AFFILIATE MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
September 2023
Education Details Plastic Surgery Higher Specialist training, St James Hospital 2023; Core Surgical Training, St James Hospital 2021-2022; Academic Track Internship, Beaumont Hospital 2020; Mature Entry Medicine, RCSI 2020; Post-Doctoral Research, Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC 2015; HRB scholar PhD in translational medicine, RCSI 2013; BSc Biochemistry UCD 2009
What is your motivation for pursuing a career in surgery? I knew from early in my medical training that I wanted to pursue a career in surgery. I am the first doctor in my family so I didn’t have many outside influences. I was free to choose whatever speciality I wanted. My PhD training had involved a neurosurgical mouse model and I was trained to perform the surgeries by a neurosurgeon. That was my first taste of operating. At its simplest level I enjoyed the practical nature, working with my hands and seeing the immediate post-surgical results. As I progressed through medical school and core training I found the goal orientated nature of surgical training suited me. I enjoyed being able to track my progress and new skills gained in the operating room. Seeking out and meeting so many like-minded individuals amongst my surgical peers cemented my decision at each stage of my training. A few key milestones during my education and training helped guide the speciality I would apply for HST. During medical school, RCSI facilitated surgical electives and sub-internships in both Washington University and Johns Hopkins. In my third year I spent a month in WashU Neurosurgery department conducting research and shadowing the team. The following year, I was selected to complete my sub-internship in Plastic Surgery in Johns Hopkins. Both these training experiences highlighted my passion for surgery and my drive to pursue a career in plastic surgery. I was very fortunate to achieve a place on the RCSI stream Academic Internship in Beaumont during my intern year. This allowed me to complete three surgical rotations within the year and a dedicated research project in Breast Cancer with Prof Arnie Hill and Prof Leonie Young. During this project I was awarded SPARK funding for a breast cancer booklet which was disseminated in the new Breast Cancer Centre. The ability to combine research with surgical training under the guidance of experts in their field has been a catalyst during my later years.