RUMS Review Vol.II No.I The Global Health Issue by RUMSReview

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Nasal bone Sphenoid bone, ala minor Sphenoid bone, ala major

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Zygomatic bone Piriform aperture Ethmoid bone, perpendicular plate

Infraorbital foramen

Middle nasal concha

Temporomandibular joint

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Inferior nasal concha Vomer

Teeth

Maxilla

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Mandible

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Sternoclavicular joint Acromioclavicular joint

Scapula

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C7 vertebral body T1 vertebral body

Clavicle

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Glenohumeral joint

1st rib

Coracoid process

Acromion

Lesser tubercle

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Greater tubercle

Intertubercular sulcus Manubrium

Costal cartilage

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Deltoid tuberosity

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Arm

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Xiphoid process

T12 vertebral body

Lateral epicondyle Capitulum

12th rib

L1 vertebral body

Humeroulnar joint Humeroradial joint

Body, sternum

Elbow joint

Trochlea Medial epicondyle

Costal process

Intervertebral disk

Condyle of humerus

Head of radius

Coronoid process

Proximal radioulnar joint

Iliac crest Ulna Sacroiliac joint

L5 vertebral body

Forearm Radius

Promontory, sacrum

Iliac fossa

Ilium

Sacrum

Anterior superior iliac spine Anterior inferior iliac spine

Coccyx

Pubis Head of femur Distal radioulnar joint Pisiform Carpal bones

Head of ulna Styloid process of radius

Trochanter major Intertrochanteric line

1st metacarpal

Neck of femur

2nd metacarpal

Trochanter minor Metacarpal bones

Obturator foramen

Hand

Ischial tuberosity

Pubic symphysis

Pubic tubercle

1st proximal phalanx

Ischium

1st distal phalanx 2nd proximal phalanx

Fingers

2nd middle phalanx 2nd distal phalanx

Body of femur

Femur Femur

Knee joint

Femoropatellar joint Femorotibial joint Lateral femoral condyle

Patella Medial epicondyle Medial femoral condyle

Lateral tibial condyle

Medial tibial condyle

Head of fibula

Tibial tuberosity

Radiocarpal joint Midcarpal joint

Editorials A Note From The Editors RUMS MSA President Foreword The Director’s Medical School Update RUMS Reports

RUMS Review, The UCL Medical School Student Magazine. Vol.II No.I Autumn Term 2016

4 5 6 8

News The Latest From In & Around UCLMS Interview with Dame Sally Davies

10 15

Out of Hours Scott Rice

Editor-in-Chief: Rebecca Mackenzie

Research

Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Beth Gillies

UCLMS Young Researchers Research Roundup International Edition

Treasurer: Carol Chan

Max Pemberton

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Alumnus Interview 22

Articles

Chief Sub Editor: Rebecca Kells

Ethical Procurement For Health AIDS: A Thing of the Past Drugs, Sex & Gender: Why One Prescription Doesn’t Fit All Barriers to Healthcare For Refugees & Migrants Living In the UK

Sub Editors: Emily Hall, Rachel Parker News Editors: Anamika Kunnumpurath, Emma Lewin, Jerry Su

Humans of UCLMS

Articles Editors: Melika Moghim, Ian Tan

RUMS Welfare

Rhea Saksena

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Demystifying Medical School 35

Comment & Correspondence Zika: The Olympic Aftermath

Research Editors: Richard Bartlett, Eng O-Charoenrat, Magda Tchorek-Bentall

Careers Global Health Special

Book Reviews

Alumnus Interview Editors: Bill Boucher, Charlotte Leigh, Adesh Sundaresan

Fresher Book Guide

Sports & Societies A Word From the Sports & Societies VP Roundup Freshers of The Year - Where Are They Now?

Sports & Societies Editor: Ollie Totham

47 48 56

COMEDY COLUMN COMEDY COLUMN COMEDY COLUMN

The “Alternative” Book Review

Book Review Editor: Katie Hodgkinson

Careers Editor: Izabella Smolicz Email: rums-review@ucl.ac.uk Website: www.rumsreview.co.uk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rumsreview Twitter: @UCLRUMSReview

Comment & Correspondence Editor: Kirtana Vallabhaneni Artwork & Cover: Karim Chraihi Layout: Rebecca Mackenzie

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors, and do not reflect those of the editors, UCL Medical School or RUMS Medical Students’ Association.

Vol.II No.I

Editorials

Welcome A note from the editors... Bet h

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ello and a warm welcome back from everyone here on the RUMS Review team! Our first issue of the new academic year is always an exciting one; the arrival of a brand new cohort of freshers and the feeling of seniority that comes with having moved up a year creates an atmosphere filled with anticipation.

sures us by explaining the wonderful work done at the Doctors of TheWorld Clinic in London. Camilla Massardi updates us on the current AIDS campaign which aims to halt the current epidemic, and Issy Good makes the case for why sex and gender should be taken into account during medical research.To conclude our global health articles, Usama Hussain delves into the issue of ethical procurement of medical equipment and how each and every one of us can make a difference.

This year we are continuing with our themed issues, the first of which is global health. Global health encompasses many research facets focusing on macroscopic issues within medicine around the world. Considering both the high impact nature of the field and UCL’s impressive presence within it, we certainly didn’t struggle to find some notable contributions.

New to our list of features are: Humans of UCLMS which showcases the fascinating lives of medical students, starting with Rhea Saksena’s exciting and inspirational medical journey to date; a Careers section aimed at helping medical students plan for the future; and a brand new Comedy Column which should help to liven up those long days in LT1!

First off, our RUMS president welcomes back students after the summer break, while Professor Deborah Gill updates us on the latest UCLMS and staff news. We also hear from our brand new RUMS committee, who remind us of their manifestos and introduce themselves in more detail - we’ll be talking with them again at the end of the year to see how they got on.

Demystifying Medical School investigates the newly revamped RUMS welfare system, and we spark discussion in our Comment & Correspondence section over the recent Zika virus media hype surrounding the Rio Olympic Games. Finally, we conclude with our classic Sports & Societies Roundup. With even more sports and societies added to our list of updates, you’re sure to get a comprehensive overview. Freshers - If you’re struggling to choose what to get involved in, this will be the section for you each and every club will be vying for your attention! Our Sports and Societies Editor, Ollie Totham, also brings a new feature to the section: Freshers of the Year - Where are They Now? If like him, you’ve ever been left asking this question, this too is the section for you - it’s an insightful read.

We then move onto our News section which features an exciting interview with Dame Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer for England.We were both delighted and honoured to talk with her at this year’s MBBS graduation and enjoyed learning about her pivotal role in public health. Out of Hours gets to know Scott Rice, Research focuses on young research talents at UCLMS and has an international round up special, and our Alumnus Interview features Dr Max Pemberton - journalist, psychiatrist and author of the book series nearly all of us read before medical school: Trust Me I’m a Junior Doctor. The team thoroughly enjoyed meeting Max and it’s a shame we couldn’t publish the interview in its entirety!

We would like to thank all of our contributors, sponsors and staff at UCL who have helped make this issue possible, but we would like to say a special thank you to our new editorial team. They have worked tirelessly over the summer to produce an issue jam-packed with new features, and it’s been a pleasure to work with them.

Nazanin Rassa enlightens us on the difficulties faced by the most vulnerable members of society to access basic health care, but partly reas-

RUMS Review

Editorials

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Welcome back! I hope you have all enjoyed the summer break and are looking forward to the coming year. It’s great to see that an issue of the RUMS Review is now an essential part of every term, and this is testament to how well it has integrated into the RUMS community. I consider us lucky to have the hardworking army of students who put together this magazine, and the medical school’s continued support for it. As always, the RUMS committee have been working hard over summer to ensure this year is even better than the last. We have a calendar packed with events and opportunities to look forward to, from old favourites (Can sports ball get even bigger?) to some new surprises that I am sure will go down a treat! I’m also looking forward to seeing the fruits of a strengthened RUMS committee, with the introduction of a Publicity Officer, and closer relationships between the Medical Society, Surgical Society and RUMS.

Our main focuses this year will be assessing and improving the welfare services available to medical students, and improving the access to RUMS as a whole. In this way we can ensure we are supporting students who are most in need, and continue to stay relevant to the student body. It is inevitable that there will be some challenges in the year ahead, but looking at the strength of the committee you have elected, and in light of the unity you as students have shown last year through the junior doctor negotiations, I am certain we will be capable of handling them. If you have any suggestions or queries, please do get in touch - otherwise I look forward to seeing you in the coming year! Raj Pradhan RUMS President, 2016-17 MBBS Year 4

Vol.II No.I

Editorials others: whether that be the fantastic RUMS network, the peer assisted learning scheme (now in its 15th year of operation), the student support team or just those members of staff who go the extra mile to ensure students have the best possible experience and thrive at UCLMS. I am proud to lead this huge family and hope our staff, students and graduates feel they can tell me how to keep this specialness going and how we can make the UCLMS experience better. Below are some snippets of news from the staff, students, graduates and friends of UCLMS over the last few months and an indication of some national issues that affect UCLMS. I hope you find them interesting.

Celebrating Excellent Teachers UCLMS has some great and committed teachers and supporters of the student learning experience and there are a number of ways in which this is recognised. The Top Teacher and Top Administrator Awards are voted annually by students. This year saw the following individuals singled out for their contribution:

The Director’s Medical School Update S

eptember is a busy month at UCLMS. We welcome back students for the new academic year, we meet our new first years ready to begin their UCL journey, and we hear from our very recent graduates as they settle into and thrive in their new roles as UCL Doctors. We also run the first Medical School Open Day of the year and begin to ramp up our outreach and widening participation activities

RUMS Review

for potential new students.

the present, shaping the future: these are all very UCL themes and are attributes I see every day in UCLMS students, graduates and UCLMS faculty and staff. It is also what we talk about at Open Day when we try to identify potential new members of the UCLMS family. I use the term “family” purposefully because the other pervasive theme that runs through how UCLMS people operate is an attempt to support and nurture

This is a time when we think about what makes UCLMS special and why studying medicine at UCL is such a privilege. If you were to summarise this “specialness” it boils down to one major theme: UCLMS is special because of the people who work and learn here. UCL people are a very particular sort of people. Disruptive thinking, challenging

• Dr Nicholas Herodotou (Year one, Foundations of Health and Medical Practice) • Ms Tina Nyazika (Year four IOM) • Mrs Catherine Phillips (Year four IOM) • Dr Jonathan Cartledge (Year five Module A) • Miss Melissa Whitten(Year five Module A) • Dr Jayne Kavanagh (Year one SSC and CPP) • Mrs Deirdre Wallace (Year one SSC) • Dr Nadir Chowdhury (CPP) • Mr Khalil Rawat (CPP) • Dr Susan Snoxall (CPP) • Dr Julie Andrews (Year four Module C) • Miss Eibhlin Mullarney (Top Administrator) • Miss Sarah Smith (Top Administrator) • Miss Stephanie Woods (Top Administrator)

Editorials

We also have an annual round of Excellence in Medical Education Awards. The awards are open to individuals and teams involved in undergraduate medical education and aim to recognise outstanding commitment to students and education. A panel of staff, students and previous winners review the applications and evidence put forward and this year the following worthy winners were presented with their awards at our Graduation Ceremony in July: Individual Winners • Mr Adrian O’Gorman – Consultant in Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery, Whittington Health NHS • Mr Sudhanshu Chitale – Consultant Urological Surgeon, Whittington Health NHS • Ms Amanda Band – Clinical & Professional Practice Tutor, UCL Medical School • Dr Neelanjana Mukhopadhaya – Consultant and Undergraduate Specialty Lead in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Luton & Dunstable University Hospital Team Winners • Medical Education Centre – Barnet Hospital, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust • Directorate of Undergraduate Education – Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust • The Year Six team – UCL Medical School

The 2015-16 Winners of Excellence in Medical Education Awards at

difficulty, but this fund is limited, is often restricted in use due to the nature of the bequest, and does not always make a substantial difference to the ability of the student to complete the programme. In the context of the launch of the UCL campaign and the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) focus on widening access there has never been a better time to think about raising money for student hardship funds and reviewing how we might allocate funds. UCLMS together with the RUMS Alumni have set up a student hardship working group to look at ways of generating and maintaining a substantial endowment that can be used to support students struggling financially. This group is exploring a number of funding streams such as donations, bequests regular giving by alumni and income from some of the consultancy activity that UCLMS undertakes. Great fundraising ideas or offers of support from current and past staff and students are very welcome. Please contact deanne.attreed@ucl. ac.uk for more information.

the Graduation Ceremony Finally this year one of our UCLMS teachers was a recipient of one of the Provost’s Teaching Awards. These prestigious awards recognise and reward staff who are making outstanding contributions to the learning experience of UCL students. Dr Faye Gishen, the MBBS Lead for Clinical and Professional Practice was presented with an award by the Provost in recognition of her innovative work focused on improving teaching and engage students as well as teaching colleagues.

Staff News Dr Sarah Bennett, our deputy lead for year six of the MBBS, has now taken over the role of Admissions Tutor. Sarah has the great role of looking after students at two key transitions in their lives: from school to university and from university to work. Sarah is herself a graduate of UCLMS and so is passionate about this new role. She is always looking for students to take part in Open Days, widening access activities and admissions interviews so do contact her: sarah.bennett@ucl.ac.uk.

