Latest news with #UCLan
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Student's determination pays off as he achieves his ambition on graduation day
A good dose of determination has helped one student to achieve his dream of becoming a doctor. Talha Sufi completed three undergraduate and postgraduate courses to realise his ambition of becoming a medic. The 29-year-old began his University of Central Lancashire journey by enrolling on the three-year BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science programme. Following this, he signed up for a two-year physician associate postgraduate course. He kept pushing forward and finally landed a hard-earned place on the competitive five-year Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) course. READ MORE: Bolton medical student awarded scholarship at UCLan UCLan graduation ceremony for Bolton mum and daughter Ramsbottom's Victoria Derbyshire to receive honorary award at UCLan Talha said: 'From the very start, my goal was clear - I wanted to become a doctor. Instead of taking the traditional route, I built my path in stages and that has meant spending 10 years at university and completing an undergraduate degree, a postgraduate diploma and now finally medical school. 'I feel excited that I've finally got to this moment as working as a doctor to serve my community is something I've wanting to do from an early age.' It has been a balancing act for the former Darul Uloom Al Arabiya Al Islamiya School and Bury College pupil. 'Juggling the demands of work, family and study was hard while being a mature student,' commented Talha, from Bolton, "I had to find the balance so I could study, work part-time as a physician associate at a GP surgery in Deepdale, undertake placements at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital and find time for my family. However, with my family support my whole journey was made possible.' Talha, who wants to specialise in general practice, has now moved to Dewsbury and is completing his mandatory two-year junior doctor programme at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. He said: 'The university provided useful links and exposure to a variety of health sectors such as GP placements, surgical and medical rotations and first-hand teaching from hospital consultants and I'm looking forward to taking all this knowledge into my career. 'In the coming years I want to build my own surgery to serve my local community and really improve the health of those who are in need of health services. I want to have a wider impact on health improvement and the provision of social services for those who are struggling. Access to healthcare is a huge challenge for the elderly and those from ethnic minority backgrounds. I aim to bridge this gap and provide health services with care and compassion.'
Khaleej Times
06-07-2025
- Health
- Khaleej Times
UAE: 2 Uganda mosques to honour Indian doctor who died in RAK plane crash
A heartfelt tribute to a young UK-based Indian doctor who died in a light aircraft crash in Ras Al Khaimah has taken shape in the form of two mosques being built in Uganda instead of one initially planned. Dr Sulaymaan Al Majid, 26, a clinical fellow at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, was visiting the UAE to meet his family when he tragically lost his life in a sightseeing flight on December 26, 2024. The aircraft, piloted by Pakistani captain Frinza, crashed off the coast of Ras Al Khaimah, killing both her and Dr Sulaymaan. In the months since, friends and colleagues in the UK launched a charity campaign in his memory, raising funds through One Nation, a UK-based humanitarian organisation. What began as a modest effort to fund a single mosque quickly grew into a campaign that raised enough to build two mosques in Uganda. Posters with QR codes and tributes to Dr Sulaymaan were put up in mosques across the UK, calling on worshippers to honour his legacy through 'Sadaqah Jariyah' — a form of charity that continues to benefit others long after a person has passed. 'In loving memory of Dr Sulaymaan Al Majid,' read the posters, describing him as a 'beloved brother, doctor, and student leader whose impact lives on.' During his time at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), where he served as president of the School of Medicine, Sulaymaan left an indelible mark. He helped establish regular Friday prayers on campus, championed junior doctors' pay and wellbeing, and was an outspoken advocate for Palestinian rights. His father, Majid Mukarram, told Khaleej Times the family has been deeply moved by the outpouring of support. 'We are amazed how the students rallied behind this cause. The funds raised have made it possible to build two mosques now, instead of one, in Uganda,' he said. 'Expected construction completion is before Hajj next year.' He added: 'On behalf of our family, we thank Dr Sulaymaan's colleagues and friends who initiated this project. This is an ongoing charity that will benefit generations to come.' Dr Sulaymaan was born and raised in the UAE and was the eldest of three brothers. A prominent voice in medical advocacy, he served as honorary secretary and later co-chair of the Northern Resident Doctors Committee of the British Medical Association (BMA). He played a pivotal role in pushing for the term 'junior doctors' to be replaced with 'resident doctors' and championed fairer treatment and recognition for NHS trainees. He also helped organise picket lines, represented resident doctors at key national forums, and contributed to policy discussions at the BMA's National Resident Doctors Conference and annual general meetings. Passionate about education, he served as Teaching Lead at the North East Foundation Trainees Surgical Society, mentoring aspiring surgeons.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
