A Medical Life

Dr Mary Hepburn OBE FRCOG. Mary led an innovative service for  women in Glasgow for more than 25 years. The initiatives she put in place are now a recognised way of treating socially disadvantaged mothers-to-be in the UK and overseas. The daughter of a GP in Shetland, Mary had a fantastic childhood before moving to the more class entrenched hills of Perthshire. She studied medicine in Edinburgh, worked in the Republic of Ireland before returning to Scotland to deliver care to marginalised women in Glasgow. Needless to say, Mary has shaken a few apples from the tree in her career but has always prioritised providing care for her patients and their children. Now retired from clinical work, Mary continues to present, teach and travel to combat inequalities in healthcare. You may have Lesley Riddoch's profile and summary of Mary's work in her book 'Blossom".  

I was very pleased to welcome my first guest into the pod in Leith for this week's episode.  Listen to my fascinating discussion with Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Rajan Darjee.   We discuss Raj's career path, his interest in the macabre, the management of psychopaths, ethics of forensic psychiatry, the relevance of empathy & remorse in the justice system and Peter Sutcliffe amongst other things.  Raj is a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in Scotland, an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer in Forensic Psychiatry at the University of Edinburgh, a Clinical Lead with the NHS Scotland Forensic Network and an Accredited Risk Assessor with the Risk Management Authority. He has worked in a number of forensic mental health and criminal justice settings including secure hospitals, prisons and the community. Raj is a national expert on mentally disordered offenders, sexual offenders and risk assessment and has undertaken research and published on topics including mental health law, mental illness and violence, sexual offending and risk assessment. He has prepared reports and given evidence in a number of criminal cases. As such, we touch on  potentially disturbing subject matter in this podcast.

In April 2017 Doctors Ted Welman and Jack Faulkner are planning to leave from Geraldton, Western Australia on their 84 day expedition to Port Louis, Mauritius as they aim to become the fastest pair to make the 3600 mile journey! The boys will spend nearly 3 months at sea as they burn 8000 calories per day rowing in 2 hour shifts, 24 hours a day for the duration of the crossing. This gruelling schedule will see them battle sleep deprivation, hurricane force winds and 50 ft waves. In doing so, they hope to raise £100,000 for Médecins Sans Frontières, a global medical charity which provides much needed emergency medical care in areas affected by conflict, epidemics or natural disasters. In this podcast, they discuss their careers to date, MSF, motivations, plans for the longest chess game ever and the important role medics can play in drawing attention to important issues. Check out their project on their website Doctors Adrift  Good luck guys! If you are interested in sharing in A Medical Life's development see https://www.patreon.com/amedicallife  And don't forget to rate the show on iTunes!

Meet Zack and Marie-Claire 2 young UK doctors, reinventing medical education. We spoke the day after trump's election - sound quality issues I blame on his election. HippocraTV is a youtube channel that combines high quality videos, animation and pop culture references to produce short films widely appreciated by medical students the world over. Check it out at HippocraTV I can recommend the Taylor Swift video. 

Dr Munjed Al-Muderis is a pioneering orthopaedic surgeon with a special interest in osseointegration -  defined as "the structural linkage made at the contact point where human bone and the surface of a synthetic, often titanium-based implant meet." Through his surgery Munjed changes the lives of amputees - including wounded UK, USA and Australian veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Munjed, a child of the Iraqi elite, fled Iraq during Saddam's reign as a young doctor. He sought asylum in Australia via a horrendous boat journey, only to be detained for 10 months in Curtain Detention Centre in Australia as detainee 982.  Munjed is now a leading human rights activist and surgeon in Australia. He is a high profile example of the benefits refugees bring to a society where the major political parties inflame the immigration/refugee debate and continue to detain men, women and children asylum seekers. In this podcast, Munjed opens up about penetrating the 'old boys network' of surgery in Australia, The Terminator and the importance of his medical and human rights work. http://www.osseointegrationaustralia.com.au/    http://www.almuderis.com.au/

Dr Tia Renouf is an Emergency Medicine Physician who has practised medicine in some incredible environments. Remote Newfoundland, Antarctic, Central Australia and Haiti are just some of these places. Dr Renouf talks about the challenges in communication between remote physicians and their metropolitan colleagues, indigenous health in north america and going against established thought.

Dr. Simon Quilty is a General and Acute Care physician based at Katherine Hospital in remote Northern Territory. I talk to him via Skype. He is the only specialist in a region of almost 400 thousand square km, servicing some of the most remote communities in the world. With research interests broadly around the issues of equity and sustainability, the remote context of indigenous health in which he works provides ample opportunities to explore how new technologies can improve access to health, and how remote hospitals can better meet the needs of the people that they serve. In conjunction with Rural Doctors Association of Australia, he is involved with the Remote North Australian Hospital Doctors Network, is an honorary research fellow of Menzies School of Health Research, and works with James Cook and Flinders Universities to introduce medical students and junior doctors to the unique riches of the Katherine Hospital and to encourage them to embrace careers in remote health. Photo by Andrew Quilty, Photojournalist - check out his work here. Music: Silent Partner - Parasail | youtu.be/yCxqwXhozI8 | provided by CopyrightFreeNetwork 

Dr Freer is an American expert in remote and extreme medicine. In 2003 she set up the first medical clinic at Everest Base Camp in the Himalayas. An Emergency Medicine Physician, Dr Freer has always been drawn to the mountains and has combined her two passions with thrilling effect whilst continuing to help improve healthcare in Nepal. As seen in the documentary series "Everest ER", CBS News 60 Minutes and in Oprah. Check out their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/EverestERNepal/ Medical education, medicine, health. Music: Silent Partner - Parasail | youtu.be/yCxqwXhozI8 | provided by CopyrightFreeNetwork.