Exeter Medical Students excel in National Neuroanatomy Competition

University of Exeter medical students display excellent neuroanatomy knowledge in recent national competition.

The National Undergraduate Neuroanatomy Competition (NUNC), now in its 12^th edition, was held in Glasgow University and had six representatives from the University of Exeter. The students were selected from a keen group of 30 medical students who attended Saturday teaching sessions in preparation for the national competition.

The six participants, Amelia Dickson (2^nd Year), Arsh Thao (2^nd Year), Jack Read (3^rd Year), Jinu Chang (2^nd Year), John Donnelly (4^th Year) and Sean Ho (1^st Year), were supported and sponsored by Professor Alison Curnrow and Prof Ian Fussell of the medical school to represent the University. Jack Read, the outgoing President of the Anatomy Society, played a key role in coordinating the 2023-2024 NUNC Campaign and the Academic NUNC Lead at the University of Exeter, Dr Hope Gangata, taught, designed and ran the internal university NUNC selection examinations, trained the NUNC Tutors, and ran an advanced brain dissection session.

Exeter scooped a total of five awards, as well as made history as the first university to win both the NUNC Pre-Clinical Prize and Pre-Clinical Runner’s up Prizes at the same time.

The full list of the prizes won is:

1. Best Pre-Clinical Prize: Amelia Dickson (2^nd Year)
2. Runner’s Up Pre-Clinical Prize: Arsh Thao (2^nd Year)
3. Distinction Prizes: Jack Read (3^rd Year), John Donnelly (4^th Year) and Sean Ho (1^st Year)

Amelia Dickson and Arsh Thao also made history as Exeter’s first winners of the Pre-Clinical and Runner’s Up Pre-Clinical Prize in the NUNC competitions.

Amelia, now in her 3^rd year and President of the Anatomy society at Exeter, said: “It was a huge privilege to represent the University at NUNC 2024. The support I got from my fellow student teachers was invaluable and I would not have been able to achieve this without them. The NUNC campaign, kindly co-ordinated and supported by Dr Gangata, has been a great success and inspired many students. I hope that this campaign continues so others can take advantage of this opportunity.”

Dr Gangata said: “I’m more than delighted by the historic outstanding national 2024 NUNC Conference awards success by our medical students.

“Successes in the 2023 and 2024 NUNC Conferences by our medical students have provided solid preparatory foundation steps into neurological, neurosurgical and psychiatric careers, and has opened many neuro professional doors for them, such as neuro leadership roles in university societies and national committees, elective neurosurgical placement opportunities, neuro research conference presentations and AFHEA teaching certificates.

“Our unique neuroanatomy NUNC teaching programme has helped dispel “neurophobia” (the fear of neuroanatomy) among our medical students, and medical students being trained in modern teaching contributed to the high neuro teaching standards and all attained Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA) teaching certificates.”