Burnley-based charity Mackenzie Medical Center Association (MMCA) comes to an end and grants £ 140,000 to Mackenzie Clinical Research Institute at UCLan.

The money will be used to support the growth of the UCLan Institute, based on the Burnley campus, to develop excellence in education and training in all clinical disciplines and professions in the primary care field. .

The university has already established a number of university scholarships, jointly funded by East Lancashire NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), to develop expertise and increase capacity to address the challenges facing healthcare and social services . This new funding will create additional Mackenzie Fellows, improving the knowledge and skill base of Lancashire Health Service.

Professor Cathy Jackson, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences at UCLan, said, “This is a major vote of confidence for our teaching and research activities. We have established our Mackenzie Institute of Clinical Research, in collaboration with East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust and East Lancashire CCG, with the aim of increasing the research footprint through education and supporting the patient’s journey from stopping by bus to the patient’s bedside.

“We want to build a critical mass of health academics and this new funding will allow us to offer more fellowships and postdoctoral positions to clinicians. By working in collaboration with other university partners, they will be at the forefront of health research in the region and this can only benefit the patients of East Lancashire.

The university, in collaboration with East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, already offers a medical student the Mackenzie scholarship on an annual basis. It covers all tuition fees for the duration of the five-year program and clinical placement fees.

The MMCA was established in Burnley in 1965 by a group of pioneer hospital consultants and local general practitioners. They initially generated funds from individuals and local industry to provide a library and meeting rooms, at a time when central funding was limited.

Dr Malcolm Littley, one of the MMCA Trustees alongside Dr Evan Bayton and Dr Raymond Hyatt, said: “The provision of services and education within the NHS has grown significantly in recent years and the need for association has diminished. Trustees therefore distribute MMCA assets to support the original goals and standards of educational and research excellence set by the founders, which will be pursued by partner organizations, including UCLan.

“Finally, the Trustees would like to pay tribute to Sir James Mackenzie, Dr Gerhard Behr, Dr Roland Calvert, Mr Fred Parr and the colleagues who created the association and to all the former officers and members of the MMCA who have also contributed their time. and expertise. “