In 2015, with the generous support of the Peter Sowerby Foundation, King’s College London – home to the largest centre for healthcare education in Europe – launched Philosophy & Medicine, a joint venture between King’s Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, and The Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery.

The Philosophy & Medicine project works to introduce philosophy into the curricula that train clinicians, and also hosts a range of public lectures and activities to encourage dialogue and collaborative research across these disciplines. ‘Medics and philosophers confront many of the same great issues – life and death, body and mind, knowledge and judgement – but too rarely engage with each other,’ said David Aspinall, Chair of the Trustees of the Peter Sowerby Foundation. ‘Since his training at King’s and Guy’s in the 1950s and throughout his career, Dr Peter Sowerby has wanted to see practitioners better equipped to engage with such vital issues in the course of delivering patient care. We are delighted that today the Peter Sowerby Chair in Philosophy and Medicine takes forward an extensive programme of thought-provoking activities across King’s. The Trustees hope that the next generation of health professionals will engage in philosophical debate and thereby enrich their understanding of patient care and technological advancement.’

Sherrilyn Roush was the first holder of the Peter Sowerby Chair in Philosophy and Medicine. In 2018 she was succeeded by Alexander Bird, who held the chair until 2020. Elselijn Kingma steps into the role from April 2021. ‘I look forward to consolidating the Project’s international profile as a centre of excellence in teaching and research in Philosophy and Medicine.’