The Brian Chapman Scholarship supports a delegate from any country listed as low to lower middle income by the World Bank[1] to attend the annual Edinburgh International Course on Medicine for the Older Adult.
The world’s population is ageing with developing countries experiencing the most rapid increase in the number of older people. With this comes the challenge of managing associated chronic disease and morbidity. Many developing countries are ill-prepared for the predicted burden, not only due to scarce medical resources, but also because of a lack of health workers trained and skilled in the management of older patients.
The Edinburgh International Course in Medicine of the Older Adult represents an opportunity for physicians from countries with limited old-age services not only to benefit from the educational programme, but also to network with colleagues from countries with greater experience of elderly medicine.
The scholarship is named in memory of the late Dr Brian Chapman, a distinguished Geriatrician in Edinburgh who made significant contributions to the International Course and to the work of the College during his career.
The scholarship covers
- Travel costs (economy class travel)
- Accommodation (in College)
- Course fee
- Attendance at opening reception and at course dinner
- Visa fee (the applicant will be responsible for obtaining the visa)
Eligibility
- Must be presently based and working within any country listed as low or lower middle income by the World Bank.[1]
- Must be self-funding (i.e. funded by yourself or your family). Applicants who are able to get funding from another source (i.e. an employer, industry or government sponsor, charity or third-party organisation) to enable them to attend the course are not self-funding
- Must be a fully qualified Medical Practitioner
- Must be able to describe how attendance at this course will contribute to the development of medicine of the elderly within their own clinical service and/or country
- Must not have previously been the recipient of this scholarship or the Professor James C Petrie Scholarship award
Application and selection process
Applicants will be asked to provide contact details and complete the following short essay questions:
- Please describe the present healthcare challenges of an ageing population in the country you work in (250 words max)
- Please describe how attendance at this course will benefit the delivery of care to older adults within your own clinical service (250 words max)
Please have your answers prepared before applying online.
Each question will be scored by a minimum of two assessors. Where the scores are tied, the College reserves the right to make the final decision.
If you have any questions please contact: Charlotte Holmes (C.Holmes@rcpe.ac.uk)
Applications are now closed. Please refer back to this page for information on applying in 2025.
2020 winners
Dr Tesfaye Berhe
My name is Dr Tesfaye Berhe Asegahegn. I am a consultant medical specialist with subspecialty in Neurology. I completed both undergraduate and post graduate medical studies in Ethiopia and currently work full time at St. Paul Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC) in Addis Ababa. I am Associate Professor at SPHMMC and my roles are divided between clinical and academic practice. While I am subspecialties in neurology, my practice is largely dominated by general medicine. I am also involved in teaching of both undergraduate and postgraduate medical students
I just completed my physical medicine and rehabilitation training in Dec/2019 and I am working to establish the rehabilitation services and training in my hospital. However, there are limitations and challenges, such as absence of other trained rehab professionals, lack of medical equipment and space. I am appointed by the provost of the college to explore about geriatrics services, define the scope and set up service. I am member of the world association of neurology, international society of physical medicine and rehabilitation (ISPMR) and International Rehabilitation Forum (IRF)
Dr Rajendra Tamrakar
I was born in Panauti, one of the historical and religious cities in Nepal, located 32 kilometers south east from the capital city of Kathmandu. I was born as a fourth child of my parents in 1983. After the untimely demise of my father, my two elder brothers supported me to study Medicine. I have completed my higher secondary education from local school. I was fortunate enough to be awarded scholarship for my undergraduate as well as postgraduate degree. I completed my MBBS and MD (Internal Medicine) from Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences (KUSMS) at Dhulikhel. I am working as a Lecturer in the Department of Internal Medicine at Dhulikhel Hospital. Dhulikhel Hospital is the university hospital for all the medical programs run under the collaboration with Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences and it is also regarded as the best serving community hospital as well as one of the best medication institutions in the country. I am also providing healthcare services for People Living with HIV/ AIDS at antiretroviral therapy clinic in the hospital. I am very much interested in Endocrinology and Infectious disease and will be pursuing my career in these fields in near future. Currently, I am also involved in diabetes and infectious disease related researches and clinical trials being conducted in the hospital.
