This month I talk portfolio careers (via multiple fellowships) with Dr Hannah Baird. Hannah is currently an ST5 in Emergency Medicine in the North West region but has spent the majority of her ST programme combining a part time fellowship with a part time clinical role – whilst staying within the ST training programme. Last year Hannah completed the  FMLM National Medical Directors Fellowship and is currently working LTFT in this role within the Education team at the  GMC alongside her LTFT clinical training. She has a keen interest in medical leadership and medical education having recently completed a Masters in Medical Leadership at Lancaster University and a Medical Education Fellowship with Health Education North West. She is currently Vice-Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Trainee Committee and sits on both the Emergency Medicine Trainees Committee and the QI committee. She is passionate about Quality Improvement, having previously completed a QI fellowship and set up regional QI training programme for junior colleagues: TIPSQI. Hannah and I discuss the wonderful opportunities fellowships offer, and how to combine these within a training programme.  

This month we join Dr Matt Wilkes, an anaesthetist living in the Scottish Highlands, and specialising in remote medicine and human performance in extreme environments. Matt’s  background is in anaesthesia, but now divides his time between industry, research and clinical care having left ‘formal’ training in 2016 after recognising the impact of shift work on his well-being. After leaving training, he integrated his passion for paragliding into a PhD – exploring the physiology, behaviour and ergonomics in pilot safety. He has continued his work in expedition medicine, is founding director for Adventure Medic Magazine, and is now Head of Clinical Research at Current Health, focusing on the development and clinical implementation their remote monitoring platform.

This episode we talk to Dr Kevin Fong, a Consultant Anaesthetist at UCLH with a passion for human space exploration and space medicine. Following a degree in Astrophysics and then Medicine, he spent his elective exploring Space Medicine, a catalyst for his future career. Kevin has continued to pursue work within this sector, as well as undertaking a number of unusual, but fascinating, fellowships as he progressed his anaesthetic career. In addition to his role as a consultant Anaesthetist, Kevin is Professor of Public Engagement and Innovation at UCL, a Pre-Hospital Care consultant with Kent, Surrey, Sussex Air Ambulance, an honorary senior lecturer in physiology at UCL, and National Clinical Advisor in Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response.