David is a medical doctor training in Public Health. He is joining the Epidemiology group for a 12-month attachment.
Tell us a bit about yourself
I hail from the West Midlands, and graduated from Birmingham Medical School in 2008. I initially pursued a career in paediatric medicine, mostly based in the Midlands but with an enjoyable sojourn to Christchurch, New Zealand. In 2021, I heard the siren-song of Public Health which brought me to north-east Scotland. I completed an MPH at the University of Aberdeen in 2022, and have since been rattling around NHS Grampian whilst completing the Public Health training programme; I’ve worked on everything from sexual health to chronic pain, from frequent ED-attendance to health protection. Before joining the Epi group, I worked at Public Health Scotland in the Vaccination and Immunisation division. I now split my time between the Epi group and the Screening team at NHS Grampian.
What will you be investigating while you are in Aberdeen?
I’ll be working as part of an international collaboration on developing a shared definition of chronic pain for epidemiological studies.
Why did you choose Aberdeen?
I think Aberdeen chose me, rather than the other way around! I was offered a Public Health training post in Grampian whilst living in Derbyshire; after a quick google of “where is Grampian?”, I jumped at the chance and haven’t looked back. Interestingly, my father very nearly came to Aberdeen to do his PhD many moons ago; maybe this was always meant to be!
Are you involved in any other research?
I’m currently co-authoring a systematic review of LGBTQ+ education for healthcare professionals.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I’m an enthusiastic cook, Munro-botherer and chess-player; I’ll leave assessment of my aptitude to others! Otherwise, my wife and I have a toddler with a remarkable capacity for absorbing our free time.