Apart from this I am actively engaged in health care related social activities as a Paul Harris Fellow member of Rotary International as well as other local social organizations. I am very grateful to Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh for providing me the Brian Chapman Scholarship 2020 to attend the International Course in Medicine of the older adult from 18 to 22 May, 2020 and I am very much excited to attend that course which will definitely have a positive impact on my career, medical teaching and patient care. This course will make my dream come true to visit the historical city of Edinburgh soon.
Previous recipients
Dr Ramesh Kandel is the first registered geriatrician in Nepal, and is the founder of Nepal Association of Geriatrics and Gerontology. He is also the founder and head of the Division of Geriatric Medicine at Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur, Kathmandu valley, Nepal. He completed his post-graduation in Geriatric Medicine from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in 2015 before returning to Nepal to work in the field of Geriatric Medicine. Dr Kandel has been involved in various government committees for the framing of policies related to geriatric health care in Nepal. “Attending the ‘RCPE International Course for Older Adults’ was complimented by the acquisition of the prestigious “Brian Chapman Award”, which was like a dream come true for me. Travel to UK was the first experience for me. After a hectic travel of more than fifteen hours and multiple transits in between, I was so much excited to see dear Josiane waiting me at the airport to receive me for the international course. That was one of the first and the warmest surprises for me in Scotland. The mixture of knowledge in the RCPE course and the historical city of Edinburgh mesmerized me very much. Edinburgh is really a beautiful place. The city full of historical achievements with the medical history embedded in each of the bricks and the walls was one of the remarkable aspects to remember. How can I forget the music by the bag-pipers which were echoing throughout the city? I was really excited to hear them. The topics presented in the course helped me to broaden my understanding of care of the older adults. I was impressed by the interesting well-structured lectures. Topics like syncope, delirium, management of chronic morbidities, frailty and anticipatory care planning all broadened my understanding of elderly patient management. As a Brian Chapman Award winner, I got an opportunity to present about the status of Geriatrics and Gerontology in Nepal. I could share among the participants the challenges and opportunities with regards to the promotion and development of geriatrics and gerontology in developing countries like Nepal. The historical tour of Edinburgh with Dr Roger Smith was another memorable event. I had an opportunity to learn how the medical city of Edinburgh evolved through centuries and how the great people in medicine contributed to the evolution. The course director Dr CP Maguire was so nice to me throughout the event and was very helpful, giving me the opportunity to visit the Edinburgh Western General Hospital with him. I heartily thank Dr John Davison for guiding me and Dr Han Win Htun (my new friend from Myanmar; a good human being) for an exciting evening time city tour. I heartily thank the course organisers, especially Josiane and Kate for the prompt communication and excellent organisation. This course was especially relevant to my professional expertise, and therefore I highly appreciate and feel honoured for getting an opportunity to attend this event, which gathered professionals from all over the world. As a special added value of this event, I found the opportunity to network with other professionals from the world, which was an exceptional opportunity for horizontal exchange of experiences. I perceived this was also as an occasion to familiarize with good practices around the world. Thank you RCPE!” I am thankful that I was awarded the Brian Chapman Scholarship which supported me to take part in this learning opportunity at the International Course in medicine of the Older Adult 2019. The course has been an eye opening experience for me and it let me see how well established and how advanced geriatric medicine is in the UK. I was also amazed by the fact that the course has been running continuously for 41 years! In this 41st year of the course I proudly and yet humbly represented my country to international audiences. I am a family physician in Myanmar and it is one of the lowest income countries in the world. My country has experienced decades of under-development, poverty and poor healthcare financing, which has resulted in some of the worst health indicators according to the World Health Organization. Since year 2000 the population has seen progressive decline in total fertility rate with an increase in old age population. National figures suggested that 9% of populations are over 60 in Myanmar. This figure changes to 20% in cities where people live longer than average. In my practice 20% of patients are over 60 years of age and they live with multiple morbidities and frequently have problems with compliance and polypharmacy. My country requires modernizing the health system in response to the changing demographic and population characteristics. Many areas for improvement are present in elderly medicine such as geriatric medicine training to family doctors to look after the health of elderly people in addition to developing the medical institutions for the seniors. The course has been instrumental in my learning of the key topics in geriatric medicine with best practices. Topics such as hypertension and hyperlipidemia, falls, syncope, stiff and painful joints, COPD, dementia assessment and stroke were the most relevant topics because these are common problems in my practice. Overall I found all the topics very rewarding. The course offered many opportunities for networking and knowing people from geriatric medicine and specialists from other disciplines. I received motivation, ideas and knowledge by talking to the colleagues in order to give the best possible geriatric care to my patients. Because the course had truly international participation it created a platform to share experience as well as constraints of individual settings. Finally I have had an amazing learning experience in Edinburgh. The support I received from College was top rated. I will continue my passion for geriatric medicine throughout my clinical career and I will do so with continuing connection with the College and geriatrics society in the UK." 2019 Winners
Dr Ramesh Kandel
Dr Han Win Htun
"My name is Dr Han Win Htun from Myanmar. I obtained my medical degree from the University of Medicine, Mandalay between 2001-2007. I started my first job as a medical officer at a private hospital before taking on a very exciting public health job opportunity with the Population Services International (Yangon) as the Malaria Program Manager, where I worked towards the development and launch of the National Malaria Control Communication Campaign. Subsequently I was awarded the prestigious New Zealand Asean Scholarship to study Master of Public Health by research at the University of Auckland (2013-2015). My research found that the cancer services in primary care have an important association with cancer survival rates, and I presented these findings at the World Cancer Congress in Melbourne in 2014, and in an article published in the European Journal of Cancer. From 2016 I have resumed full time general practice in Mandalay focused in Family Medicine.
