A successful East Yorkshire businesswoman’s charity is to fund cutting edge research in the study of hormones in Hull.
Lesley Jackson co-founded Hudson Contract, a construction industry employment specialist of national standing, with husband Dave.
She went on to form The Freeman 1st Foundation, a Bridlington-based charity set up to help young people achieve their potential, supporting those who cannot access the right support to follow their dreams.
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Now a fellowship programme is being launched for medical students in the region in the field of endocrinology.
Fully funded studentships will be provided at the Hull York Medical School, the joint medical school of the Universities of Hull and York, one it describes as a world-leading centre for education, research and innovation. The students will be based at the £7.5 million Allam Diabetes Centre, a new purpose-built facility for clinical research, education and care.
The three-year studentships will cover a range of topics related to the study of hormones.
Lesley said: “We have created the Freeman PhD Fellowship because the trustees feel very strongly that it will help promising young medical students from Yorkshire and the Humber to take part in world-class research on our doorstep and contribute to advances in healthcare for people with endocrine disorders, which can benefit patients both locally and globally.”
The first student to be awarded a Freeman PhD Fellowship is due to start their research work this July. F1F is named in honour of her ancestor Henry Freeman, the lifeboatman and sole survivor of the 1861 Whitby lifeboat disaster, who saved more than 300 lives at sea.
Prof Thozhukat Sathyapalan, the academic lead for diabetes, endocrinology and metabolism research at Hull York Medical School and honorary consultant physician at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Research is a key component of healthcare. It allows us to better understand conditions and their impact on patients and provide evidence-based treatment to cure conditions or help patients manage their conditions more effectively.
“The Freeman PhD Fellowship in endocrinology will enable us to increase our understanding of the impact of hormone imbalances on patients and develop treatments or guidance to help patients manage their conditions. It will also help us to support and train the next generation of health researchers.”
The first student to be awarded a Freeman PhD Fellowship is due to start their research work this July. More details will be announced in due course.
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