We are delighted to congratulate our graduate-entry medics Frances England, Daniel Radford-Smith and Caitlin Ashcroft on their election as Foulkes Foundation Fellows.
The Foulkes Foundation awards just a handful of Fellowships each year across the UK’s entire medical cohort to outstanding post-doctoral scientists wishing to undertake a medical degree. Fellowships are awarded for up to three years and the main criterion for selection is academic excellence, with a parallel focus on candidates whose previous research training will equip them to make a notable contribution to medical research in all its diverse disciplines. This includes candidates trained in the biomedical sciences, as well as those from the physical, engineering, maths and computer science backgrounds which are becoming increasingly important in driving the medical advances of the future.
Frances England and Daniel Radford-Smith were elected Foulkes Foundation Fellows in 2024, while Caitlin Ashcroft was elected to her fellowship in 2025. Daniel is also the recipient of the 2025 Sidney Truelove Prize in Gastroenterology this year.
Speaking of the achievement, Daniel said: “Frances and I feel very lucky to be supported by the Foulkes Foundation during the graduate medical course. It’s a real privilege to join such a brilliant and welcoming community of Fellows. We’re also really grateful to Somerville for championing academic medicine and encouraging those of us trying to balance both worlds — it means a lot to be in an environment that recognises and supports that ambition.”
Professor Daniel Anthony, Somerville’s Tutorial Fellow in Medicine, added, “We’re incredibly proud of Frances, Daniel, and Caitlin; their election as Foulkes Fellows speaks not only to their outstanding academic ability but also to their determination to bridge science and medicine in ways that can truly benefit patients. Somerville has long championed medical students who take the road less travelled, and we are delighted to see that recognised at a national level.”
L-r: Daniel Radford-Smith, Frances England and Caitlin Ashcroft