2018 winners
Dr Arun Bhatt
"I was born and brought up in Kerala, the southernmost state of India. I completed my MBBS from Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, in 2010 and MD in Community Medicine from Christian Medical College, Vellore, in 2014. I joined as an Assistant Professor at Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Medical College in 2014, and have been working in community-based geriatric care in the service area of the medical college since then.
The Brian Chapman Scholarship enabled me to attend the International Course in Medicine of the Older Adult in Edinburgh. It was a wonderful experience in many ways – the formal learning during the course hours, informal learning beyond course hours, the tour of the college, the medical history tour, the blessed land of Edinburgh and the friendly people there.
Experts in various specialties pertaining to the care of older persons took the sessions. There were course participants from different specialties across the globe and many of them were experienced geriatricians too. The course participants were a good resource for informal learning. I could understand the healthcare scenario of older persons in different countries from them.
The tour of the college on the first evening, especially through the libraries, was a good experience. The libraries of RCPE have a great treasure of books and manuscripts that are milestones in medical history. The stories of struggle, commitment and vision of the giants of modern medicine were inspiring. The medical history tour on the second evening was very interesting. I could see the places where many pioneers lived, like Sir Joseph Lister and Sir James Young Simpson, and could see places where anecdotal incidents mentioned in medical history took place.
The course organisers took care of even the seemingly trivial needs and provided a comfortable accommodation. The day light hours were from 5:30 am to 10:30 pm. There was ample time to enjoy sightseeing. The weather was lovely and the people were friendly.
The department of Community Medicine of MOSC medical college where I am working currently is very keen on developing a community-based healthcare model for older persons. The knowledge and insights gained from the course will help me to take this vision forward. Thank you RCPE."
Dr Apoorva Gopinath
"I am from India. I completed my primary medical qualification, MBBS from Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kerala, in 2013 and then went on to do my masters in family medicine at St Philomena's Hospital, Bangalore. My masters thesis was on "Anemia in geriatric population". Right from the early stages of my medical training, I have been interested in care of the elderly. Currently, I am working in the preventive health department at Aster CMI Hospital, Bangalore, where I come across a significant number of elderly people in my daily practice. I am excited to be a part of this course. This will help me in improving my knowledge and skills in treating the elderly.
I was privileged to be one of the recipients of the prestigious Brian Chapman Scholarship for the year 2018, which gave me the opportunity to attend the Edinburgh International Course in Medicine of the Older Adult.
The course was very interesting and all the sessions were very well presented. The topics discussed ranged from neurological conditions and common chronic diseases to anticipatory care and management of patients at home. It was truly an eye-opening experience that helped me gain valuable knowledge in treating older persons. I also got to meet other healthcare professionals from all over the world who shared their experiences in geriatric medicine.
From the pick-up at the airport and the beautiful College accommodation to the social programme, including the medical history tour and course dinner, and of course every day of the course was very well arranged. I am very grateful to the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh for such a wonderful experience."
Dr Sudeep Shrestha
"I was born in Nepal in December 1983. Having completed my schooling at a local high school in my home town, I moved to Kathmandu for higher education. I received my MBBS degree from Kathmandu University, Nepal in 2009. I completed my residency training in Internal Medicine at Dhulikhel Hospital, Kathmandu University Hospital in 2015 and MRCP(UK) a year thereafter.
