Wellcome Trust is to close its centre for history of medicine

The internationally renowned Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London (UCL) is to close within two years, following allegations of mismanagement and arguments over funding.

The decision, which was announced to staff before Easter and confirmed by the Wellcome Trust and UCL this week, has shocked the academic world. In a joint statement issued on Thursday 15 April UCL and the trust announced that they had agreed “with regret” to “work towards” the closure of the centre over the next two years. The statement said that the decision followed “discussions between the senior staff of both organisations and consideration by the board of governors of the Wellcome Trust.”

No reason has formally …