Announcements
The Price of Life - What are We Worth & Who Decides?
with Jenny Kleeman, Journalist, Author Editor
Thursday 12th February 2026 | 6:30 pm
Lecture Theatre, Audrey Emerton Building, Royal Sussex County Hospital, Eastern Road, Brighton, BN2 5BE
We say that life is priceless, but the cost of saving a life, creating a life or compensating for a life taken is routinely calculated and put into practice. In a world in love with data, it is possible to run a cost-benefit analysis on anything – including life itself. For philanthropists, judges, criminals, healthcare providers and government ministers, it’s just part of the job. Exploring the final frontier in monetization, Jenny Kleeman asks what we lose and what we gain by leaving the judgments that really matter up to cold, hard logic.
In 2025, Jenny won the Orwell Prize for journalism. She writes long form magazine pieces for the Guardian, the Financial Times Magazine and the Sunday Times Magazine. A regular voice on BBC Radio 4, Jenny writes and presents the documentary series The Gift, and has reported for BBC One's Panorama and Channel 4's Dispatches, as well as making 13 films from across the globe for Channel 4's Unreported World. Her first book, Sex Robots & Vegan Meat, was published in 2020 and has been translated into eleven languages. Her second book The Price of Life, was published in 2024.
Our 2026 programme is now available on our website via this link Programme 2026. Please save the dates in your diary. We encourage you to attend the meeting in person to take full advantage of the direct interaction opportunities that are especially valuable in the digital era. However, if you are only able to join remotely via the livestream, where interaction is limited, please provide your contacts using this link: https://forms.office.com/e/rJBj2tgNAf.
The Price of Life - What are We Worth & Who Decides?
Sense and Serendipity: Reflections on a Career in Medicine
with Professor Malcolm Reed, Emeritus Professor of Surgical Oncology, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Consultant Surgeon, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, Chair of the Medical Schools Council Assessment, Honorary Professor of Medicine, University of St Andrews
Thursday 8th January 2026 | 6:30 pm
Lecture Theatre, Audrey Emerton Building, Royal Sussex County Hospital, Eastern Road, Brighton, BN2 5BE
🎉 Join us for the upcoming Presidential Address delivered by Professor Malcolm Reed, our newly elected President of Med-Chi. Professor Reed will give us his reflections on a career in medicine through ‘Sense & Serendipity’.
Professor Reed was educated in Birmingham and qualified in medicine including an intercalated BMedSci in breast cancer at the University of Sheffield in 1981. He underwent surgical training in Birmingham, Derby and Bristol before spending two years in the United States undertaking an MD in cancer research.
In 1988 Malcolm returned to Sheffield to undertake higher surgical training and was appointed Consultant and Senior Lecturer in 1992. He was appointed to the Foundation Chair in Surgical Oncology at the University of Sheffield in 2000. Subsequent roles included Head of Academic Surgery, Head of the University Department of Oncology and a number of national roles including President of the British Association of Surgical Oncology.
In 2014 Malcolm was recruited as Dean of Brighton & Sussex Medical School and was elected Chair of Medical Schools Council 2019-22.
Sense and Serendipity: Reflections on a Career in Medicine
8 Jan | Presidential Address
Sense and Serendipity: Reflections on a Career in Medicine
Professor Malcolm Reed
Emeritus Professor of Surgical Oncology, Brighton & Sussex Medical School
Consultant Surgeon, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
Chair of the Medical Schools Council Assessment
Honorary Professor of Medicine, University of St Andrews
| 12 Feb | Jenny Kleeman | Journalist, Author, Editor |
| 5 Mar | Professor Benedict Rogers | Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Royal College of Surgeons of England |
| 7 May | Professor Kamila Hawthorne | Chair of Council, Royal College of General Practitioners |
| 4 Jun | Dr Chris van Tulleken | Associate Professor Global Health and Infection, UCL |
| 10 Sept | Professor Nigel Leigh | Brighton & Sussex Medical School |
| 1 Oct | Professor Martin Griffiths CBE | Clinical Director for Violence Reduction at NHS London |
| 5 Nov | Professor Claire Smith | Professor of Anatomy, BSMS |
| 3 Dec | Dr Peter Prinsley | Member of Parliament, Bury St Edmunds & Stowmarket |
2026 Programme (Updated Dates)
About Us
The Brighton and Sussex Medico-Chirurgical Society (“Med-Chi”, pronounced “med-ki” to rhyme with sky) was founded in 1847 as a forum for medical professionals to meet, learn and socialise. Today our function is similar but more inclusive. Membership is open to practising or retired medical practitioners, allied healthcare professionals, pharmacists or individuals whose interests align with the objects of the Society.
Our meeting programme is always diverse and typically includes topics such as the following: clinical medicine and surgery, public health, global health, medical humanities, history of medicine, medical ethics, personal experience and talks by experts in specific fields. Meetings normally take place face-to-face and are delivered live online. Please note that attendees under the age of eighteen must be accompanied by a responsible adult. For reasons of fire safety, all attendees are required to sign a register before entering the lecture hall. Staff/students at the Royal Sussex County Hospital and Brighton and Sussex Medical School do not need to book a seat in the lecture hall. These are offered on a first come first served basis.
We are one of the oldest medico-chirurgical societies in England and strive to preserve this important tradition. New members are always welcome. (see ‘Join’ link at top of page)