In 2015, I joined the Department of Internal Medicine at Kathmandu University Hospital as a Lecturer, and I continue this service to date. My current interests include respiratory medicine, care of the elderly, medical education and clinical medicine. I am a Member of the Asia Pacific Travel Health Society (APTHS), American College of Cardiology (ACC), and USA and American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHP). I am a Life Member of Nepal Medical Association (NMA) and the Society of Internal Medicine of Nepal (SIMON).
I am associated with local non-profit organisations such as Richa Bajimaya Memorial Foundation and Vishram, and I am actively involved in conducting educational programs related to preventive medicine. I am very passionate about teaching clinical and communication skills, and conducting bedside medicine classes regarding patient care and management, both for undergraduate and postgraduate medical students. My other activities comprise preparing various academic schedules, peer tutoring and organising various seminars in the Internal Medicine Department at Kathmandu University Hospital.
Attending the Edinburgh International Course in Medicine of the Older Adult 2018 was professionally a very rewarding experience. In addition to socialising with colleagues from other countries and a trip to one of the historic and most beautiful cities in the world, the two main achievements of attendance at the course were to hear presentations and to know about the different healthcare systems from around 20 nations.
The topics presented were high quality, with topics such as de-prescribing and frailty being something that are not commonly heard of. Listening to presentations informed me of what others are doing and exposed me to a different style of presentation. Hallway conversations and chat during the lunch with healthcare professionals who work in the myriad of healthcare systems around the globe were even more fruitful. The talks, the venue, the accommodation and, most importantly, the hospitality of every single person that I met in the college was something worth mentioning.
In a nutshell, right from the pick up at the airport till the day of my departure at the train station is something I value and treasure. Not to mention, the academic training and the pragmatic skills I learnt during the course, will soon be implemented in my practice as well.
Thanks very much RCPE!"
Dr Paul Yonga
"I am a specialist physician at Fountain Health Care Hospital and the Baringo County Referral Hospital, both in the North Rift region of Kenya. I am trained in both Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. In both hospitals, I am heavily involved in clinical management of patients admitted to the Internal Medicine units, teaching junior doctors, and coordinating research activities within the department. My main clinical interests are in management of co-morbidities among the elderly, as well as management of infections in the elderly.
I want to send my deep appreciation to the team at the College for all the logistical assistance offered via regular email correspondences, the reception at the airport, the lovely accommodation at the College suites, the course dinner, and the warm smiles and hospitality from the College staff. Receiving the Brian Chapman medal was one of the most eye-watering moments of my life, and I thus want to thank Dr Dorothy Chapman and the award selection committee for having given me the opportunity to attend this prestigious course and network with other geriatricians from around the world, as well as make new friends.
The structure of the course, based on the five geriatric giants, for someone like myself not formally trained in geriatric medicine, was easy to follow and I was able to pick certain salient points that I could improve on in my clinical care to older patients. The conditions I meet in my day-to-day clinical practice are the same that were being highlighted during the course, but I realised that my approach to management of these conditions was not as holistic as would have been expected. This definitely proved to be an ‘a-ha’ moment for me, not in a bid to change the world, but to improve on my clinical approaches in a stepwise manner, and to share the knowledge and skills with members of my clinical teams to improve clinical care given to older patients. The knowledge gained during this course has greatly supplemented my core postgraduate knowledge in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, and has stirred up my appetite for reading a bit more in-depth on Geriatric Medicine to improve my clinical approach to older patients. The free afternoons to take in the beautiful Edinburgh weather and environment were great refreshing moments to reflect on the morning lectures, though my biggest highlight was the medical tour, which made me internalise several chapters of medical history in two hours that would have taken me years to read.
Thank you so much to the RCPE for having availed me of this opportunity."
2017 winners
Dr Hein Yarzar Aung
"It has been my great pleasure to attend such a kind of world-class conference; 2017 Edinburgh International Course in Medicine of the Older Adult, held at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh during 22 May to 26 May. I am also very much delighted to be one of the winners of the very prestigious Brian Chapman Scholarship for the year 2017.
