Dermatology, management and policy

I have always enjoyed a blend of clinical and academic work. In medical school, I was involved in a Cochrane review and was fortunate to win several research awards. The ASFP appealed to me as it provided me protected time to pursue my research interests and to broaden my skills in other areas, such as teaching and leadership. 

I am eager to pursue dermatology as a specialty and the Oxford ASFP granted me the opportunity to do a dermatology rotation, where I found dedicated mentors. They opened many doors for me. I had the chance to create Trust-wide dermatology prescribing guidelines with Dr Rubeta Matin that won a QIP (quality improvement project) prize. Additionally, I am currently working with Dr Tess McPherson on several adolescent psycho-dermatology projects which can help reshape our clinical pathways. 

I have always been interested in teaching and the ASFP has also afforded me opportunities in this area. I organised national teaching sessions for the Prescribing Safety Assessment, a mandatory national exam that all final year medical students must pass. I received a fully funded opportunity to present my work at the Medical Education Leaders UK conference. I have also been able to publish and present my research from medical school. 

Finally, I attended several educational courses including ‘Management in Medicine’ (Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management Accreditation) with the University of Oxford, Green Templeton College. 

The ASFP opened many doors to take my academic interests to the next level. I have gained so many opportunities which I have never thought possible and met many dedicated mentors whom I respect and enjoy working with. Having the ASFP name also adds additional credibility to your work, and I would highly encourage anyone keen to apply!

I would also say that it is crucial that you are organised and disciplined with your time. You are still expected to complete the same clinical commitments as your peers. You will also find yourself working outside of your academic time due to the nature of research. 

The Oxford ASFP is one of the few programmes which provide their trainees flexibility on the selection of their research projects and autonomy on how they use the time to pursue their academic interests.

OUCAGs also provides regular networking opportunities to gain insights from leaders in their field. The programme offers funding for a plethora of courses run by the University and a small study budget which can be used in addition to your NHS study budget to present at conferences.

Of course, Oxford itself is a lovely place to live in and you even get access to the beautiful libraries! 

I have recently obtained ethics approval for work with Dr Tess McPherson. I will continue to work on this beyond the ASFP, whilst I pursue my Internal Medical Training within the OUH NHS Trust.

May 2024