The Women of Edinburgh Medical School

The Women of Edinburgh Medical School: Learning from our History Public Lecture Series

Edinburgh Medical School 300, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine

Tuesday 3 March 2026, 6:30pm

Usha Kasera Lecture Theatre, Old College, South Bridge, Edinburgh, EH8 9YL

Professor Lorna Marson, Dr Lesley Dawson, & final year student Heen Shamaz, explore some of the women of the '300 Faces of EMS' over the last 300 years, and explain the contemporary relevance of those stories to modern medical education and practice.

Professor Lorna Marson is Professor of Transplant Surgery at the University of Edinburgh, and Honorary Consultant Surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Lorna has held leadership roles in transplantation, in surgical training and in undergraduate medicine. She was elected as the first female President of the British Transplantation Society (2017-2019) and was Co-Director of UK Organ Donation and Transplantation Research Network until 2024. She was appointed as Non-Executive Director to the board of NHS Blood and Transplant in March 2024.

Lorna is College Dean of Clinical Medicine and Deputy Head of College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh.

Lorna is passionate about mentoring and supporting surgeons in training with a national and international profile in supporting and inspiring women in surgery. She has trained as an Executive coach to enhance this work. She is married with two children and spends as much of her spare time as possible on a bike.

Dr Lesley Dawson was attracted to oncology as a career while she was a medical student and initially considered training in palliative medicine. However, oncology experience as a junior doctor at the Beatson Oncology Centre in Glasgow and the Royal Marsden Hospital confirmed that medical oncology was the right choice for her. She came back to Edinburgh for her specialty training in medical oncology and became a consultant at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre in August 2003. Dr Dawson also has a significant interest in medical education and training and has had a variety of teaching and training roles, most recently including spending 10 years as the Associate Director for Medical Education at the Western General Hospital. She was appointed as the Honorary Secretary of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in September 2024.

Heen Shamaz is a final year medical student at the University of Edinburgh and an aspiring cardiothoracic surgeon. She currently serves on the Royal Society of Medicine’s Cardiothoracic Surgery Council and the SCTS Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Committee, preaching a 'lift as you climb' mentorship approach for improving access to surgical careers.

As the co-lead for the Edinburgh Medical School 300 Student Experience workstream, Heen is passionate about acknowledging past experiences, celebrating every journey to empower students and alumni today and tomorrow. She looks forward to amplifying underrepresented voices and celebrating the contributions of women to medicine, learning from the past to shape a more equitable future.

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This event is free and open to all.

Please indicate any dietary or access requirements when you register to attend.

Lectures are in-person only and will not be live-streamed. Recordings of the lectures will be available after the event.

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