The course is very interesting and all the speakers are excellent. The carefully selected topics are very up to date and invaluable for the comprehensive management of geriatric patients. After attending the course, I gained a lot of knowledge regarding management of the frail patient with cardiovascular diseases, care of the frail patient in the acute hospital, interpretation of funny blood results in the frail patient, hospital at home program and delivering health care services in care homes as well. I also had a chance to meet and discuss with the other health care professionals all over the world who are interested in geriatric medicine.
The social programme including the Medical History Tour of Edinburgh was very wonderful and I enjoyed it a lot. We also had a great course dinner at one of the best restaurants in Edinburgh; good food, nice chats and so it will last forever in our memory. The credit should go to the course organizing committee and Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh as well. Unforgettable international course indeed!."
Dr Nirish Vaidya
"I am currently a trainee in Internal Medicine in Nepal, a beautiful country in South Asia. The elderly problems in Nepal are apparently neglected. An increase in the size of the geriatric age group and related problems, few professionals trained in geriatric medicine and very little knowledge and services for the care of this age group have led to serious challenges for the new generation of physicians.
I had been provided the “Brian Chapman Scholarship” to attend the prestigious course in historic Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh this May. I would like to thank the college and Dr Dorothy Chapman for providing me this scholarship.
Right from the pick up from the airport to the last session of the course, the organizers left no stone unturned to make my stay in Edinburgh a comfortable and memorable one. The accommodation in the college was excellent. All the topics of the five-day course were up to date, informative, interactive and delivered by world class speakers. The topics discussed were very practical and related to the problems we face in daily clinical practice. I met delegates from all around the world, especially from Australia, Sweden, UK and Canada. We had very good interactions during the lectures and during the lunch and tea breaks, sharing our experiences and problems. A medical history tour led by Dr Smith and a course dinner with the delegates and speakers covered the social aspect of the course which will stay in the memory for long.
This course is not just for geriatricians. The topics and discussions were very useful to internists and General Practitioners as well and I highly recommend this to everyone. Overall, this has been an excellent course and I took back home a lot of knowledge about the care and treatment of the older adult as well as wonderful memories of my dream visit to the historic city of Edinburgh."
Dr Nhio Matambo - 2016 winner
"I’m currently working as a senior registrar in general internal medicine at Harare central hospital in Zimbabwe. We have an increasing number of elderly patients coming into our hospitals every day and face challenges in terms of managing this important group of patients, especially the frail elderly. I am really grateful to the College having helped me to attend such an important course. I really enjoyed this very informative and educative course and would recommend it to anyone looking to add to their knowledge in the field of medicine of the elderly. The programme was awesome, with excellent, world class speakers who did not disappoint. I had an opportunity to meet with the great speakers who are experts in their fields and also to meet with doctors from across the globe. I’ve made friends with doctors from Australia, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Canada, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia, just to mention a few. I also had the opportunity to stay at the beautiful College accommodation which I will recommend to anyone visiting Edinburgh. I do feel I've really benefited a lot from attending this course having come from a background where I had not received any training in medicine of the older adult. I can now confidently manage my patients using the cutting edge information provided during the well-planned course.
"Thanks to the College once again for organizing such a powerful course and also to Dr Dorothy Chapman for presenting me with the Brian Chapman award."
Dr Harriet Nankabirwa - 2015 winner
"I am a physician from Uganda where geriatric medicine is not developed both in the medical schools’ curricula and hospitals. We have no geriatricians in Uganda and most African countries, thus the older adults’ care is compromised.
"First of all, I would like to thank Brian Chapman Scholarship for giving me this great opportunity to attend the International course of medicine of the elderly. I would not have made it to Edinburgh without this generous support. I thank the course organisers for the prompt communication and excellent organisation. I had a very warm welcome right from the airport to the college and throughout my entire stay in Edinburgh. Thank you very much to the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh team.
"I was impressed by the interesting well-structured lectures and the practical sessions managed by experienced doctors. Each day had its own experience; I was also given an opportunity to make a case presentation from a resource-limited nation. This gave me an opportunity to meet and learn from other delegates whose medicine of the elderly is developed. The course covered all the geriatric syndromes or giants which mainly affect the older adults. This was a preamble to me of what I am most likely going to study as part of my future career development."
[1] Eligible countries as of April 2021:
Afghanistan, Angola, Algeria, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote D'Ivoire, Djibouti, El Salvador, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Arab Republic of Egypt, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea. Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Hondouras, India, Kenya, Kiribati, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Sri Lanka, Tajikstan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Bank and Gaza, Republic of Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.