Medics Revue is one of the events marking the Christmas season calendar and for any of you who were part of similar shows in your student days, you will find that the entertainment that is on offer is a tradition that is alive and well. John Holloway and Kieron Broadhead (our new Executive Director of student experience) joined me for an evening full of energy, enthusiasm and dubious jokes. The parody of clinical teaching experience (hopefully reflecting the worst, not the majority, experience) illustrates how important it is to treat your students as fellow human beings if you prefer not to be singled out in the Medics Revue!
Another highlight for me this month was meeting Dr Jingy Alom, a recent graduate from Southampton who is now enjoying his FY1 year in Leicester. Jingy joined our BM6 widening participation course and graduated this summer. He give an inspirational talk about widening participation in Medicine at the Medical Schools Council meeting in the beautiful surroundings of Ditchley Park. Addressing the Deans of all the UK medical schools, his talk followed those of Prof Sir Terence Stephens (GMC) and Sir Robert Lechler (Academy of Medical Sciences) and I honestly thought that Jingy outshone them both by some margin.
Equality and Diversity in our workforce and student body is improving slowly but surely, medicine is again ahead of other faculties and schools in seeking an Athena Swan Gold award. We have made excellent progress with our Athena Swan Silver action plan and the team put together a compelling submission for the 29th November deadline. We will know the outcome next year. These applications are a gargantuan effort to pull together and particular thanks go to Professor Roxana Carare who has chaired the team, taking over from Nick Macklon, and Sunita Parhar who has been a key part of the writing and data gathering effort.
On the research front, it was splendid to note that the University of Southampton is now fifth amongst UK universities for research grant income awarded during the 2017-18 academic year – just above Oxford (source – Times Higher Education). Medicine and Engineering are the two most research intense faculties and take much of the credit for this success. Keep those applications flowing!
The UKRI future leaders scheme has seen its first round of applications and provides a promising option for our brightest and best early career researchers. The MRC noted that there were very few clinically qualified applicants and are encouraging more clinician scientists to consider applying to this scheme. Email resmed@soton.ac.uk for information about the large amount of support available for preparing fellowship applicants.
For NHS clinicians, a new MRC scheme Clinical Academic Research Partnerships is worth exploring – it provides a new flexible route for research-qualified NHS consultants to re-engage with research by joining forces to create a funding application with a research partner who has significant research funding for the duration of the partnership.
It has been a pleasure to welcome some of our newly promoted professors to give their inaugural lectures this term. Inaugural lectures are public lectures and is the only time in an academic’s career that they will be speaking to their parents, best friends, offspring, mentors, colleagues and anyone else who drops in. Balancing this, I have been delighted to support some of our retiring members of staff to become emeritus members of the University. I am delighted that they are keen to continue to give time and energy to support, encourage and mentor our rising stars. It is a very rewarding way to give back and help the next generation become our successful leaders of the future.
Despite the challenges of the rapidly changing external environment affecting Higher Education and despite the never-ending BREXIT misery, there really are still reasons to be optimistic. Southampton University (for all the recent changes and challenges) continues to be a supportive and collegiate place to work and particularly in Medicine. I want to thank every one of you for the part you each play in making the work environment as good as it can be for all those you work with despite all the current challenges. Thank you for all your efforts in teaching, in research and in leadership and congratulations for all the successes that your efforts bring (both big and small).
I wish you all a very happy Christmas and hope you can enjoy some well-earned rest and relaxation over the next week or so,
Diana
