What’s your background?
After my undergraduate medical training, which included an intercalated degree in pathology, I completed my general medical training at the two teaching hospitals in Leeds and then obtained a rotation to do my specialist training in rheumatology. As an SHO I spent one year working on an arc-funded project grant and while I was a registrar, I held an MRC Clinical Training Fellowship and gained my PhD. I don’t think I had a very typical career and before by SpR training, I took six months out to go travelling – away from what can sometimes seem like a medical treadmill – and against everybody’s advice. But I came back with a lot of perspective - and absolutely certain that academic rheumatology was the correct career choice for me.
What made you decide to have an Academy mentor?
To be honest, when I got the arc-AMS Fellowship, it came with the package, so I took up the offer. But I now see that it as a very positive thing.
How did your relationship with your mentor get started?
I had asked around a lot about who might be a good mentor and fortuitously, the person whose name was at the top of my list was at an arc Fellows meeting that I attended. The arc introduced us there, I asked him to be my mentor and fortunately he agreed. Then I arranged to go down to London to meet him and it continued from there.
How did you organise meetings and how often?
We met twice in my first year as a Clinician Scientist and then about twice more after that. We would arrange to meet when we knew we were going to be in the same place – if he came up to Leeds to give a talk for example. But we also emailed and talked on the phone. It was extremely helpful, when I was making important career decisions, to be able to phone up someone who was impartial and whose advise I respected.