Faye recently introduced Schwartz Rounds to the curriculum, making us just the second medical school in the world to have these. A truly deserving winner of this award – congratulations Faye!

Student Hardship

UCLMS aims to develop our students holistically and Dr Rumana Lasker’s sewing skills were clearly developed in the clinical skills suturing sessions! Rumana, one of our graduates who recently rejoined us as a clinical teaching fellow, does however credit the medical school with some of her development that led to her place in the Great British Sewing Bee this summer: she did an SSC in her final year

Studying medicine is tough. To do so if you are struggling financially can seem impossible. At UCLMS we would like to reach a position whereby the financial situation of medical students is not a barrier to their successful progress and ability to thrive during the MBBS programme. The medical school has a small student hardship fund to support students in financial

that challenged her to do something she had put off whilst studying, and her first major sewing success was the dress she wore to graduation! We all watched Rumana with great enthusiasm until she was sadly defeated in the quarter finals. http:// www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/ profiles/3vgjMBs4xmkDYH2tkG25rQd/rumana What a great advert for UCLMS and for the all round wonderfulness of junior doctors in particular.

Scanning the Horizon The medical education landscape continues to change on an almost monthly basis. The forthcoming Brexit and the staffing crisis in the NHS will mean the government will need to take a long hard look at how many doctors we train in the UK and how we keep them working in the NHS. The GMC plans for a national medical licensing assessment (MLA) are moving on at a steady pace, and have not been derailed by Brexit, with the exam likely to impact on students entering medical school this year. Universities are beginning to get more details on how the TEF scores will be calculated. There has never been a more exciting, and more unsettling, time to be involved in delivering medical education.We will of course keep all students informed about how these national policy changes will impact on them and will work with the RUMS and BMA student reps to ensure the student voice is heard in discussions and decisions. Wishing you all a fun, productive and inspiring new academic year.

Deborah Gill, Director, UCLMS Follow us on twitter @doctordeborah @UCL_MBBS

Vol.II No.I

R e p or ts RUMS

Hi! My name is Carol, and I am the RUMS Vice President (VP) academic representative for years one-three. With the introduction of summative OCAPE (Objective Clinical and Practical Examinations) in year two, this is going to be a big year for the pre-clins and for the medical school. I wish to work closely with Professor Lionel Ginsberg and the faculty to integrate more mocks, especially during the CIF weeks. In terms of academics, student representatives will be introduced at the start of the modules so that students can approach them with any concerns and issues at any time. Such information will be relayed during the specific module meetings and the teaching sub-committee meetings. Termly updates of the medical school’s response and progress will also be made available for students. To ensure that third year students continue to receive attention and support, I also intend to facilitate communication amongst the course leads, iBSc representatives (reps) and the medical school. Lastly, I will ensure that student voices are heard, especially in regards to the faulty audio-visual system in Lecture Theatre one, as well as concerns over the inconsistency and quality of the personal tutor scheme. We all have a unique privilege and responsibility to enhance our academic experience at UCL. I am looking forward to securing transparency and efficiency from a medical school that we are proud to be a part of.

Hello, I’m Sophie and I’m the RUMS Publicity Officer (PO). RUMS PO is a new position that will help to facilitate the roles of other committee members, allowing them to focus more on their direct tasks by reducing the work burden of publicity. Following my year at RUMS Review, I wished to seek out a new challenge, yet hoped to be able to continue contributing to the RUMS community. Thus, when the opportunity to take on this brand new task was presented to me, I was very eager to do so. As RUMS Publicity Officer, I will largely oversee RUMS’s online presence. I will be responsible for the social media changes, and will also be spending significant amounts of time updating the RUMS website, turning it into a widely used medium and informative resource. Additionally, I will be available to committee members and societies to advise and aid their publicity needs. I am excited about the multitude of new challenges and skills that the role will present to me, as well as to be more involved with the inner workings of RUMS. Overall, my main hope as Publicity Officer is to be able to showcase the talent, work, and exciting changes within RUMS to an even wider audience.

A new academic year brings with it a new RUMS Committee. With each successive year building on the achievements of their predecessors, we can’t wait to see what 2016/17 brings and wish them luck in their endeavours. Here’s what they’re hoping for this year.

RUMS Reports

My name is James Shuttleworth, I am the new Sports and Societies VP and am just starting my fourth year in medical school. For the coming academic year, I will look to continue the good work of my predecessor, Andy Webb, as well as to build on the values of different groups within the medical school community. We are all part of RUMS from the moment we begin our studies at UCL, but much of the identity we acquire during our time here is based around the activities, sports teams and societies we join and contribute to. As ever, we look to increase inclusivity within these groups and support the incoming freshers in what can be a stressful (but incredibly fun) first year. We are more than just teams, groups, societies and friends. We serve as a network to maximise the enjoyment and experience of our time in university. We aim to support those who need assistance, and to continue time honoured events, beginning with freshers’ fayre in late September and leading through to Christmas with Bill Smiths and UH sports night being highlights. Last year’s sports ball was the biggest we have ever had, and hopefully will be of a similar size next year! I am really looking forward to representing RUMS in the coming year, addressing problems that I have experienced during my time at university and maintaining the importance of RUMS Sports & Societies, as well as introducing exciting new activities – see you all next year!

Hi I’m Tay, a fifth year medical student at UCL and next year I’m looking forward to being your RUMS VP Academic representative years threesix! For those who don’t know what my job is: I am basically a bridge between the medical school’s teaching (both the curriculum and its facilities) and our expectations and concerns. If you have an issue with how something is taught or an idea as to how to improve things, let me know and I’ll see what we can do. We’re very fortunate to have a medical school that actually values and acts on students’ opinions. But it’s a two way street. My plans for next year are to build on the amazing work carried out by the legend that is Ravi Mistry (last year’s Y four-six VP) (*props*). I want to try to improve the timetables - a known thorn in every clinical med student’s side. I also hope to ensure more equitable teaching between the many sites of UCL. All of my plans are contingent on getting lots of feedback from students in order to make an informed and convincing argument for change. I hope, together, we can continue advancing clinical teaching at UCL.

Hi, I’m Nadia, a third year medic and the RUMS Welfare VP for the coming year. Welfare is a really important yet often neglected part of university life, and I’m sure everyone has their opinions as to how it should be approached at UCL. As the new welfare officer this year my main goals are to increase accessibility and transparency for students looking for guidance. The welfare team and I hope to achieve this through the promotion of Becki Clarke’s Medics4medics (name soon to be changed) and through participation in UCL’s taboo week with our own little spin and section. We aim for this to be be done before Easter revision to give information on social taboos such as mental health, exam stress alleviation and advice. Another aspect that I want to introduce this year, which UCL are trying to improve on the whole, is a feedback survey for all students on how they currently find the welfare system in RUMS. This should allow us to identify the main problems people have and work towards fixing the issues that students are currently facing. I’m looking forward to a really positive year and hope to make some auspicious and long-standing changes.

Hello! I’m Nabil, I’m a third year and I’m the new RUMS Finance and Operations VP. My main jobs are to liaise with UCLU, oversee and organise RUMS’s sponsorships and expenditures, and to make sure we are maintaining a healthy budget. The “operations” part of my role is basically to make sure things are running smoothly with events and other RUMS activities, which will be helped this year by our new position of RUMS Publicity Officer. I’m already loving this role as it allows me to interact with all areas and aspects of the RUMS committee and RUMS as a whole. My aims for next year are simple: I want to increase RUMS’s funding and resources to ensure that it is financially stable and will consistently be able to provide amazing events, excellent welfare and be a truly inclusive union that we can continue to be proud of.

Hello, I’m Ozzy and I am your RUMS VP for Events. For me, the best part of my role is getting to meet and party with a range of people from across the years at RUMS. My mantra for this coming year is work hard and play harder! Creating events that are unforgettable, for the right reasons, and ensuring good value for money are my top priorities. I am committed to continuing much loved events like our pub crawl in fresher’s fortnight and our first RUMS dine with me. I also look forward to introducing new events into our social calendar such as a “halfway-ball” after iBSc graduation. I am aware that from fresher’s fortnight to finalists’ ball, the events within RUMS have the potential to be some of the best that we ever have. I am dedicated to ensuring that this year they definitely will be.

News

By Emma Lewin (EL), Jerry Su (JS) and Anamika Kunnumpurath (AK)

The latest from in and around UCL Medical School

University College London Hospital celebrated its pioneering research at their annual open day in June. The free event at UCLH featured around 50 stalls, each showcasing research. Attendees could take part in tours of the hospital as well as a prize draw. An excellent opportunity to meet with and interact with clinicians and researchers, the event was a resounding success! AK

New RUMS Clubs and Societies

Ankit Bhatt Wins #loveUCL Instagram Competition

ourth year medical student and MDs director Ankit Bhatt has won the #loveUCL Instagram competition 2015/16. The competition saw over 800 different photographs over the course of 28 weeks, with Ankit’s submission claiming the final weekly winner’s spot and ultimately the top prize of a £100 Amazon voucher. His winning shot – a black-and-white still from inside the Bloomsbury Theatre – was taken the morning of one of his exams as part of a year-long daily photography project. Speaking to RUMS Review, Ankit said: “During the voting process I was mesmerised by the initial frontrunner. It was a splendid cat, and I truly hope to meet this cat some day and tell him or her that, in my eyes, they are truly the winner. Honestly though, it really came right down to the wire so I really am grateful for every single vote”. When asked as to what he would be spending his prize on, Ankit replied: “It will be making a small contribution towards the new camera I want to get, so I can waste away even more of my time at medical school doing anything but medicine. (That’s normal though, right?)” We feel you, Ankit. Congratulations! By Jerry Su

RUMS Review

UCLH Annual Research Open Event

Three exciting new clubs are to be introduced this year, adding to the ever-expanding extra-curricular options available to RUMS medics. First of all, RUMS mixed basketball is a hotly anticipated addition to the sports catalogue. Set up by Elle Wilson and Derek Effiom, the club will begin with casual training, with league matches to follow in the future. This year, a Contemporary Choir group is also being set up within RUMS Music. A friendly, non-auditioned group, they are focused on singing contemporary music and are always open to new ideas. They meet once a week to rehearse and hope to perform in hospitals and concerts throughout the year. The group would love to hear from you if you’re interested - drop them an email at RUMSMusic@live.ucl.ac.uk. Finally, UCLU Leadership and Management Society will bring some exciting events to the calendar for the coming year, including workshops and a conference. The society has a medical stream, focussing on medical and clinical leadership, so get involved if you think you can become a future leader! EL, AK

News

A Memorable Night at the RUMS Summer Ball On the 11th of June, students gathered to celebrate the closing of another year at the much anticipated RUMS Summer Ball. The UCL quad marquee opened its doors to the smartly dressed revellers and warmly welcomed them to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” themed evening of food and dance. The night commenced with a wonderful ceilidh, which saw the guests linking arms, kicking off their heels and rolling up their sleeves to really get in the spirit of the dance. After the ceilidh the hungry guests enjoyed their fill of delicious freshly cooked mezze and burgers before returning to the dance floor for yet another round. The DJ was on hand to fill the air with the latest hits and had the crowd burning up the dance floor late into the night. As the guests wandered home, there is no doubt that they felt the “Midsummer’s Night’s Dream” had ended too soon. A big thank you to Francesca Cackett and everyone else involved in making the evening a success!

Medics Cycle from London to Istanbul for Charity This summer Dominic Blauth-Muszkowski, Fred Vivian and Henry Hill put their own spin on the classic summer European interrail. They cycled from London to Istanbul to raise money for Medicins Sans Frontieres. Clearly putting their RUMS athleticism to good use, they cycled over 2000 miles in six weeks through France, Austria, Croatia and Bulgaria. As can be expected from such a long trip, they had to overcome many obstacles, including searing heat, language barriers and steep, uphill routes. All this makes their accomplishment even more impressive. If you are also in awe of their journey, you can still donate via their JustGiving page: justgiving.com/ fundraising/LDN-IST. EL

By Anamika Kunnumpurath

Exam Results As many students have experienced, this year’s exam results were received much later than the anticipated release time set by the Medical School, with some received over an hour later than the time stated initially. This particularly affected fifth year and pre-clinical students. RUMS President Raj Pradhan has been in contact with Professor Gill who stated: “The process of releasing results does start on time at this end (indeed often a little early) but the size of the files and the mail merge process means they are released in 50 student batches over the course of about 10-20 minutes and then they sit in the ether somewhere”.Therefore, it would seem that this delay is due to an issue with the systems used, rather than any administrative error. One possible solution would be to provide a timeframe within which students will receive their results, it has been suggested. Raj has said that anyone with suggestions or queries regarding this issue is welcome to contact him. By Emma Lewin

SuperNova Student: tackling stress during revision

Royal Free Team Success at the British Transplant Games

Fifth year medical student and former Vice-President of UCLU Men’s Basketball team Kurren Sandu has produced a series of online videos that aim to help people cope with stress whilst studying for exams. Kurren created the video series in collaboration with Sophie Tully, a nutrition scientist and health coach from the UCLU elite athlete programme, and developed the methods described in his videos during his fourth year at UCL. Linking good health to an improved performance in exams, Kurren’s self-tested methods employ a combination of proper nutrition, exercise, and scientifically-proven study techniques. In an interview with UCL Student News, Kurren said, “I hope these videos will help UCL students reduce their stress levels, improve their health and wellbeing as well as their exam results.”

