A GIFT TO TOUCH MANY LIVES

“The support I’ve received from the University and its donors has changed the landscape for my whole career,” says Dr Eden Page (MSc Molecular Medicine 2022, Medicine 2024). 

This support began when Eden was still at school and continued through a scholarship to support her studies. She then received the prestigious EXSEL scholarship which opens research and learning opportunities for the most able medical students. 

Already a published academic before she graduated, Eden is now hoping to specialise in research tackling deadly disease. “All this support has never been based on what someone had achieved up to that point,” she says. “It’s much more about recognising your potential – and Leeds does that so beautifully.” 

Eden was brought up in Coalville in Leicestershire. “I had a lovely childhood, but it’s a former mining town, the sort of place where no-one ever visits and no-one ever really leaves,” she laughs.  

When Eden was 14, the family’s circumstances changed when her dad was diagnosed with cancer: “We had a lot of pressures and stress, which coincided with my GCSEs and leading up to my A-levels. That whole time was shaped by what was going on at home.” 

Though Eden thrived at school, she fell into medicine almost by accident: “There was a careers day and we were split into groups. I was interested in biological research but there was no group for that so I joined the medicine group. I quickly realised this was what I wanted to do.

“I came to Leeds for an open day in 2016 and loved it. It quickly became my first choice.” 

The University’s support soon kicked in: “I know now that Leeds does lots to take in students from my kind of background and they approached me about Access to Leeds.  I qualified because of my school, my postcode and my family income. Sadly, by this time my dad had died.” 

Access to Leeds reduced the entry requirement from three A-grades down to ABB. “It eased some of the pressure,” says Eden. “It was great that it wasn’t just for people from the Leeds region, like some schemes at other universities are. I really wanted the experience of being further from home and being independent.” 

Eden didn’t just achieve her entry requirements, she smashed them, achieving A*AA before enrolling at Leeds in 2018, supported by a widening participation scholarship: “It meant I didn’t have to find a job and could concentrate on my studies.” 

Before long she learned about EXSEL, which nurtures high-achieving medical students who have an ambition to become academic clinicians. “I had to make a presentation about myself,” says Eden. “They’re interested in personality and potential – and you need to show your commitment and interest in the programme. I gave mine on the very last day before the Covid-19 lockdowns.” 

It was Covid that became the subject of Eden’s first placement, as she worked with Professor of Vascular Biology Robert Ariëns, carrying out a review of the published data on cardiovascular complications at the height of the pandemic. Her findings were published in 2021. 

EXSEL continued to nurture Eden’s progress. She joined a team led by Robin Bon, Professor of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, working in the lab, setting up cell lines and tissue cultures around his work on a protein linked to heart failure. Then working with Professor Reuben Tooze, Eden looked at the cancer-causing gene MYC, defining the different roles that parts of the gene played in developing cancer. 

EXSEL also helped Eden during her intercalation year. Intercalation allows medical students to take a year away from their studies to study for a degree in another field. Eden studied for a master's in molecular medicine. “Intercalation can be unaffordable for some students,” she says. “But EXSEL opens doors to networks that would otherwise be closed – and the directors put me in touch with the Pathological Society and they supported me for that year.”  

Eden then received the scheme’s highest honour, the EXSEL Lead Award, which enabled her to travel to Brno in the Czech Republic to work with haematologist Dr Marek Mraz on leukaemia research. “EXSEL paid my lab fees and my accommodation, and it was absolutely fascinating.” 

“EXSEL is the best thing that has happened to me at Leeds. They believed in me when the statistics wouldn’t have. It operates at a human level compared to awards given just on scores and metrics. They have supported me immeasurably and given me hope and ambition for the future.” 

Having now finished her studies, Eden is ‘on rotation’, where medical graduates spend time in different areas of the health service. “I’m currently in psychiatry, but I’m applying for speciality training on internal medicine – the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases of the major organs.” 

Eden explained the difference that your gifts to support her student journey have made: “You are creating the next generation of academic leaders. You have changed the entire landscape for me. The money I've received could still be making a difference in 50 years time. It starts a career which might one day save lives.” 

She is determined to stay local: “I’ve been in Leeds since 2018 and I love it here and I'd really like to help fund students in the future if I can.” 

You can help support students like Eden

By funding scholarships and a range of initiatives aimed at tackling the barriers experienced by students from less advantaged backgrounds, supporters like you are helping them make the most of their time at Leeds. Your support will enable the next generation of students to thrive, and could inspire them to have an incredible impact on society. Find out more