Foundation dean of the first new British medical school of the 20th century

In the early 1960s plans were developing to start a new medical school in Nottingham. David Greenfield, who had a distinguished track record in physiology, was appointed as dean of the new school in 1966. It was a unique opportunity, as Nottingham was the first new UK medical school of the 20th century.

There were, of course, problems. Nottingham had been chosen partly because it was in an area of the country with a serious shortage of doctors and was in urgent need of a large new hospital, which would serve as the main teaching hospital for the school. Unfortunately, legal problems over site acquisition delayed until 1971 the start of the building of the hospital, and integral with it the accommodation for the medical school. The school was, however, committed to start accepting students in 1970, so temporary accommodation had to be used, and in the early …