At the end of July, a team of former Royal Free transplant patients attended the British Transplant Games in Liverpool. These games aim to encourage transplant patients to regain fitness, celebrating their recovery. They are also a means of “increasing public awareness of the need for more people to join the NHS Organ Donation Register and discuss their wishes with their families”. Another important purpose is to thank donors and their families for the “gift of life”. Incredibly, the nine RF competitors won 28 medals between them! With 15 gold, nine silver and four bronze medals, the games can certainly be deemed a huge success. This fantastic result is a testament to the strength, determination, hard-work and skill of the Royal Free team members. Congratulations to all who took part, we look forward to similar successes in 2017! EL

By Jerry Su

Vol.II No.I

News

New BMA Representative Appointed Alex Maidwell-Smith has been elected as the UCL BMA representative for the BMA Student Committee 2016/17. As a BMA Student Representative, he will represent the views of UCL students during meetings at BMA House. The Medical Students Committee aims to provide students with an input in shaping BMA policy. Speaking about his role and aims, Alex has stated that he hopes to “bring more visibility to the role” and to inform UCLMS students on any new clinical developments involving the BMA, including the Junior Doctor Contracts and Medical Licensing Assessment. We would like to congratulate Alex on his appointment to the role. EL

UC L Medical School Change Day

Alex Maidwell-Smith

n the 8th of June, UCLMS medical students and staff collaborated with the Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) team to host UCL Medical School Change Day. Based on the national NHS Change Day, the event looked at how medical students could improve patient care. It was quickly identified that patients felt empowered when involved in the training of medical students, and therefore the theme of the day became “#DesignMyDoctor”. Through a series of talks and opportunities at each of UCLMS’s teaching hospitals for patients and staff to share their experiences, the day became a successful and dynamic learning experience. The lessons learnt will be used to further guide medical education at UCLMS. For a full article on the event by By Haleema Chowdhury and Sabina Shamsad, please visit www.rumsreview.co.uk.

BRC Releases UCLH Research Videos Online The UCL Biomedical Research Centre has released a short series of YouTube videos featuring the works of three of their leading researchers. The videos are hosted by Dr Kevin Fong, a consultant at UCLH wellknown for his research into space medicine and Christmas lectures on the topic. Dr Fong introduces the guests – Professor Emma Morris, Dr Jeremy Chataway and Professor Seb Ourselin – in their respective videos, where they talk about their most recent and ground-breaking areas of study, as well as the possible implications their findings may have on patient treatment and

RUMS Review

quality of care. Crafted with the general public as the audience in mind, the videos are short, informative, and employ minimal technical detail in explaining the underlying medical sciences involved. Speaking shortly after the release of the videos, BRC director and UCLH research director Professor Bryan Williams expressed belief in their importance, saying: “They tell great stories that convey the relevance of the researchers’ work and what motivates them”. The videos may be found and watched online on the UCLH Youtube channel. JS

New UCLH Chief Executive Professor Marcel Levi has been appointed the new chief executive of UCLH, following the retirement of Sir Robert Naylor. Professor Levi, a practising consultant physician, specialising in haemostasis and thrombosis, who also leads a research programme, will take up the post in January 2017. An experienced leader, he was Chairman of the Executive Board of the Academic Medical Centre at the University of Amsterdam, with a list of impressive credentials and achievements, the position at UCLH has surely been passed into safe hands. EL

News

Notice for Students

The Royal Free Association:

Professor Deborah Gill Wins Provost’s Spirit of Enterprise Award Professor Deborah Gill, Director of UCL Medical School, was awarded the UCL Provost’s Spirit of Enterprise Award at this year’s Awards for Entrepreneurship event. A celebration of the entrepreneurial achievements of both students and staff at UCL, the 2016 ceremony took place on the Bloomsbury campus with Provost Professor Michael Arthur present to bestow several awards on the deserving winners. The Spirit of Enterprise Award recognises an individual within the UCL community who has demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit in expanding the university’s global reach, particularly in delivering research expertise and strengthening its international partnerships. Professor Gill has been a longstanding figure in the UCL Medical School Education Consultancy (MSEC). Through her role as one of its lead consultants, she has been instrumental in steering the unit to a global stage. Professor Gill has been pivotal in inspiring collaboration between medical educators across the globe. Her recent international projects include tailored medical education teaching sessions for visiting doctors from Ningbo University in China to supporting the establishment of healthcare-related educational facilities at New Giza University in Egypt. We would like to congratulate Professor Gill and her team at MSEC on this wonderful achievement and wish them the very best for their future endeavours. By Anamika Kunnumpurath

he Royal Free Association, which comprises the Royal Free Old Students’ Association, members of the school, consultant members of staff and medical personnel connected with the Hampstead site, has a number of opportunities open to RUMS students: Royal Free Association Student Distress Fund Members of the Royal Free Association support a student distress fund, which provides help to students who have difficulty paying for their studies. Each year, up to six bursaries of £500 can be awarded. To apply for the fund please download our student distress fund form (http://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/files.royalfree. nhs.uk/RF_Association/Application_form_-_Distress_ Fund.pdf), and send completed forms to Alison Crook in medical school administration at a.crook@ucl.ac.uk. Royal Free Association Student Elective Support In addition to the student distress fund, the Royal Free Association also supports five student electives each year, with two bursaries of £1,000 each and three of £500 each. These are allocated by the Elective Bursary Committee and application forms can be requested from Molly Lavender-Rose in medical school administration at m.lavender-rose@ucl.ac.uk. Clinical Day on Thursday 17th of November 2016 The clinical day is an annual one-day meeting held on the day of the Marsden Lecture, the third Thursday of November. The Programme comprises items of medical and non-medical interest with the Peter Scheuer Symposium on a selected topic during the afternoon. We would very much welcome members of RUMS to attend the Clinical Day, which will be CPD accredited. The day will be followed by an informal dinner and, again, we would be delighted if RUMS members would like to join us for this occasion. The Programme for the day, details and registration forms will be available at the end of September on our website www.royalfree.nhs.uk/rfa or by emailing Peter Howden: peter.howden1@gmail.com.

UCLMS Welcomes Ningbo Medical School Senior Educators UCL Medical School has been helping Ningbo Medical School in China to provide a modern, integrated MBBS experience for it’s students. To achieve this, the Dean and I agree that changing the approach of the teachers is the first, most important step. This is best learnt through experience and so senior educators from Ningbo Medical School come and join us twice a year and immerse themselves in our medical school. We are expecting our sixth cohort of doctors from Ningbo University in October for a threemonth professional development programme. Their objectives are to observe teaching in the medical school, talk to staff and students about their experience, and gain as broad an experience as possible of medical education here. We hope we can again ask for your support in welcoming them to any lectures or teaching sessions where you encounter them. The last group really appreciated the help they received from students and very much enjoyed their time here so thanks to all those who met them, and to those of you who will meet the next group! Professor Deborah Gill, Director, UCL Medical School

Vol.II No.I

News

MDs at Edinburgh Fringe Festival

he MDs Comedy Revue returned to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the second year in a row, putting on yet another sell-out show at theSpace on the Mile Theatre from the 15th to the 20th of August. The Curious Case of the Doc on the Night Shift was well-received, consistently playing to full houses that even included the occasional MD alumnus. Brimming with lively wit and classic medical humour, the show particularly played to the MDs strength in musical comedy, putting on re-lyricised numbers from the likes of Chicago and Les Miserables, and the most recent Broadway show-stopper Hamilton. Putting down yet another successful year at the Edinburgh Fringe to their name, the MDs are set to be in strong standing once again, with the annual Christmas Show to look forward to in November. JS

Fifth Year Show

iBSc Graduation: Class of 2016

The end of a long summer brought with it the start of another year of medical school and the much-anticipated Integrated Bsc (iBSc) graduation ceremony. On the 7th September, our fourth year medical students gathered to celebrate the passing of three years in medical school and the momentous occasion of comFeaturing unbelievably talented writing and pleting their iBSc. some gifted actors, last year’s Fifth Year Show The afternoon commenced with the students was housed once again in the Peter Samuel arriving at Senate House to collect their robes Hall at the Royal Free Hospital on the 4th of and mortar boards, before heading to the UCL June. In Her Majesty’s Secret Cervix promised an quad where many happy photos were taken evening of good fun with our beloved soon- with fellow graduands and beaming memto-be finalists and did not disappoint. Sketches, bers of family. Shortly after the photo sessongs and dances were aplenty at the James sion, students and guests were invited to take Bond themed show, as were heckles and their seats in Bedford Square Garden where shouts of support from the audience at the the main ceremony was about to take place. Vice Provost (Health) Professor David Lomas sold-out venue. In a brief interview with RUMS Review, Fifth opened the ceremony, and a fleet of students Year show cast member and MDs veteran took to the stage one by one, to be presented Xander Gurnee described his experience as graduands by Faculty Tutor Dr Brenda working on the annual event: “The show was great, of course, but I’d say the best part was working with everyone in the cast and production team,” he said. “Being in the MDs, I think it’s easy to forget that most of us haven’t done something like this before, and it was honestly fantastic to see everyone so enthusiastic about pitching their ideas and working so hard to bring it all to fruition.” JS

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Cross. The occasion was a bittersweet one as it was announced that Dr Cross would be retiring after 38 years of dedicated service to UCLMS and that this would be the last time she would be presenting the graduands at the annual event. The students were met with rapturous applause as they walked the red carpet and there was a perceptible sense of pride in the audience as family and friends looked on to witness the transformation of the students into official graduands of UCL. A special mention goes to Rebecca Jeyaraj, a student of the Clinical Sciences iBSc, who was awarded the Faculty Medal as the best performing individual in the talented cohort. We wish all the students hearty congratulations and wish them every success in the next three years of their medical degree. We would also like to wish Dr Cross all the best for the future - we will miss you very much. AK

Interview: Dame Sally Davies

Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer for England, speaks to Alumnus Interview Editor Bill Boucher about her career, brexit, and improving access to medical services at this year’s graduation. BB: What has been your experience of being the first female Chief Medical Officer and do you have any advice for female medical students or doctors aspiring to leadership roles? SD: It wasn’t at all what I expected. I thought it was going to be hidden in an office giving advice, and there’s a lot of advice to government, to the different departments about health broadly - particularly public health and global health, but actually there’s also this role of talking to the public, and communicating policies with the public.

BB: Your path into public health was not straight forward, having trained in haematology. How would you advise doctors who wish to explore career options different from their chosen speciality? SD: I think it’s become more typical to tram line your career ambitions. I actually did a couple of years out [of medicine] and came back into paediatrics, then went into haematology and now I do public health. But I learnt

that even in my four years out [of medicine] I’d contributed to work and success in this role. So I would advise people, women included, to have the confidence to try things, to take time out, to do what they want to do, to enjoy the journey. It isn’t about where you are going to get to. Are you enjoying the journey? Are you doing something you believe is right?

educated on recognising the signs of domestic abuse. Why is this an important issue and how can medical schools be encouraged to cover this topic? DS: I think it’s not just for medical students, I think society needs to recognise that there is a lot of gender bias surrounding abuse. But actually women abuse men too, and if we aren’t sensitive to it and we don’t pick it up, we don’t notice it, we don’t look for it, and then we can’t support these people, and we cant ensure that the abuse is actually stopped. A lot about that is self confidence and also signposting to social services and I want medical students - who are normally very observant - to just add that to their list of things that they’re triggering, thinking about.

BB: There’s an elephant in the room – Brexit. How will it affect the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) and what do you think the way forward is? SD: I come from a European family, I’m married to a Dutch man. Clearly I’m personally grieving for where we are, but it gives us great opportunities and we have to use those opportunities of partnerships and collaborations elsewhere. But the important thing will be to make sure that when we leave, that we continue to collaborate and we’ll find our way through this. I think the language of science and research is international and I have no doubt it will continue to go from strength to strength.

BB: You mentioned in an interview with the BBC that what initially attracted you to public health were your concerns over inequalities black patients with sickle cell anaemia experienced in the NHS. Do you think there is less

BB: In December 2015 you called for medical students to be better 15

inequality in the NHS today and what more can be done? SD: We probably need to be much more progressive in reaching out to people who find it difficult to access services. We also need progress to improve services in poor areas and to minimise those health inequalities. We need to actually bring them down - to not just a moderate level in the middle, I mean really bringing up the bottom to meet the top, and that’s difficult. But each and every one of us has a role to play.

BB: What advice do you have for medical students who are graduating today? SD: I’m terrifically honoured to be here at graduation today. So, welcome to those who are joining the medical profession! I think it’s a wonderful profession where there is a home for any interest you may have. If you don’t like talking to people and do physics with radiology, you always have a home, but remember that whatever you do, do it driven by values, driven by confidence and driven by teamwork. But above all, enjoy it! It’s fun!

