Three centuries of medicine captured in Edinburgh photo exhibition
An exhibition spotlighting remarkable people who have shaped the Scottish capital’s rich medical history has been unveiled at this year’s Edinburgh Science Festival.
L-R: Callum Cruickshank, Mary Hepburn and Hephzibah Adegoke
The large open-air photography exhibition features prominent figures and those that may be lesser known, including the founder of a charity promoting wider access to medical degrees, a doctor who dedicated her career to supporting the care of disadvantaged women in Glasgow and a graduate of the Polish Medical School.
Those captured are part of a project to honour 300 people who have made a lasting impact on the University of Edinburgh’s Medical School.
The outdoor exhibition will spotlight 65 of these inspirational individuals and give festival-goers and the wider public the opportunity to find out more about their achievements.
The exhibition is part of a year-long programme of events and community projects taking place to mark 300 years of medical education at the University of Edinburgh.
Faces of Edinburgh Medical School is free and will be on display from Friday 20 March to Sunday 26 April at Edinburgh Mound Precinct, before moving to Portobello Promenade from Wednesday 29 April to Sunday 14 June.
Established in 1726, Edinburgh Medical School is one of the oldest medical schools in the world.
Leading revolutionary advancements in medicine over three centuries, its students, doctors, researchers and alumni continue to respond to critical health challenges and influence medical science across the world.
Historic alumni include Joseph Lister, the founder of antiseptic medicine, and Elsie Inglis, the founder of the Scottish Women's Suffrage Federation and Scottish Women's Hospitals.
Supporting women
Edinburgh graduate Dr Mary Hepburn is one many trailblazing alums included in the Faces of Edinburgh Medical School exhibition. A retired obstetrician and gynaecologist, Mary is known for her work with socially disadvantaged women.
Dr Mary Hepburn
Mary established the pioneering Glasgow Women’s Reproductive Health Service in 1990. For 25 years, she led the service which provided specialist support for women, including community clinics for addictions, HIV infection, mental illness, domestic abuse and sexual assault.
Her expertise has helped many organisations, including the World Health Organisation and UNICEF, to develop and improve reproductive healthcare all over the world.
Mary said: “Many of the women under my care lived with addictions or had difficult lives. Having compassion for people in their own circumstances, but not condoning their choices, helped me to support them. They confirmed non-judgemental care was the most important factor and taught me that the best health care comes from truly listening to what people need rather than assuming we already know.”
Breaking barriers
Hephzibah Adegoke is a British-Nigerian fifth-year medical student. She and fellow medical student Ebo Anyebe co-founded the African Caribbean Medical Society, creating an empowering community for black students across medicine, medical science and allied healthcare disciplines.
Hephzibah Adegoke
The society organises academic events that explore African and Caribbean health through a decolonial lens, to demystify and to reframe understandings of black health and wellbeing.
Hephzibah is also a founding board member and mentor at Black Women at Edinburgh, Scotland’s first society for black women in higher education.
Hepzibah said: “I co-founded the African Caribbean Medical Society so new black students could join in and feel supported right from the beginning. We’ve created a space that helps students connect socially and explore academic work too. People create community in lots of different ways, but I hope the society will have a lasting impact as the younger students carry it on.”
Equal access
Also featured is Callum Cruickshank who founded the charity You Can Be A Doctor while studying medicine at the University.
Callum Cruickshank
Formed from Callum’s idea to create a more inclusive and representative healthcare community, the charity helps young people from underprivileged backgrounds to begin a path into a medical career.
Callum said: “We need to recruit people who can become the best possible doctors. If you are looking at doctors and you don’t see anyone you can relate to, then you are exactly the person we need. Widening participation is not just about being fair: it’s about making sure our future doctors come from all kinds of backgrounds so that they understand and reflect the population we serve.”
Silent teachers
Joyce Faulkner is an advocate for the Medical School’s body donation programme. Joyce’s husband, Jim McIntosh, died in 2019 and, as was his wish, his body was donated to medical science.
Joyce Faulkner
People who donate their body after death play a vital role in advancing healthcare, training doctors and improving treatments. Without donated bodies, many aspects of modern medicine would be far less effective.
In 2022, Joyce shared her experience of Jim’s donation in an exhibition at the National Museum to encourage others to consider doing the same.
She now divides her time between Scotland and Italy, where she has helped raise awareness of body donation in places where the practice is less well known.
Joyce said: “My husband and I were both English teachers. After he died, I was given a tour of the Anatomy Department, and was delighted to discover that they call the body donations ‘silent teachers’. He would have loved that – the idea of continuing to teach, to help students, even after your life has ended.”
Wartime initiative
Another inspirational alumna included is Halina Lewicka who enrolled at the University’s Polish School of Medicine in 1943.
Halina Lewicka
The Polish Medical School was established at the University in 1941 to enable Polish civilians and medical students who were in the army to finish their education.
Born in Poland in 1924, Halina travelled across Europe to find safety after World War II broke out.
After graduating, Halina spent the next 35 years working full time in hospitals and 19 years as a senior partner in general practice.
Halina Lewicka said: “Our journey escaping from the advancing German armies began the day the war started. We reached Scotland in 1940. The future was uncertain. I cherish my medical student days as a memory of normal life. The end of the war found Poland under a different occupation and most of us did not return. I have lived through difficult, stormy times and I will always deeply appreciate how much Edinburgh and its medical school contributed to the small successes in my long life.”
Science Festival
The Faces of Edinburgh Medical School exhibition has been created in partnership with Edinburgh Science Festival.
The world’s first and still one of Europe’s biggest science festivals, Edinburgh Science Festival will take place across the city from 4 to 19 April and will include more than one hundred events aimed at inspiring people of all ages to get hands-on with science.
This year’s theme of Going Global reflects on science as a shared human story, connecting people across countries and continents, joined in scientific breakthroughs and failures, conducting experiments and sharing results.
Some of the speakers involved in this year’s Festival include first British astronaut Helen Sharman and wildlife tv presenter Hamza Yassin.
The programme also features a special event dedicated to the late Jane Goodall and a panel discussion chaired by Scotland’s former First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon.
Faces of Edinburgh Medical School outdoor exhibition is a fantastic celebration of the people who have shaped three centuries of medical discovery and innovation. At Edinburgh Science, we are delighted to help bring their stories into the heart of Edinburgh: stories of resilience, brilliance, and determination to improve lives. This exhibition reminds us that progress in medicine happens not only in laboratories and lecture halls but through generations of individuals who listened, cared, challenged convention and opened doors for others.
I hope that many Edinburgh residents and visitors will take a moment to pause and enjoy the Faces of Edinburgh Medical School exhibition on the Mound.