'Remarkable' astrophysicist praised by top scientist
A Nobel Prize winning scientist has praised the "remarkable" work of an astrophysicist at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). PhD student Dr Alexia Lopez discovered the Giant Arc - a gigantic, ring-shaped structure in space, made up of galaxies and galaxy clusters that scientists say is so big it challenges our understanding of the universe. Sir Roger Penrose, who won the Nobel Prize for Physics for his work on black holes, has invited her to meet in person at Oxford University, where he is an Emeritus Professor. Ms Lopez, 28, said she "thought someone was playing a joke at first" when she heard he got in touch to say he was "fascinated by my findings". "I couldn't believe someone of such gravitas was interested in my work," she said, adding he is "so passionate about his research and it's infectious to see how excited he is about the possible links" between their findings. Sir Roger, a world-renowned mathematician and physicist who mentored Professor Stephen Hawking, has a keen interest in the cosmological discoveries because they could show signs of his theory of the origin and development of the universe. He has cited Ms Lopez in his latest research publication, The Physics of Conformal Cyclic Cosmology. He said: "Alexia Lopez has discovered a remarkable effect which appears to substantiate the conformal cyclic cosmological model that I originally suggested in the early years of the 21st Century. "Her observations provide what appears to be a very strong challenge to conventional cosmology which had not been previously anticipated." Ms Lopez, who is now a postdoctoral researcher at UCLan in Preston, has been with the university since 2015 when she began an undergraduate degree in physics with astrophysics. She then went on to complete a Masters and PhD with the University's Jeremiah Horrocks Institute for Maths and Physics (JHI). Professor Derek Ward Thompson, director of the JHI, said: "We're very proud of what Alexia has achieved so far and she's still only at the beginning of her scientific career. "To have the backing of Sir Roger Penrose is amazing and really highlights the significance of her research." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer. Huge galaxy ring challenges thinking on universe Astronomers discover 'the perfect solar system' US issues first ever fine for space junk
BBC News
30-04-2025
- Science
- BBC News
'Remarkable' UClan astrophysicist praised by top scientist
A Nobel Prize winning scientist has praised the "remarkable" work of an astrophysicist at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).PhD student Dr Alexia Lopez discovered the Giant Arc - a gigantic, ring-shaped structure in space, made up of galaxies and galaxy clusters that scientists say is so big it challenges our understanding of the Roger Penrose, who won the Nobel Prize for Physics for his work on black holes, has invited her to meet in person at Oxford University, where he is an Emeritus Lopez, 28, said she "thought someone was playing a joke at first" when she heard he got in touch to say he was "fascinated by my findings". "I couldn't believe someone of such gravitas was interested in my work," she said, adding he is "so passionate about his research and it's infectious to see how excited he is about the possible links" between their Roger, a world-renowned mathematician and physicist who mentored Professor Stephen Hawking, has a keen interest in the cosmological discoveries because they could show signs of his theory of the origin and development of the has cited Ms Lopez in his latest research publication, The Physics of Conformal Cyclic said: "Alexia Lopez has discovered a remarkable effect which appears to substantiate the conformal cyclic cosmological model that I originally suggested in the early years of the 21st Century. "Her observations provide what appears to be a very strong challenge to conventional cosmology which had not been previously anticipated."Ms Lopez, who is now a postdoctoral researcher at UCLan in Preston, has been with the university since 2015 when she began an undergraduate degree in physics with astrophysics. She then went on to complete a Masters and PhD with the University's Jeremiah Horrocks Institute for Maths and Physics (JHI).Professor Derek Ward Thompson, director of the JHI, said: "We're very proud of what Alexia has achieved so far and she's still only at the beginning of her scientific career. "To have the backing of Sir Roger Penrose is amazing and really highlights the significance of her research." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