Vol.II No.I

News

Sea Hero Quest for Dementia collected without interrupting gameplay, by tracking the location of the player within the game twice a second to trace their chosen path. At the end of each gameplay session, the data is anonymised and sent to a database where it is securely stored. Players can also choose to send personal information, such as age, sex and location, to give a more complete and detailed result. Collecting data on spatial navigation is extremely important for dementia research as a loss of spatial awareness and orientation can be one of the early signs of the conditions responsible. Therefore, it is recognised as an important stage in the development of more effective diagnostic tools for these diseases. The mobile app format also adds to its effectiveness as a research tool; it means that the data can be gathered many times more quickly compared to in a lab - according to Deutsche Telekom, it is estimated that two minutes of game play is worth five hours of lab research. Moreover, the game is available globally for anyone to download, allowing for a large amount of data to be collected from a wide range of people, which will create a more accurate picture of human navigational ability. All this is extremely impressive, especially since, when it comes to dementia and its research, there is not an abundance of volunteers and time is not on our side. With 135 million people expected to be living with dementia by 2050, resourceful, imaginative and modern ideas such as this are exactly what is required to tackle the growing threat. The game is free and available on iOS and Android, so why not download it and have fun while contributing to dementia research at the same time?

As the need for a treatment and early diagnosis of dementia becomes an urgent issue, the need for creative minds and innovative research techniques to learn more about the conditions is ever more present. This is where a collaboration between Deutsche Telecom, University College London, University of East Anglia and Alzheimer’s Research comes in. Together with game developers Glitchers they have created a new mobile game, Sea Hero Quest, which will collect the “largest ever crowd-sourced global benchmark” (or standard reference point) of data on the role of the brain in 3D spatial navigation in humans unaffected by dementia. The game follows the story of a sailor as he starts his sea adventure and allows the player to move freely around the constructed world. It has four levels, in which players will have to use their navigation skills in different ways, to allow data on the many aspects of navigation and spatial exploration to be collected. The first level, “navigational levels”, asks the player to move through a maze from one point to another, analysing the role the brain plays and the decisions involved in navigating us through space. Another level is used to analyse how well people can trace back their starting point, while the third type of level analyses a more complex type of navigation, with checkpoints along the route between two points. Data is not collected from the final level, which was created to add to the narrative and involves battling legendary sea creatures. Alongside Deutsche Telekom and Alzheimer’s Research, UCL also has two important roles in this research; Dr Hugo Spiers, from the UCL Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, played an integral part in the development of the game, providing important scientific insight, and UCL is leading the analysis of all the data collected. The data is

By Emma Lewin

Scott Rice

Scott Rice is an NIHR Academic Fellow and honorary Clinical Lecturer at the UCL Centre for Medical Imaging. He is a higher trainee within the London Specialty School of Clinical Radiology on the University College Hospitals programme, and has also previously undertaken training at Harvard University and University of California, San Francisco. Pre-clinical students know him as one of the cooler ‘blue coats’ in the anatomy lab, lecturer and a SSC course lead. 11

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wayward rugby teams and university bureaucracy you are well placed for a future in the modern NHS!

Tell us about your career: what did you study and where, what have been the highlights of your career, how did you get to UCL?

After completing my house jobs and working in dentistry for a few years I went back to study medicine at Bart’s and the London with a view to following a career in Maxillofacial Surgery. Going back as a graduate student was quite a different experience and I think has helped me understand some of the challenges our mature students have. With a keen interest in education, I then went to the UL Institute of Education and got a MA in Clinical Education.

I originally studied dentistry at King’s College, London. I had a great time down at the “Strand Polytechnic”, during which I was heavily involved in student politics and took a few sabbatical years - I was Kings College London Student Union (KCLSU) President and then reached the dizzy heights of University of London Union (ULU) President, which was a member of the National Union of Students (NUS) National Executive Council (NEC). In those days ULU was the biggest students’ union in Europe with over 170,000 students and included the University of London (UL) Institute in Paris. It was a crazy few years but I loved every minute. If you can deal with unhappy students,

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I did my foundation training at Guy’s and St Thomas’ which was fantastic and included a placement in a phase I clinical trials centre. Then, whilst doing vascular surgery at St Thomas’, I worked increasingly with some amazing interventional radiologists and realised that radiology was more than sitting in a darkened room. From then I moved into radiology, joining UCL as an academic clinical fellow.

Out of Hours 11

Describe yourself in five words.

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Friendly, creative, ambitious, patient and generous. 11

What first sparked your interest in science and medicine?

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I remember as a child marvelling at whether dogs could understand us, and if they barked with frustration because they couldn’t talk! I found speech and expression fascinating. 11

What’s the best thing about working at UCL and in London?

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UCL is a great environment for learning and teaching. It is connected with some of the leading hospitals of the world and there are endless opportunities to collaborate with world experts. I have been given so many opportunities to explore my own interests while training. I don’t think you can get that in many other institutions. London is a megacity - I love being here: it’s global, creative, exceptionally cultured and loves eccentricity. 11

What are the best and worst things about teaching medical students?

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I’m a huge fan of the theatre and contemporary dance. I am an Ambassador for the National Theatre so you’re likely to find me there. 11

What are your guilty pleasures?

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Which one person has most changed the way you think about medicine and science?

What is your favourite way to relax after a long day at work?

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Cocktails. Mine’s an Old Fashioned please...

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The pressures come from being responsible to both the hospital and the university; juggling patients, research and teaching can get tricky. Being asked “do I need to know this for the exams” is always a low point! 12

There are so many great things about teaching medical students. It’s impossible to know where to start. I feel I learn more from tutorials than they do sometimes! The constant pace of medicine and sharing that with students is definitely a highlight for me, as is (hopefully) inspiring the wave of new doctors.

Lots - I think if you’ve got no ambitions left it’s time to stop.

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What are your greatest ambitions that you have left to fulfil?

Rosalind Franklin: I knew nothing of her until I went to King’s. Even then, I knew very little until a new building at King’s was named after her and I did some reading. I find it amazing that she too helped discover the DNA double helix but was never recognised for the Nobel Prize. It made me realise that even in the “altruistic” world of medicine, discrimination is still rife.

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What one piece of advice would you give to your students for their futures?

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You can still change the world, but don’t let compassion be beaten out of you.

Vol.II No.I

UCLMS Young Researchers Meet the medical students changing the face of research at UCL. When it comes to research, we hear on a daily basis about the breakthroughs being made by senior, established academics. We hear less about those just beginning their research odyssey – medical students, just like you and I, with a passion for scientific exploration. Medical research isn’t always glamorous, but in many ways it is definitely an attractive and worthwhile avenue to pursue. Here are three inquisitive UCL medical students, all with very different research backgrounds. Magda Tchorek-Bentall, Research Editor.

ration events, it made the learning aspect of the project very interactive and required you to be inquisitive and efficient with your contact time with the consultants. Do you have plans for future research - do you see yourself branching out into other fields, or do you think you have found your passion?

William Gao

ill completed his iBSc in Physiology this year, winning the International Physiology Undergraduates Research Award 2016 for his research project based at the Paediatric ENT department at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). The focus of Will’s project was the Microlaryngoscopy and Bronchoscopy (MLB) procedure, a gold-standard investigative technique for the diagnosis of airway pathologies in children — specifically of the larynx and bronchi. The technique is also used for the treatment of these pathologies, as it allows direct visualisation of the affected area, as well as access for surgical tools used in intervention. The procedure is unique as both the anaesthetist and the surgeon share the patient’s airway. This quirk can unfortunately result in the occurrence of oxygen desaturation (a PaO2 < 90 %), and, as with any method of ventilation or anaesthesia, it can be challenging to accommodate two interventions in the airway simultaneously. Will’s project aimed to investigate the nature of the oxygen desaturations in paediatric patients undergoing MLB, with a view to implement a new ventilatory technique that could address such complications: Transnasal Humidified Rapid-Insufflation Ventilatory Exchange (THRIVE). However, the technique is experimental, and so far it has only been employed in adult ENT patients. Implementation in paediatric practice aims to decrease the incidence and severity of oxygen desaturations during MLB and overcome problems arising from both the surgeon and anaesthetist sharing an airway. Your project was very clinically based. What were the challenges and benefits of conducting research in a clinical environment? Being able to talk with patients after two years of becoming overly familiar with LT1 was a much welcomed change. Being at the frontline in the operating theatre allows you to see real problems firsthand.This was an eye-opener for me, and gave me a sense of urgency to really want to improve current practice. The knowledge that our research could have a positive impact on a patient’s life was extremely rewarding. Nevertheless, the reality of the clinical environment is that it can also be emotionally draining, particularly when you see small children clutching to their toys as they frantically battle the anaesthetist from sedation. Only then does it truly hit home the severity of their conditions. The specificity of our work was also challenging. From a practical perspective, as paediatric MLB procedures are fairly rare, you have little control over increasing the sample size. This can be frustrating, especially when your friends are processing hundreds of files a day to collect data, but you are only getting on average four MLB patients a week. As there was no previous literature on paediatric MLB desatu-

To me, research is fascinating and the gateway to making change happen. This is especially true in a healthcare environment where a strong evidence-base is imperative. I have the pleasure of continuing the project with the great team at GOSH, and we are now moving on to the next phase which is a randomised controlled clinical trial in paediatric patients. We aim to directly compare current standard practice with THRIVE. I have thoroughly enjoyed research and will continue with it, but fundamentally, for me, as long as the work that I am doing has a meaningful impact and the potential to change lives, I’m happy!

Fergus O’Farrell

ergus enrolled in the MBPhD programme in 2011 and is currently in his final year of medical school. His PhD project explored the role of pericytes in controlling blood flow in the heart and brain, as well as the mechanism by which they work in these tissues. Fergus’s research aimed to investigate pericyte anatomy, surface marker expression, and their interaction with other cells composing each neurovascular unit. Using immunohistochemistry, he characterised pericytes in the murine cerebral cortex and cerebellum. They were found to be in contact with both astrocytes and microglia, contributing to evidence indicating the potential role of pericytes in blood-brain barrier surveillance and blood flow control. Pericytes were shown to extend processes around and along capillaries, thus enabling regulation of vessel diameter. Signalling pathways connecting local neuronal activity with changes in blood flow were also investigated. Noradrenaline released locally by neurones was found to induce pericyte constriction; nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 release, stimulated by glutamate release, were found to be dilatory. Further research has also provided evidence that pericytes are in fact the first to dilate when neuronal activity increases locally. This would appear to implicate them in the initiation of functional imaging signals, such as those detected by fMRI. Fergus has also been involved in studies investigating how pericyte death (due to ischaemia) may cause secondary damage after stroke. Simulation of ischaemic conditions has consistently showed pericyte-mediated vessel constriction and subsequent pericyte death. Death of pericytes contracted due to ischaemia-induced energy depletion produced prolonged vessel constriction, and therefore an irre-

versible increase in capillary bed pressure. This finding contributes to the explanation of why no-reflow can occur after ischaemic damage — a widely documented clinical phenomenon, where, despite re-establishing the patency of vessels following ischaemic stroke, ischaemia is not fully reversed. Most of your work focusses on the role of pericytes in regulating blood flow in the body. What interested you in this area of research? I have a long-standing interest in brain energy use and supply, which began when I learnt about the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal injury during ischaemia. I was therefore naturally drawn to study brain blood flow, given its relevance to stroke and other cerebrovascular pathologies. I have always maintained that in order to understand disorders of brain energy and it is pivotal that we understand healthy brain metabolism and blood flow regulation. Understanding the long-term effects of ischaemia-related pericyte constriction and death holds potentially exciting prospects for novel therapeutic strategies. Are we likely to see pericyte-targeting drugs in the clinic any time soon? We’re only just beginning to look into therapeutic avenues targeting pericytes in ischaemia-reperfusion. It’s an exciting time, particularly as there’s so much that’s still unknown. I’ve been very keen to examine the response of pericytes to drugs that are already in clinical use, since it is much easier to translate these therapies into new clinical contexts than to trial brand new therapies. What are your plans for the future - will you continue with your current theme of research, or is there some other area that you would like to explore? I’m still doing a little work in the lab during my final clinical year, but exams will soon take priority! At the moment, I’m particularly interested in the role of pericytes in coronary blood flow regulation and myocardial infarction. This interest has stemmed from the high prevalence of ischaemic heart disease and certain parallels between cerebral and myocardial ischaemia.We believe that pericytes constrict coronary capillaries early in myocardial infarction suggesting they might be a target for reperfusion therapy, as in stroke. I’m not sure what my future holds once I move on from medical school, but I’m fairly certain it will feature pericytes!

