history of medicine The history of medicine is both a study of medicine throughout history as well as a multidisciplinary field of study that seeks to explore and understand medical practices, both past and present, throughout human societies. More than just histo ...

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

(UCL) in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. It succeeded the

Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine The Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL (2000-2012) was a research and teaching centre within University College London dedicated to the history of medicine. It was created through a grant from the Wellcome Trust, on the mode ...

at UCL. The UCLCHM was founded in 2011, and from September 2011, it took over some of the former staff of the Wellcome Trust Centre at UCL, including four emeritus academic staff, six teaching staff, and associated staff in a number of other UCL departments. The centre was based in the UCL Medical Sciences Building in the main UCL campus on Gower Street in the

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest ...

area of

Central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteris ...

, close to the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the Briti ...

and

University College Hospital University College Hospital (UCH) is a teaching hospital in the Fitzrovia area of the London Borough of Camden, England. The hospital, which was founded as the North London Hospital in 1834, is closely associated with University College Lon ...

History

In 1966, the Wellcome Trust funded the establishment at UCL of a Sub-Department in the History of Medicine, headed by

Edwin Clarke Edwin Sisterton Clarke FRCP (18 June 1919 – 11 April 1996) was a British neurologist and medical historian, best remembered for his role as Director of the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, when he succeeded Noël Poynter ...

, within UCL's Department of Anatomy. The UCL staff also had office space at the Wellcome Library in Euston Road, and academic librarians participated in the teaching and research functions of the UCL department. These cross-institutional arrangements were formalized in 1976 with the creation of the

Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine The Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine (1968–1999) was a London centre for the study and teaching of medical history. It consisted of the Wellcome Library and an Academic Unit. The former was and is a world-class library collectio ...

, the academic staff at the library becoming honorary lecturers at UCL. The Wellcome Institute was closed in 1999, being replaced by a new

at UCL on the one hand, and the Wellcome Trust Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine on the other, that continued to be a private library owned by the

Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of one of the predecessors of Glaxo ...

. In February 2010 the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL was the first history unit in the world to be nominated for centre collaborative status with the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...

. In April 2010 it was announced that the Wellcome Trust would not be renewing its grant for the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL, and that it would be closed within two years. On 15 March 2011 it was announced that a new research and teaching centre would be launched as the UCL Centre for the History of Medicine for the 2011/2012 academic year, no longer being a flagship Centre funded by the Wellcome Trust. It was announced that the new UCL Centre would relocate from the Wellcome Building on

Euston Road Euston Road is a road in Central London that runs from Marylebone Road to King's Cross. The route is part of the London Inner Ring Road and forms part of the London congestion charge zone boundary. It is named after Euston Hall, the family s ...

to UCL's Medical Sciences Building on Gower Street and that its research focus would be the history of neurosciences and related fields.

Closure

The UCL Centre for the History of Medicine was wound down and closed during the 2013–2014 academic session. The teaching programmes were transferred to the administration of th
UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies
No further students were accepted after the 2013–2014 academic year and Prof. Jacyna has retired from UCL.

References

External links

UCL Centre for the History of Medicine

University College London

Wellcome Trust

Closure announcement
{{Wellcome Trust Research institutes in London University College London History of science and technology in England History of medicine in the United Kingdom Wellcome Trust de:Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine fr:Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine