Expert in remote rural medicine rose from a world of drugs and violence to the pinnacle of his profession

24 April 2024

A series of University of Central Lancashire free public lectures in Lancashire and Cumbria describe how Professor Stuart Maitland-Knibb turned his life around to become one of the country’s leading medical experts

Professor Stuart Maitland-Knibb is a world leading expert in delivering urgent care and emergency medicine in remote locations, however his journey to the top of his profession has been anything but straightforward.

Stuart is the Director of the University of Central Lancashire’s National Centre of Remote and Rural Medicine, based at its Westlakes Campus in Cumbria. As well as being a leading academic, he has also taken on prominent roles as a consultant helicopter emergency medic and a member of the UK search and rescue team. His long and varied medical career has taken him over land and sea to some of the world’s most challenging and hostile environments.

It’s a far cry from Stuart’s early life when he emerged from a broken home to struggle through a world of drugs and violence. He walked away from school with no qualifications after being expelled (and to this day he has no A Levels at all). His lowest point came when he found himself in the back of a police car after being arrested for a firearms offence.

You can now learn more about Stuart’s inspiring life story via a series of free public lectures organised by The University of Central Lancashire, taking place in Whitehaven, Burnley, and Preston.

West Cumbria: Monday 13 May between 6.30pm and 8.30pm at the Samuel Lindow Building, Moor Row, University of Central Lancashire’s Westlakes Campus, CA24 3JY.

Burnley: Tuesday 14 May between 6.30pm and 8.30pm at Victoria Mill, Trafalgar Street, University of Central Lancashire’s Burnley Campus, BB11 1RA.

Preston: Wednesday 15 May between 6.30pm and 8.30pm at Darwin Lecture Theatre, Darwin Building, University of Central Lancashire’s Preston Campus, PR1 2HE.

During the talks, Stuart will describe how he eventually turned his life around and rose to become one of the country’s leading medical experts. His insights will demonstrate why you should never accept, or be limited by, other people’s ideas of what is and isn’t possible for your own journey.

Doors will open at 6.30pm and refreshments will be available at all three events. The talks will take place between 7pm and 8pm and there will be a short Q&A session afterwards.

Open to anyone aged 14+. All attendees under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. It's important that each child under 16 is with someone over 18 for the whole event. This ensures their safety and compliance with our event guidelines. This event is ticket only, no admission on the door.