dam entered the UCL MBPhD programme in 2010 and, having successfully completed both his doctorate and medical school studies, he is now undertaking his first year of foundation training as a junior doctor. His research focusses on the genetic aspects of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), employing a number of different investigative techniques to understand the hereditary aspects of this group of debilitating disorders. Adam has co-authored papers that investigated Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis in the Ashkenazi Jewish population. Ashkenazi Jews as a group are subject to the founder effect — this is when a community is founded from a very small number of individuals from a larger population. This means genetic variation within the group is greatly reduced, and makes detection of rare disease-causing alleles easier than in the general population. This kind of cohort analysis can then be extrapolated to indicate pathways of broader significance within the wider population. In Adam’s studies, genome-wide association data was used to identify the genetic loci implicated in IBD. Most loci that were identified as contributing to disease risk were involved in the subtle regulation of gene expression, rather than protein-coding changes. These mainly related to immunotolerance pathways: MHC class II for ulcerative colitis and autophagy for Crohn’s. Exome sequencing and genetic association studies identified a frameshift mutation in the CSF2RB gene as being significantly correlated with Crohn’s. The findings suggested a possible dominant negative loss-of-function effect of the frameshift mutation, meaning that the altered gene product acts antagonistically to the wild-type product. In health, the gene codes for a component of the receptor for a number of cytokines, including GM-CSF - confirming the role of a malfunctioning immune system. Adam has also been involved in the development of a new genetic analysis technique - Combinatorial Conflicting Homozygosity (CCH). It allows for more effective identification of heterozygous genetic variants that cause dominantly inherited traits (e.g. the disease-linked locus in an autosomal dominant disease). Current techniques are considerably more time-consuming and computationally demanding. As such, CCH offers exciting new prospects in the field of genetics more generally. What are the difficulties of starting out in research? Often it is not the science itself but the politics of academia, competition and research governance that form the most frustrating barriers. Surmounting these challenges can be greatly facilitated by learning supervisors and through collaboration with colleagues. Your research is largely focused on using genetic investigation techniques to understand IBD. Why did you choose this approach? Genetics is a very exciting field that has progressed at an incredible pace over the last two decades or so, largely through the development of new technologies and computational methods. As a medic, genetics is an extremely powerful tool to provide important mechanistic insights into the pathogenesis of disease, with potential therapeutic implications. IBD is an archetypal “complex disease” (or group of diseases) thought to be caused by the combination of genetic and environmental factors. Studying the latter is extremely difficult. Whilst the genetics is not straightforward, it is possible to directly examine and to determine definitive and robust results. What’s next for you?

Adam Levine

I recently started as an FY1 on the Academic Foundation Programme in the North Central Thames Foundation School. I am continuing research in the genetics of inflammatory bowel disease and other complex diseases. As to the future, the potential for the integration of genetics into clinical medicine for risk prediction, diagnosis, prognostication and guiding therapeutics is huge and I hope to be able to contribute to this.

RESEARCH ROUNDUP ion t i d E l a on i t a n er t n I University College London is undoubtedly a global pioneer in the world of research, ranking consistently amongst the world’s leading academic institutions. The following six research initiatives highlight not only the global breadth of UCL’s commitment to research, but also the importance of international collaboration in allowing UCL to remain an elite driver of innovation. These six projects alone span over a dozen countries, with funding from major UK, EU, and international bodies exceeding £20 million pounds. With tens of thousands of participants recruited, it is not difficult to see the incredible impact that UCL has had in helping shape a better future for the global community.

RUMS Review

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Drugs Use Chronic Effects Project (ADDUCE) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders affecting children globally. Methylphenidate (MPH) is the most common medication used in ADHD, however, there is limited research into the long-term impact of MPH on child development. The ADDUCE project aims to investigate the long-term effects of MPH on cardiovascular, sexual, and neurological systems development in children. This research will be used to promote public health,inform future regulatory body decisions, and improve the safety of long-term methylphenidate use.

A Common Variant Near Tgfbr3 Is Associated With Primary Open Angle Glaucoma Primary open angle glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. Researchers have discovered a DNA nucleotide variant that shows a significant association with the pathogenesis of the disease; a dis-

covery that will help us better understand the pathogenesis of this condition.

Promoting Independence In Dementia Programme (PRIDE)

Novel Missense Mutations In The Glycine Receptor Beta Subunit Gene In Startle Disease

Hyperekplasia is a rare neonatal neurological disorder causing sudden startle reflexes and PRIDE, an international programme, was hypertonia. Missense mutations found on the established to deal with the specific issues glycine receptor-beta gene have shown a pofacing patients with dementia and their carers. tential mechanism of incomplete dominance. Dementia affects over 46 million people This is helping researchers to learn more worldwide and presents a unique set of socioabout the inheritance of this disease and its economic and psychological challenges. PRIDE various phenotypes. aims to address these issues by engaging with communities and integrating known literature Sparse Whole-Genome Sequencing with community-driven interventions. Identifies Two Loci For Major

Deferiprone Evaluation In Paediatrics Project (DEEP)

Iron chelators, such as deferiprone, are used for treating haemoglobinopathies such as thalassaemia. Deferiprone and its effects have until now been mainly studied in adult patients. The DEEP project aims to study the effects of deferiprone in paediatric patients and to produce an oral formulation suitable for paediatric use.

Depressive Disorder Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most significant mental illnesses worldwide. Using genetic analysis and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), two genetic loci have been found to contribute to the risk of developing MDD. This discovery helps shed light on the polygenic nature of MDD, and offers hope in identifying at-risk patients.

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Alumnus Interview

Max

Pemberton Max Pemberton personifies the doctor that all medical students hope to become and all patients want fighting in their corner. As well as working as a full-time psychiatrist in the NHS, he enjoys a diverse career in writing and the media, from Daily Mail columns to the bestselling Trust Me, I’m A Junior Doctor series. In this interview, he reflects on the progression of the medical profession, his personal motivations and his solutions to the most pressing issues currently facing the NHS.

RR: What is it like combining a writing career with medical practice? MP: I have my day job, come home, have dinner and then I will typically write until one or two am, unless I’m going out. I suppose on paper, it looks like I do over 100 hours a week, but I don’t experience it like that at all; I like doing it. I don’t have any kids, I don’t have a TV and my partner is a banker so he’s always working as well – everything fits into my life quite nicely. I have plenty of leisure time as well: I will go to the theatre, or go to the cinema, or go out for dinner or whatever. I don’t know what everyone else does!

RR: How did you branch out from newspaper articles to writing books? MP: It wasn’t planned in any way – nothing in my life is particularly planned! Hodder, a big publisher, contacted me and said, “Why don’t you write some books?” and it had never really occurred to me – I got a book deal and it sort of just happened. I’ve got this fantasy of being like Sarah Jessica Parker, sitting there in Sex and the City and looking out at a lovely urban vista, typing away and pondering about things while I drink coffee, but it’s not like that at all. It’s me sitting there really tired at three in the morning going, “f***, I only need another 200 words and then I can go to bed!” Having a book published is just like having a child. It’s absolute agony;

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they’re screaming and getting really angry and upset, and then the minute it’s out they’re like “oh my God, it’s amazing”, and then they do it all over again. It’s exactly the same with a book deal, I sit there going “I can’t believe I’ve done this, this is the worst thing ever”, phoning my agent crying, going “don’t ever let me sign another book deal” and then it comes out and I think, I really want another one. It’s ridiculous!

RR: In your books, how do you manage to combine your experiences with fiction whilst keeping the story realistic and emotional? MP: Most of the characters are composite characters made up of at least two different experiences - different patients - I’ve seen. The reality of being a doctor is you get snapshots of somebody’s life but the narrative arc isn’t actually there; you will see somebody in A&E and it’s this extraordinary experience, but there is no resolution to it once they’re wheeled away. There’s only so many times you can have a story that ends like that, there has to be some sort of resolution. When you’re back up on the ward you might see somebody who is similar but different and there is a resolution to their story so you put the two together and then you have a narrative arc. So in that sense, it’s true but it’s not in the way that you’ve presented it. It’s really funny because a lot of the books are based around events that happened quite a long time ago, so it has now become almost impossible to tell what’s real and what is not. My friends ask me: “Did that actually happen or was it just in your book?” - I can’t remember!

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Alumnus Interview RR: One of the first things they say at medical school is, “Be really careful about everything you say and everything you do.” Given that you are a strong advocate for freedom of speech, what do you think about where this balance lies? MP: You see, this gets me quite angry. Because actually, who are the medical school to tell you that? We have, for the last thousand years, been really carefully fighting and diligently campaigning for our right to express ourselves. I feel the same about the GMC.Who are you to tell me how I should and shouldn’t be behaving in my own living room, doing my own things? It’s constantly infiltrating, it’s really Orwellian. Being a doctor is not just about what you do at work, it’s about what you say on social media as well. We are more scrutinised and more regulated than any other profession in any part of the world. You’re entitled to your own freedom, your own free time and free space, and it really annoys me that the GMC is constantly making judgments about how people behave in their own private lives, it’s outrageous! It does a really important job, a vital job, but I do think that it’s also got this massive overinflated sense of itself. I understand the reasons why [the GMC] was started, but there is no evidence that any of this works. The reason it was set up was to try and stop abuse of power, to try and stop things like Harold Shipman. There is no evidence that the current system that we have in place would have stopped Harold Shipman at all.Then you get medical students referred for being drunk – it makes me really angry because its overreaching itself. In that sense the GMC is not fit for purpose, it doesn’t do what it is supposed to be doing.

RR: Why did you choose psychiatry? MP: That’s the only thing in my life that’s been quite focused. I applied to medical school with the intention of doing psychiatry. I had this extraordinary experience working in a really deprived area with people who had severe mental health problems: older people, lots with dementia who were very depressed, and so on. It was just this amazing experience and I thought, “this is what I want to do”. At the time, nobody in my family had been to university so it never occurred to me to be a doctor. This really inspirational woman called Anne Hughes single-handedly got me into medical school – she gave me work experience, and then gave me a job. She wrote to Brenda Cross [previous medical school Faculty Tutor] saying, “I’ve got this guy, he doesn’t come from a very conventional background and he’s got no clue but can you give him a place anyway?” A really bonkers letter. In my interview someone produced this letter and asked, “Did you know about this?” and of course, I was mortified, but it did work.

RR: How do you think the perception of mental health has changed over the years? MP: At my medical school interview, when I said, “I want to be a psychiatrist and work with patients who have got dementia”, one of the interview panel took his glasses off, leant over the desk and said, “But why?” That was a standard response: “If you have any ambition at all, you wouldn’t work with mad people or old people!” I actually think there have been loads of improvements – just in the last couple of years, we’ve seen this incredible shift in public opinion. It’s very bleak but I always think the answer to everything is celebrity – celebrities, from an anthropological perspective, have a really important function in society, being moral barometers and pointing people towards areas to focus on.

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Terry Pratchett for example, coming out and saying “I’ve got dementia and this is what it’s like”, being really open about it and saying actually, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. However, I think one of the big issues – particularly within medicine – is the way we still prioritise physical health over mental health. I repeatedly meet patients who tell me about really awful things GPs have said to them – unwitting statements, but they do say stuff like “well, can’t you just go for a run?” when they’re severely depressed, or “well can’t you just eat?” to anorexic patients. It’s like saying to somebody who’s got hip dysplasia, “well, can’t you just walk?” – it just doesn’t work like that! And there is still a sense that there are big pockets of prejudice and stigma in the medical profession, so the NHS has a responsibility to challenge that and ensure that it moves with that shift in public opinion.

RR: Do you think the protests over the new junior doctors’ contract have changed the public’s view of doctors? MP: Yes, I definitely think they have. The general public have this assumption that doctors are incredibly well-paid, whereas actually it’s really hard financially being a junior doctor – particularly in London. I feel really passionately about it, because I think what’s happened is going to significantly change the medical workforce and people’s healthcare, and as always, politicians just don’t care. With the new contracts, you’ll get an increasing elite going into medicine – which, I just can’t believe! After all of the efforts that everybody made in my generation to try and change things! When I was at

“Having a book published is just like having a child... I’m phoning my agent crying, going ‘don’t ever let me sign another book deal’, and then it comes out and I think, I really want another one. It’s ridiculous!”

Alumnus Interview

“Remember why you’re doing this. You are training in something that will give you an incredible insight into other people’s lives and it is an immeasurable privilege.” medical school, I think about 80% of UCL students came from public schools. An incredible amount of effort has been put into diversifying the medical workforce and now tuition fees and removal of the grant have totally ruined it! My real concern is that you’ll get a cohort of really homogenous doctors who are all from a relatively privileged background, and that doesn’t represent society. That diminishes the medical profession, and also people’s experience of medicine. My other concern is when you are in debt of £60,000, that is going to inform the decisions you make about your future career. A medical degree has now become commodified; we go into the workforce thinking, ‘I’ve got a value for my degree because I’ve paid for it, so I owe nothing to society.’ We would get exactly what happens in America: the people that don’t make ROAD (radiology, orthopaedics, anaesthetics and dermatology) – that’s what everybody goes for – have to pick a “lesser” subject; only then do you become a psychiatrist. You don’t get any people who think, ‘This is my passion, I want to change stuff,’ they’re just thinking, ‘where can I make the most money privately?’ and that’s really devastating! It makes me very, very sad when I listen now to junior doctors – despite being really worn down, they are so committed and so passionate. It makes you wonder, what will happen if that passion runs out?

