New scholarship to document Jewish medical contributions in Wales
A new postgraduate scholarship, the Goodwin Memorial Scholarship, has been launched to explore and record the achievements of Jewish medical practitioners in Wales. The initiative is jointly established by the University and the Jewish History Association of Wales and is funded through an endowment from the family of Gerald Goodwin, a refugee from Germany who practised as a dentist in the South Wales valleys.
The Jewish History Association was originally founded in 2017 as the Jewish History Association of South Wales, with the mission to uncover, preserve, and share the cultural heritage of Jewish communities. In 2025, the organisation expanded its scope across the nation and adopted its current name.
Professor Nathan Abrams from the School of Arts, Culture, and Language, who will supervise the research, highlighted the breadth of Jewish contributions to healthcare in Wales,
Traditionally, medicine has been regarded as a very Jewish profession, and in Wales we have had some highly distinguished practitioners. We think there are some fantastic stories to be told. But it isn’t just doctors, Welsh Jews have made huge contributions as dentists, psychologists, psychiatrists, pharmacists, nurses, and midwives, from the eighteenth century onwards.
Following a competitive selection process, Laura Henley-Harrison, postgraduate research student in Media has been awarded the scholarship. She said,
I am so grateful for this opportunity provided by the Goodwin family. Jewish medical history in Wales is currently an extremely under-researched topic, and I am looking forward to uncovering previously unknown stories. These will help build a fuller picture of Jewish contributions to medicine from their earliest history in Wales to the present day. Despite considerable barriers, such as restrictions that prevented Jews from entering universities to study medicine until 1893, Jewish practitioners have flourished here. I am excited to shed light on these important contributions.
This scholarship promises to bring forward untold narratives, enriching our understanding of Welsh history and the vital role Jewish communities have played in advancing healthcare.