Natural Science at St. Catharine’s College

University of Cambridge, St. Catharine's College

Pippa Kennedy

Pathology at St. Catharine’s

Dr. Pippa Kennedy

St. Cats alumna in Pathology

Pathology is the study of disease. Pick up any newspaper today and you cannot avoid references to pathology, such as MRSA sweeping our hospitals, bird flu, the AIDS pandemic, cures for cancer, causes of cancer (beware what you read in the Daily Mail!), rising heart disease, diabetes, vaccines for cervical cancer and much more. This exciting breadth of topics is reflected in the course taught at Cambridge, starting in the second year. Students are introduced to diseases of the vascular system by Prof. Andrew Wyllie (Head of the Department of Pathology and renowned for his ground-breaking work on programmed cell death). The course then moves on to the subtleties of the immune system, cellular changes during cancer and an introduction to pathogens in the form of viruses, bacteria and complex parasites. The course is tempered to be relevant to modern society – including discussion of the dynamics of 'flu pandemics, prion disease ("mad cow disease") and emerging diseases. The lectures are supported by practical classes that get students testing their blood groups, looking for antibodies against syphilis, identifying bacterial strains, analyzing disease specimens and problem-solving. In the third year, students are allowed to focus on the subjects that they find most interesting (among, for example, Virology, Immunology, Microbiology & Parasitology, Cellular & Genetic Pathology and Dynamics of Cellular Disease), and are given the chance to work in one of the many world-class research groups. This laboratory experience is an invaluable opportunity to decide whether a career ‘at the bench’ appeals, and for securing PhD places.

Having completed my BA and MPhil in Pathology at St. Catharine’s, I went on to read for a PhD (doctorate) in the Department of Pathology, working in Prof. Ashley Moffett's group. I chose to research placentation (the formation of the placenta during pregnancy), essentially a physiological process, and how it can be perturbed in diseases such as pre-eclampsia by immune cell interactions. Without the encouragement I received at St. Catharine’s for interdisciplinary analysis I might never have arrived at such a fascinating field at the juncture of pathology, physiology and development. Being a St. Catharine’s natsci myself, I can highly recommend the course to prospective students.

Course Structure

Natural Sciences at Cambridge covers all sciences, including biology, chemistry and physics. It aims to give all students a broad base of several core scientific disciplines, from which the students increasingly specialize over the three to four years of their degree course. If you wish to specialize in pathology, any options can be taken in the first year although Biology of Cells is advisable; the Pathology-specific teaching begins in the second year. Pathology courses are also taken within the Medical & Veterinary Sciences Tripos (MVST), but this page refers specifically to the Natural Science Tripos (NST).

First year: There are no specific pathology subjects, but NST 1A Biology of Cells and Physiology of Organisms will be useful.

Second year: NST 1B Pathology

Third year: NST part 2 Pathology

The second year course in pathology must be combined with two other science courses, for example Neurobiology and Physiology. The third year course stands alone, but within it you can choose from a number of modules: see below for more details. Please follow this link to the Department of Pathology teaching pages for more details of these courses.

Pathology teaching at St. Catharine's

In Cambridge, each Natural Science student gets an hour’s supervision per subject per week in the first and second years, arranged by their College (third year supervisions are always organised by the Departments). The personal attention offered in these supervisions, which are typically in groups of one supervisor and three students, represents one of the most important benefits of Cambridge teaching which is available at few other institutions. Supervisions are also the primary way in which the Colleges differ in terms of the teaching offered to their students, since lectures, practicals and exams are organised on a Departmental basis for all Colleges but supervisions are organised separately. Cambridge applicants trying to choose a College should therefore find out who is likely to supervise them in their preferred subjects.

Our College has great strengths in Natural Sciences: it has excellent library facilities, some dedicated Fellows in biological subjects, and the student-run John Ray Society, our Natural Science society named after our famous 17^th century alumnus, which runs lectures and other events within St. Catharine's. Second-year pathology supervisions at St. Catharine's are organised in groups of 2-3 students. The large number of students, both at undergraduate and graduate level, studying Pathology in Catz means that there is always someone with experience of the course available to give current students advice on which options to select, the advantages of laboratory projects or dissertations in the third year and, of course, exams. The medical students are lectured and have practicals alongside the NST students in the second and third years, and they contribute a more clinical perspective to discussions. St. Catharine’s students are encouraged to extend their knowledge beyond the confines of the course, drawing upon what they have learnt from their other subjects.

Dr. John Xuereb is our Director of Studies in Pathology. Dr. Xuereb is a University Senior Lecturer in Pathology and an Honorary Consultant Neuropathologist at Addenbrooke's Hospital. He oversees all of our pathology teaching, and is the academic mentor of those students who choose to take pathology at part 2 level and beyond.

For more information...

If you are interested in applying to read Natural Sciences at St. Catharine’s, please see our College admissions webpage. Please feel free to e-mail Dr. Matt Mason, our Director of Studies in Physiology(mjm68@cam.ac.uk) with any questions that you might have. Good luck!