NHS and stop all of this ridiculous tendering of contracts and competing for different services. There’s no evidence it works or improves quality, and all the evidence shows is that it’s a race to the bottom and causes money to haemorrhage out of the system. We also need to look very closely at the social contracts that we have with doctors and medical students and we have to accept that nursing, medicine and maybe a few other professions are of vital importance. Having a spread of different people from different backgrounds with different interests is absolutely key to enriching those professions, so we need to ensure that money and finances do not come into it. Medicine and nursing should be considered special and their students should not pay tuition fees. It becomes the taxpayer that funds their training and actually, it would take a really psychopathic person to turn around and say, “sod you, I’m going to go and work for McKinsey” at that point.

RR: What was your experience of medical school like? MP: Medical school was amazing. It changed my life and made me into a doctor. I’m really proud I went to UCL; it was the best choice I ever made. I have to say though, coming from my background it was tough – UCL was for the privileged and I didn’t really fit in. The person I really connected with was Ruby [who is also a close friend in Max’s books], whose parents were gypsies and equally came from a different background. I suppose the thing that was different for me was that I was out and gay. For the first couple of years, there were essentially three or four of us in the medical school – one happened to be Christian Jessen – but by the end there were quite a few. At the beginning it was tough. I had loads of friends, I did loads of stuff and I loved medical school but just from that one thing, I felt quite isolated. When you look at say, English or Art where there were loads of gay people, I did sit there thinking, this is a bit weird, I’m like the only gay in the village, the only gay in medicine! That’s partly the reason I did anthropology, to get away from the medical school environment. One of the big changes was at the end of the third year when lots of people from Oxford and Cambridge came for clinical; there were some gay people there and suddenly I wasn’t on my own.

RR: Do you have any advice for medical students starting in September? MP: Remember why you’re doing this. You are training in something that will give you an incredible insight into other people’s lives and it is an immeasurable privilege. It doesn’t matter what happens to the NHS or politics or any of these other things, nobody can encroach on the doctor-patient relationship. On a Thursday, I have a clinic with patients who have often been waiting a long time to come and see me. In my head, I have this little thing where I wonder how long it’ll be before they cry, and we never make it to five minutes. It’s the first time these people have ever told someone their problems. Often they will have had difficulties for 10, 15 years and by the end of an hour, they literally walk out holding themselves differently. This is why I became a doctor. An hour ago, you had a problem that was the worst thing that’s ever happened to you. It’s been dominating your life, tormenting and torturing you and an hour later, we’ve got a plan and we’ll get you on top of this and we’re going to get you better. What other job can give you that kind of satisfaction?

RR: So do you have a solution? MP: I do have a solution. One of the big problems has been – and this is going to make me sound like a crazy Marxist – introduction of an internal market. We need to minimise the internal market within the

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T H I C AL Procurement for Health

Third year medical student Usama Hussain explains why the ethical procurement of medical equipment is vital, and the actions necessary to achieve it.

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With NHS expenditure for goods and services in the billions, it hardly seems fair that improvements to our healthcare come at the expense of those who help to provide them. Yet mounting evidence suggests that infringements on the rights of employees in the supply chains involved are resulting in just that.

Who can play a role?

With the NHS’s considerable spending power comes the opportunity and responsibility to become a leader in ethical procurement. Currently, over £30 billion per annum is fed into supply chains operating on a global scale; millions are employed to provide the commodities required by our healthcare system. However, little is done to challenge the unethical practices of many suppliers in developing nations, such as unsafe working conditions and remuneration which fails to reach the living wage threshold, subsequently allowing the erosion of workers’ rights. These directly influence the health of employees in a negative way. While there is an undeniable need for all NHS organisations to adopt ethical procurement policies, this is not limited to institutional-level involvement. Healthcare professionals can also have important roles in helping to achieve ethical standards.

Staff directly involved in procurement will play a pivotal role as their purchasing decisions can directly achieve change. Even though commitment at a senior level is key, end users of medical products are also important contributors; the voice of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals can be very powerful. An often overlooked party that can provide valuable insights is the general public, who are the ultimate recipients of NHS services and products manufactured through various supply chains.

Achieving effective ethical procurement is not easy, and requires commitment on many levels. The establishment of a multi-stakeholder team within an organisation can be the best means for assessing and driving improvement.

Suppliers are the other major stakeholder within this equation. They need to develop greater transparency, as well as improve labour conditions, in order to drive progress towards ethical sourcing of services. UCLU Medsin’s campaign on the ethical procurement of health serves as a great opportunity for medical students to become actively involved in change, while exploring current global health issues. It involves campaigning for hospitals to source their goods ethically and integrate consideration of labour standards into their purchasing decisions.

Why is this an issue? The lack of ethical procurement within our health service is of significant concern because of the numerous labour rights violations involved in the manufacture of several products. The majority of surgical instruments used in the NHS are produced in northern Pakistan and, in a process that employs approximately 50,000 manual labourers, most receive salaries which, at less than US$1 per 12-hour day, are below the living wage. Additionally, a distinct lack of job security and the risk of acquiring serious injuries from machinery in unsafe working conditions, illustrates how unethical practice can lead to compromises in many different aspects of an individual’s health. This is without even considering the extensive use of child labour forces where children as young as seven are employed full time.

Does ethical trade cost more? Ensuring workers are reimbursed with a liveable wage and safe working conditions while suppliers take steps towards eradicating child labour forces may mean that the cost of goods for the NHS rises, leading to the possibility of more costly healthcare. While efficiency of savings in the provision of healthcare is important, the social and environmental consequences of purchasing decisions and subsequent risks to reputation and security of supply must not be overlooked. A purchasing strategy focused entirely on cost can propagate the exploitation of vulnerable people within the supply chain, and the erosion of basic labour rights. The human cost outweighs the financial cost.The improvement in quality due to increased productivity, worker retention and boosted morale should also not be discounted when considering the complex cost-benefit analysis.

Malaysia, the largest global manufacturer of medical gloves, could see dramatic improvements in the health of its labour workforce if ethical procurement policies were implemented. An investigation into the nation’s second largest medical glove factory revealed that many employees were migrants being forced to work over 80 hours per week, all while risking sexual and physical harassment. Such exploitations are not exclusively found in developing nations, as there have been multiple issues with the provision of services to the NHS in the UK. Migrant workers are a particularly vulnerable demographic; there have been reports of illegal wage deductions on NHS construction sites, and instances of care home nursing staff receiving earnings below minimum wage while working excessive hours.

Can ethical procurement make a difference? Ethical trade is internationally recognised as a key to global development because it lifts people out of poverty, improves their long-term quality of life and reduces wage disparities across supply chains.

What is “Ethical Trade”?

Day-to-day procurement decisions can have a real impact.This was recently illustrated when procurement directors from Sweden instituted labour rights clauses into a regional contract for healthcare reforms. Subsequently, with the appropriate support, a manufacturing facility in India was able to provide better pay and reduced working hours for its employees within a matter of months.

“Ethical trade” refers to the responsibility of purchasing organisations to respect the rights of disadvantaged individuals in the supply chain. Employees have the right to safe working conditions, where they are free from the risk of avoidable harm to their health, and should receive at least the legal minimum wage. Furthermore, they should be free to join and form unions in order to collectively fight for their rights. Organisations should also work to eliminate child labour. Applying these principles means that purchasing organisations will be in line with the values of ethical trading.

The NHS can do the same.We all have a responsibility towards ethical procurement. If you want more information about the campaign, including joining, Usama can be contacted via email: usama.hussain.14@ucl.ac.uk.

Given the complexity of supply chains, boycotting simply is not the answer. This a process of continuous improvement. Loss of a contract only further reduces money going to a supplier, and tends to make bad working conditions even worse.

By Usama Hussain MBBS Year 3, intercalating in Clinical Sciences 27

Vol.II No.I

A I DS As the World Health Organisation (WHO) unveils its ambitious plan to end the AIDS epidemic completely by 2030, Camilla Massardi discusses

A Thing of the Past? the path that HIV has ravaged throughout the last several decades of human history, and why hope is now finally on the horizon.

n the newly emerging capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1920s, a hunter kills and eats a chimpanzee infected with Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV), allowing the virus to pass onto him. This is not a rare occurrence; such a type of lentivirus that is able to attack the immune system of monkeys and apes has been found in no fewer than 36 primate species in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet on this single occasion the virus begins to adapt to its new host, evolving to enter and replicate inside human T-Cells, and eventually cause a shutdown of the immune system. The hunter most likely dies of a minor infection and the first case of human immunodeficiency virus announces itself.

the capital, allowing a specific B subtype of the HIV-1 strain to reach Haiti by the 1960s and spread rapidly from there. This variant of HIV spread uncontrollably across the globe, dominating regardless of geographical variation; it has laid claim to 75 million infections to date. However it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until 1981, when reports of rare cancers and opportunistic infections began to crop up amongst gay men in New York and California, that the medical community began to focus on the infectious disease that had triggered these unexpected occurrences.

Now focus has switched to a different concept: treatment as prevention. New research suggests that if the viral load can be reduced to undetectable levels using ART, it is nearly impossible to pass HIV onto another individual. A vaccine, once deemed unachievable due to HIVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to evade detection and its rapid mutation rate, is now in the making. This is thanks to antibodies collected from HIV-infected patients, particularly those who seem to have an innate resistance against disease progression to AIDS.

After decades of research, funding and the perseverance of countless individuals, HIV is no longer the death sentence it once was. Following the success of anti-retroviral therapy In the years that followed no one could have (ART), HIV viral levels can be suppressed to predicted the epidemic that was about to un- such an extent as to allow the patientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own fold. Extensive transport links and a growing immune system to strengthen and regain the sex trade pushed HIV beyond the confines of capacity to fight off other infections.

These breakthroughs have slowed the trajectory of AIDS, but unless we aim to halt the epidemic in the next five years we risk resurgence; as the increasing number of cases become harder to contain, the long-term need for HIV treatment increases, and costs begin to snowball. If the epidemic is to be stopped completely, a rapid scale-up needs to be reached by

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2020. The aim is to diagnose 90% of all people infected with HIV, start 90% of these patients on ART, and suppress viral load to undetectable levels in 90% of the treated group. This ambitious “90-90-90” target puts us in the fast lane to ending the AIDS epidemic in the next decade. This would mean 28 million HIV infections and 21 million deaths averted by 2030. From an economic perspective, the return is expected to be 15-fold and US $24 billion would be saved in costs.

and prophylaxis, and in order to truly end the AIDS epidemic a vaccine and a cure need to be delivered. None of this is possible unless international relations strengthen, and research and resources are shared. Now, more than ever, it is vital that the international community recognises that ending the AIDS epidemic is a global obligation with global benefits. There can be no doubt that we have come a remarkable way since our first encounter with HIV. The obstacles that we still face should not detract from our triumphs in the prevention and treatment of a virus that has single-handedly challenged the development of entire countries and shaped the face of scientific research.

Yet the journey towards achieving these statistics won’t be easy. Countries will need to maximise their capacity to diagnose, treat and reduce costs whilst expanding scale. International assistance is essential; without global funding those countries hit the worst by AIDS will continue to suffer disproportionately. Inno- Faced with an enormous task such as this, it vation is still required to create more effective can be easy to overlook the power of the indiand long-term medication for both treatment vidual in the fight against AIDS.Yet every

contribution, no matter how small, is one step closer to ending this chapter in human history. If you’d like to join our fantastic team at UCL Youth Stop AIDS, we welcome you to come along to our Freshers’ Fayre stand and participate in Positively Red Week in the upcoming term. For a full list of references, please visit www.rumsreview.co.uk.

By Camilla Massardi MBBS Year 3, UCL coordinator for Youth Stop AIDS

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D R U GS S EX & G E ND ER Why One Prescription Doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Fit All Issy Good explores how sex can be overlooked in science and what the subsequent consequences might be.

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esearchers have recently explored and identified the different ways that men and women react to drugs. However, little consideration is taken regarding sex when it comes down to prescribing drugs and treatment course, and this extends to prescription education.

Increasing evidence is coming to light indicating a sex-based discrepancy in the efficacy of pharmaceuticals. This can be traced to historical, social and biological problems with the medical models currently used. Instances include the 2013 warnings issued by the Federal Drugs Agency (FDA) regarding Zolpidem, an active ingredient in many medications used to treat insomnia. Zolpidem was problematic for women because it appeared to be retained in their system for longer. This not only meant that female users of the drug were waking up tired, but also that male users were being disproportionately affected. This same discrepancy was witnessed between 1997 and 2000 when eight of the 10 prescription drugs withdrawn from the US market posed greater health risks to women than to men. However, sex-related discrepancies are not limited to pharmaceuticals; our approach to gender and sex in general healthcare can be considered as problematic. Despite notable improvements in recent decades to the rights of women and those of non-binary genders, the criteria for diagnosis of health conditions, the drugs we use and much of our accepted knowledge comes from an overwhelmingly cisgendered and patriarchal society. It wasn’t until 1993, when the National Institute of Health (NIH) revised their guidelines on clinical trials, that the inclusion of women and minorities as trial subjects became mandatory. Before this point, women were often excluded from trials due to hormone fluctuations, which meant they were considered harder to test in drug trials; this led to the under-representation of females in science. The ways in which the different sexes were affected by drugs developed and tested prior to this mandate were often not considered. The stark reality of this situation is that the changes towards equality in clinical trials are only applicable to NIH-funded developments. Privately funded drug trials are under no obligation to include women, non-binaries or minorities. This leads to information about the differing effects of drugs on men and women being unaccounted for. Dr Elizabeth Pollitzer, director and co-founder of Portia, an organisation which focuses on gender equality within STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects and promoting gender-sensitive research, points out that there is an “underlying systemic cultural issue” with how pharmaceuticals are trialled and used, which encompasses “the belief that in order to be excellent science must be gender neutral”. Unfortunately, there is little to no acknowledgement or exploration of sex-based discrepancies in drug reactions and efficacy as part of medical school teaching. Though scientific research aims to eliminate sex bias, Pollitzer highlights that these bias- elimination techniques often do not result in gender neutral science because of a much larger societal and historical

problem. “Science has more evidence for males/men than for females/ women because of the historical tendency of researchers to a) use male subjects; b) not collect or analyse data by sex; c) under-report or fail to report results segregated by sex.” This, consequently, diminishes the quality and impact of research. It also means that the resulting scientific knowledge is not truly gender neutral, and an assumption otherwise is incorrect and potentially dangerous. Instead of assuming that sex is neutral within research, science should recognise sex differences from a variety of perspectives. Physiological and biological perspectives include disparities between drug reactions and metabolism in different sexes. An interesting discussion regarding molecular differences between sexes and the consideration of the sex of a cell exists, with Pollitzer pointing out that “some researchers have suggested that the root cause may be the imbalance in the X chromo -some complement”. Ultimately, as medical professionals it is important to consider the societal, historical and physiological differences between patients, and this includes the impact sex has on pharmaceutical trials and treatment availability/course duration. Mounting research about the differences between how men and women experience heart attacks further shows that the disproportionate focus on sex is not only a problem for pharmaceuticals. Men more commonly report a crushing sensation of the chest while women seem to report a general feeling of unease before a heart attack. The former is an identifying symptom for clinicians and common knowledge within society, but if the latter is not commonly identified as a symptom for heart attacks, does it mean that these women are being overlooked? It is therefore important to consider how sex could be affecting the presentation of symptoms and in turn how this impacts on the demographic of certain diseases. Pollitzer acknowledges that “for many diseases and health conditions how they present and progress can differ significantly between women and men in a way that cannot be linked to hormones alone, or age, or environmental factors…. this raises concerns for the quality of diagnosis and the effectiveness of treatment”. When questioning why one sex may have higher instances of diseases, the enforcement of biased criteria for diagnosis may contribute to clinicians being more likely to diagnose one sex rather than the other. There is a difference between the efficacy of drugs on men and women, and perhaps there is a wider problem with how sex and gender are viewed in medicine. It is important to move away from “bikini medicine” where women’s health is only taught around reproductive organs; we need to start looking at both sexes as individuals with differing needs and characteristics which must be considered and addressed at every stage of healthcare planning. For good science and good medicine there is a requirement to become increasingly aware of the sex dependent discrepancies in all aspects of medicine, including the efficacy of drugs and their overall safety. For a full list of references, please visit www.rumsreview.co.uk.

By Issy Good MBBS year 3, intercalating in Global Health

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BARRIERS to Healthcare for Refugees and Migrants Living in the UK How the NHS is failing a vulnerable demographic.

he hardships faced by modern day refugees seem to form an unending list, yet while these prisoners of geography display outstanding resilience and bravery, the Western world continues to play the role of bystander and watch passively as innocent people are reduced to the collateral damage of war. As of late, the media has begun to portray a mood of international support through the simple message of “refugees welcome”, which begs the question, why is it that for thousands, the struggle for a better standard of living does not end upon their arrival to the UK? The stark reality is that undocumented migrants experience a myriad of barriers that deny them the medical attention they need. The NHS at its core stands for universal entitlement to primary care, emergency care and treatment of infectious diseases. But the statistics do not reflect this; 94% of patients attending a Doctors of the World (DOTW) clinic in East London have been unable to register with a GP, despite having lived in the UK for an average of six years. A small group of doctors and support workers provide an extraordinary voluntary service for homeless people, drug users, sex workers, victims of trafficking, refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants – the individuals that collectively form the most vulnerable demographic in our population. In a few small rooms in Bethnal Green, these volunteers help individuals overcome the ever-increasing barriers to UK healthcare access faced by those living on the margins of society. However, within our healthcare system, there should be no need for organisations and clinics such as this in the first place. Nor should there be disparities between the quality and level of healthcare received by non-migrant and migrant individuals. Even so, a recent report found that only 1/3 of pregnant migrant women had their first antenatal consultation in the first trimester of pregnancy compared to 3/4 of non-migrant women in England – a shocking statistic considering the NHS’s standpoint on providing necessary and immediate antenatal care to all pregnant individuals.

Image By Karim Chraihi

As a clinic support worker for Doctors of the World, a medical student and someone who has dedicated a considerable part of their life to working with displaced individuals, I am too often appalled by the failures of our NHS to meet the needs of people with multiple vulnerabilities. In the clinic my role is simple: to help users access the mainstream services to which they are entitled. Unfortunately, bureaucracy and case complexity obstruct this supposedly simple and easy access to healthcare for all, and add to the mounting list of barriers which put it out of reach. Ultimately, I have witnessed this shortfall result in the children of undocumented migrants being unable to receive essential immunisations; a pregnant woman who has not sought antenatal care in 19 weeks, for fear of being reported to the Home Office; a victim of human trafficking suffering from renal failure kept off the waiting list for an organ transplant due to his pending immigration status; and a distraught woman who had been billed £6000 for maternity care even after her baby had died. A lack of formal documentation, in the form of ID and proof of address, is often referred to as the principle reason refugees and asylum seekers are turned away from GP practices. However, this has no legal basis because these documents are not necessary for registration.This is reflected very clearly at the DOTW clinic: 29% of service users cite administrative or legal barriers and 17% a lack of knowledge about individual rights as reasons for not getting medical attention. Shockingly, there have even been instances in which GP practice managers have instructed their administrative team to turn away anyone without British citizenship. Unfortunately, children are not spared the obstacles to healthcare faced by adults, thus resulting in potentially dangerous failures to safeguard young people. As a nation, we are overlooking the most vulnerable members of our population and it is to our own detriment. Widening access to healthcare is key to maintaining population health and simultaneously cutting costs within the NHS. Prevention of further health complications through implementing antenatal care and childhood immunisations to these marginalised population groups protects individuals and communities. At the same time, the cost of providing late effective secondary care services to treat complex presentations can be avoided with earlier and more efficient detection and treatment. Healthcare professionals have been misled into acting as immigration enforcers, when they should be invested first and foremost in the safeguarding of people’s health. The NHS is often praised for its adherence to the values of universality, equality and high quality care.Yet it is this same organisation which, since the Immigration Act of May 2014, has been working to

make it “more difficult for illegal immigrants to settle in the UK and in April 2015, brought in a £200 per year healthcare surcharge for those seeking to stay in the UK for over six months”. Individuals living outside the European Economic Area without personal health insurance began to be charged 150% more than the cost of their NHS treatments. The definition of an “ordinary resident” was also changed such that anyone without indefinite leave to remain in the UK would be subject to the charge. The introduction of the Migrant and Visitor NHS Cost Recovery Program saw the Department of Health aim to expand the scope for profit and to identify more chargeable patients. The NHS has been rapidly changed to mirror our society - one set on profiting from the plight of individuals who have already experienced unfathomable hardship.

urgent repair to reduce barriers to medical access for marginalised populations. This by no means involves ceasing to charge for healthcare altogether - that would be foolishly unsustainable. Individuals who are liable to charges and have the means to pay should do so. However, we cannot continue to put vulnerable people at risk of serious harm as a result of the current and proposed policies denying them access to vital services. This suffering is avoidable and inexcusable. Healthcare professionals have a professional duty to all of their patients, regardless of their immigration status. Much more needs to be done to help protect dispossessed people from the innumerable threats they face. It is only through tireless advocacy that we can bring about policies and practices that support robust healthcare provision for all.

Irrespective of politics and bureaucracy, it is painstakingly clear that healthcare infrastructure, both nationally and internationally, requires

CASE STUDY

Zachary, 17, from Somalia

Zachary had been living undocumented in London with his mother and four siblings since 2007. In early 2015 he began to experience mild headaches, for which his GP prescribed migraine medication. His pain persisted and he was rushed to A&E where he was diagnosed with meningitis. Weeks after his recovery, Zachary’s mother, Sofia, received bills of over £5,000 for her son’s treatment. “‘They said we needed to pay the money immediately. If we failed to pay, they would take us to court, add charges and even send [the matter] to the Home Office.” Terrified and unable to pay, she turned to DOTW for help. “It was only when I came [to the clinic] that my mind was a little bit better. They promised me they’d try their best to find a solution.” DOTW volunteers took up the case with the knowledge that Sofia’s bill was completely unjustified, as meningitis is a condition specifically excluded from charges. Subsequently, the charges were cancelled within days. Targeted public health control measures need to be instituted rapidly in order to prevent the spread of meningitis due to its infectious nature and life-threatening severity. According to the Immigration Act, undocumented migrants are allowed to access certain secondary services under the NHS. This includes treatment for some infectious diseases, such as measles or tuberculosis, as well as urgent life- threatening conditions. In Zachary’s case the treatment was for meningitis, which falls under both of these criteria for free access to secondary care, hence, payment for his care should not have been requested.

By Nazanin Rassa MBBS Year 3, intercalating in Global Health

For a fill list of references and more case studies, please visit www.rumsreview.co.uk

88%

Were not registered with a GP when they visited a DOTW clinic.

51% Did not try to access healthcare at all because of the perceived barrers.

39% Routinely and wrongly turned away from medical surgeries.

23%

Of registration attempts received multiple reasons for refusal.

Humans of UCLMS

Rhea Saksena

Humans of UCLMS, a spin off from Humans of UCL (which in turn takes inspiration from Humans of New York) is a new edition to the magazine. We hope that delving into the lives of UCL medics will, in addition to being fascinating, solidify RUMS review’s basic premise - to celebrate the successes and achievements of UCL medical students, no matter how big or small! To start us of, fifth year medical student Rhea Saksena reflects on her medical school journey so far, greatest ambitions and medical interests….

“I

We consider a lot of these issues to be ‘lifestyle based diseases’, with the assumption that obesity is a product of poor individual choice. However, two billion people worldwide have been classified as being overweight or obese; how can it be that suddenly two billion people have forgotten how to feed themselves properly?

feel I am somewhere on that classic spectrum of ‘enjoying helping people’ and ‘liking science’ that we all roll out for our personal statement. Additionally, the idea of working for the public good and helping to further an essential human right – the right to health – personally made medicine seem a worthwhile decision.

We as the medical community can use our insight and voice to help the most disadvantaged in society. Obesity has a clear social gradient, with the poorest being most adversely affected. We need to demand our governments resist the financial might of corporations and prioritise health above all.

Doing the iBSc in Global Health at the Institute of Global Health was one of my favourite years. After the first two years of focusing on the microscopic detail of the human body, it was fantastic to take a step back and take a more macroscopic view, developing a greater understanding of the socioeconomic and political structures which shape health. Since being immersed in such an environment I find it difficult to see health as distinct from these overarching structures.

My biggest academic achievement so far would be having the opportunity to further my dissertation research ideas (such as prioritising sugar consumption when tackling obesity) during my internship with the World Health Organisation (WHO). Seeing them subsequently published in The Lancet Global Health was really exciting!

Going into fourth year and being on the wards is a great way to experience health as an embedded individual narrative. It is easy to become wrapped up in the idea of studying medicine as only a series of yearly examinations, which involve cramming a lot of tedious facts. However, every time a patient walks through the door, they are an embodiment of the consequence of political decisions at play.

Success for me would be seeing an effective primary prevention system for obesity in place. This doesn’t mean catching people once they are already at high risk, for example finding those with high blood pressure or glucose levels. While this is important, once people have developed these risk factors we can no longer truly prevent. I would love to be part of a strategy which works to stop people from being exposed to developing such risk factors by changing the determinants of their ill-health. It is a big challenge, but having seen such amazing steps taken by anti-smoking campaigners, we have no reason to stop being public health dreamers once more!”

We have a fantastic opportunity to use our collective voice to demand better for the health of populations, as we have the privilege of seeing what affects them the most. I am an active health advocate around the issues of nutrition and obesity. This is a huge battle of social justice which we are currently losing. For a long time now, our response to this crisis has been ‘blame orientated’.

RUMS Review

Demystifying Medical School

RUMS Welfare

Demystifying Medical School endeavours to set the record straight on common misconceptions held by medical students; a byproduct of the dubious medical school rumour mill. Our first issue this year focuses on welfare, a topic relevant to incoming freshers and those still healing from the not-so-distant exam period alike. We talk to Nadia Eden, the new RUMS Welfare Vice President (VP), and Becki Clarke, founder of the Medics4Medics scheme, on the matter.

hether you’re in first year or final year, as a medical student there is support available to you at all times. Although most students know that there is a welfare system in place, many do not know where the first port of call is. Considering how mentally challenging and tough medical school can be, this definitely needs to change. As welfare officer this year, I want to make sure it is clear to everyone who is available to talk to for any issue you may have.

equipped to deal with questions about years one and two, exams and anxiety. However, if the team and I feel like we need a different service to help us, we can also act as a referral system. Depending on the situation, the referral may go to the UCL psychology or financial services, UCL disability services or somewhere more appropriate. The staff here are well trained and know exactly how to refer your queries and, most importantly, stick to the same code of conduct as RUMS. This is usually done on the same or next day. It’s also important to remember that your personal tutor can often help and refer you very quickly too.

Some students might be unsure of what welfare encompasses and when it’s appropriate to use the welfare services. The answer to this is: just ask! We’ll more than likely be able to give you an answer to your query or make a start on tackling your problems, so please don’t hesitate to get in contact, no matter how small or large the problem is.

Our head of medical school support is Dr Coppola. Not all cases will need to be referred up to this point, nevertheless, the medical school support team is key as they will coordinate applications for extenuating circumstances if necessary. The important thing to remember about these referrals is that we always stay in contact with you and you will never get “lost in the system”.

Our RUMS website has been refurbished in the past year and now includes a welfare section. Coming later this year will be an anonymous form, downloadable from the website. The form will enable you to note down your concerns which, once returned to the team, can be addressed. Hopefully, this should serve as an alternative method of contact for those worried about talking to someone in person. However, if you would like to talk to someone in person, the website has all of mine and the welfare sub committee’s contact details, and you will be guaranteed a reply within 24 hours.

The main message I want to get across is that welfare is available to access at all times to everyone simply though the RUMS website. As welfare officer I am the first email on the website (nadia.eden.14@ucl. ac.uk) but we have an amazing committee composed of students from different years, backgrounds and of gender, ensuring there will always be someone you feel comfortable in approaching.

Nadia Eden, RUMS Welfare Vice President, MBBS Year 3

? ? ? ? ? ? ? As the Welfare Vice President (VP), I have been trained in how to deal with basic issues, and the wider welfare team as a whole will be well

edics4medics is a confidential support group. Set up in 2014 alongside a UCL wide student support group, it is run by medics, for medics. As RUMS Welfare VP in 2013/14, I noticed a gap in the support system available for medics at UCL and wanted to do something to fix that. Working with ReThink Mental Illness and the UCL welfare sabbatical officer, we trained a group of medical students and created Medics4medics with the aim of providing support for medical students independently of the medical school.The committee have worked hard for the past two years to publicise and develop our group, but our biggest problem is still that we are largely unknown.

every other week in a UCL room, providing a safe environment with drinks and biscuits. If people have specific topics they want to discuss, these can be raised. If not, we have activities and also run themed sessions to act as icebreakers. Discussions are confidential unless we believe there is a very significant risk to yourself or others, at which point we would need to disclose to relevant services. Our meetings can complement support that is already being received by providing a safe environment outside of professional sessions. Medics4medics also offers someone to turn to when waiting for professional or university help. If you find yourself struggling with any aspect of university life, regardless of which academic year you are in, please do not hesitate to contact us directly (https://m.facebook.com/groups/1456379487990288) or to contact Nadia Eden, the current Welfare VP, who can put you in contact with us.

So, what do we do? Medics4medics offers a safe, confidential place to come and talk to fellow medical students about any problems you may face during your time at medical school. These can be directly related to the course, to housing, mental health or anything you just need to speak to someone about. We are trained to facilitate discussions and can signpost people to further, appropriate sources of help. We meet

Becki Clarke, M4M Cofounder 35

Vol.II No.I

Comment & Correspondence “Citius, Altius, Fortius”. Faster, higher, stronger- Pierre de Coubertin’s initial proposed motto for the Olympics is still held to be true to the ethos of the games. Heralded as an opportunity to bring nations together under the common banner of sportsmanship, the Olympic Games have evolved to promote the spirit of inclusivity through both expanding country participation and highlighting the Paralympic games as well.

“W

And yet, much of this unity seems to have been disrupted by one dissonant factor: the now notorious Zika epidemic. The mosquito-borne virus has attracted international interest since the first reported outbreak in Brazil in May 2015. Furthermore, it has been associated with debilitating outcomes such as paediatric microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome. These factors have resulted in the World Health Organisation (WHO) asserting

Roshnee Patel, MBBS Year 4

ith a n y epidemic, whether SARS, Ebola or now Zika, it is difficult to trawl through the sludge of media hype and actually find facts and answers as to whether the disease poses a real threat to you. So, is Zika going to get you? According to WHO, probably not you or me, but for the people who live in South America, Zika does pose a risk. Yet they also have to live with the risk of Dengue, Yellow Fever and Cholera. Governments in the region recommend women not to have children until 2018, whilst simultaneously supporting laws against abortion; they tell people to avoid breeding sites of mosquitoes, such as stagnant water, while scores of Brazilians in Rio De Janeiro live in homes without adequate sanitation. This irony cannot be ignored. Were the Olympic Games a good idea in a country where its people are rioting due to poverty, and where infrastructure is lacking? Whether Rio 2016 was a success or not, the International Olympic Committee might need to review its selection criteria so that in the future, the host city, when faced with a potential epidemic, has the capacity and resources to prevent the scaremongering we have seen this year.”

“M

Zik The Ol

Afterm

y view of the Olympics and Zika is that we’re missing the forest for the trees. The issue is not just around the physical spread of the disease, but that so many political leaders are focussing on the communicable aspect rather than the structural ways in which this disease could be addressed. Rubio saying that women in the USA not being able to have abortions even if they have Zika is absurd and is pandering to conservative voters. Politicians must get past their discomfort around sexual and reproductive issues and move away from moralistic views of individual bodily autonomy.What we need now is strong governance, comMs Shivani Singh Sharma, Teaching Fellow mitment to upholding reproductive rights and Global Health providing women and children with social support.”

RUMS Review

Comment & Correspondence that the outbreak is a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern”. Much of the media coverage of Zika has centred around its impact upon the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. From several athletes pulling out of the competition, to others actively sharing their concerns over social media, it would appear that the spirit

ka: lympic

math

of global unity was somewhat strained. However, was Zika itself solely responsible for controversy at the Games, or were other systemic factors at play? Why did so much of the coverage in Western media focus upon the context of the Olympic Games whilst the indigenous population most at risk remained largely voiceless? Let’s take a look at what you had to say on the issue.

Kirtana Vallabhaneni, Comment & Correspondence Editor

Catherine Chapple, MBBS Year 4

“W

hile I was in South America this summer, I spent a bit of time in Rio exploring the city and enjoying the beautiful beaches they had to offer. It was clear that this was a city preparing for the Olympics and, with only a week to go, there were signs everywhere, volunteers ready to help at every corner, the venues up and running, and of course the Olympic Megastores themselves. The only thing that was starkly missing was any mention of Zika. Zika has been so widely broadcast in England and comes up with every reference to the Games. Yet, in Rio, it was like Zika didn’t even exist. There was one advert on the tube about buying mosquito repellent but not specifically for Zika. In fact, the main advertising done as a warning against disease was for dengue fever, another prominent mosquito transmitted disease. I can only assume that they didn’t want the fear of Zika to detract from the Games and, as such, kept warnings to a minimum. But I think more should have been made of it and mosquito repellent should have been more widely available.”

Image by Kate Mackenzie

Vol.II No.I

Careers Work Shop: Global Health Welcome to the new Careers section of RUMS Review! Here we will aim to address topics that medical students would like more information on and reduce the number of misconceptions with regards to medical careers. This feature will include “How To…” Guides, such as how to show interests in specialities and how to build the medical CV, in addition to providing accounts from clinicians and academics on their career paths. We hope you find the feature interesting and useful! Izabella Smolicz, Careers Editor

Careers

What kind of doctor to be - or not to be? There are those of us who know what we would and would not like to specialise in and those who do not know at all - both positions are ok to be in! We thought we would indicate some points to think about when considering a particular speciality:

Work-life balance

Timescale of training

Type of work

Academic/ research opportunities

Travel opportunities

Transferable skills

Enjoyment!

Would you rather work 9am5pm or are you open to working different shift patterns?

How quickly would you like to finish training? Are you aiming to be a consultant by the age of 30? Considering timescale is important, as some paths are longer than others. For example, GP training is three years following foundation years, compared to some hospital specialities such as Anaesthetics which, on average, is seven years. However, medicine and lifelong learning go hand in hand, so training really never stops!

Would you like to be more ward, clinic or surgery-based? A combination? Acute or chronic care?

Are you interested in carrying out preclinical or clinical research? Teaching? It is worth considering whether the speciality you are interested in provides opportunities to have academic interests and whether work patterns support this. Do you enjoy presenting? Being involved in academic work usually involves attending conferences and giving poster or oral presentations so this is also worth considering.

Although you can travel with any speciality, some offer different opportunities to others, such as Expedition Medicine.

It is important to consider which of your skills you feel are stronger than others; this may lead you to a particular speciality. Also, it may be worth considering which specialities offer transferable skills which may support you in the future, for example if you decide to change specialities or choose an alternative path to medicine.

Last but not least - make sure it is a speciality you are interested in and think you will enjoy. Let it be your decision, and nobody else’s.

What other options are there?

gement - P olit Mana ics -

- Reserve M edi cal C

Alternatives or Additions to Clinical Medicine

- Law

ps or

tistry - Enginee rin Den g-

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harc se

ing ch ea

Clinical & Preclin ica lR e

In addition to choosing a particular speciality, it is important to consider the possibilities of combining clinical medicine with other options or pursuing alternatives completely. Medical graduates have skill-sets applicable to many areas, from communication skills to problem-solving, and other possibilities include:

How To… Find out more about specialities:

• Attend career days and conferences linked to UCL Medical School and/or the Royal Colleges.

• Talk to people at different levels, from core trainees to registrars and consultants. Ask about their experiences and reasons for choosing the speciality.

• Research training pathways before making a final decision on speciality choice and investigate whether there are certain pathways which are more flexible than others.

• Complete projects in different areas, such as via SSCs, during intercalation and through summer studentships.

eral practice, paediatrics and psychiatry before committing to a particular speciality (although recruitment has been stopped for August 2016), whereas the Acute Care Common Stem (ACCS) pathway allows trainees to experience emergency medicine, acute medicine, anaesthetics and intensive care medicine.

For example, broad based training allows trainees to experience six months of core medical training, gen-

Vol.II No.I

Careers

When do career decisions need to be made? Intercalation? PhD?

F3 Year? PhD? Alternative?

Alternative? PhD?

Medical School (Five or Six Years)

Foundation Years (Two Years)

Opportunities throughout medical school allow you to explore the different specialities. During these years, you will make decisions which may shape your future interests, from choosing your iBSc programme and SSCs, to deciding whether medicine is a career you would still like to pursue. Alternatives or additions to medicine can also be explored.

Student to doctor - now you can experience working as a clinician in different specialities and, depending on the deaneries/foundation schools, there are additional opportunities to “taste” other specialities. The Academic Foundation Programme also presents opportunities to undertake research, management or teaching placements in specialities. If you need more time to make a choice, why not take an F3 year?

Specialty/ GP Training (Three, Four, Five...) You’ve made your choice - for now! It is time to progress through speciality training, although the decision you made at the point of the the Foundation Programme does not mean you cannot change your mind in the future if another path draws you in. As we will mention later, initial broader specialty choices also exist, for example the Acute Common Care Stem (ACCS) Pathway.

Interviews Professor Therese Hesketh and Dr Robert Aldridge kindly spoke with us, describing how they became involved in global health and how their interests developed. They are also both clinicians who have not focused solely on clinical medicine. Professor Therese Hesketh MRCPCH, FFPH, PhD, was set to study Arabic at Cambridge, when a chance meeting with an old friend led to her discovery of the First MB at Bristol. After six years of Medicine at the University of Bristol she trained in paediatrics for four years in the UK and then worked in Asia. She had signed up for just a year, but was quickly hooked. For over five years she was involved in the development of the disciplines of paediatric and neonatal intensive care in China and Indonesia. Following a spell working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Manila she returned to the UK, but continued to work overseas managing

health projects in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and China. Prof. Hesketh then trained in Public Health, before moving to UCL in 1997. She has worked on a wide range of research and development projects, from those in immunisation and malaria control to the epidemiology of HIV, HBV and HCV in China. She is currently in the process of establishing a new Institute of Global Health in China at Zhejiang University. An example of Prof. Hesketh’s current work is an intervention to improve the health and wellbeing of children “left-behind” in rural areas by parents who migrate to urban areas for work. In addition to her active role in research, Prof. Hesketh also teaches at UCL and Zhejiang University, where she is a Visiting Professor.

IS: What do you find particularly interesting about global health research compared to research in the UK?

tries - it’s definitely a two-way street. Overseas research is very challenging, but in a very different way to hospital-based research in the UK. One has to have a constant awareness of the cultural differences and expectations, not to mention political differences and sensitivities.

TH: It’s always what I wanted to do. I think there’s a sense that you can help to bring about big change and have an effect on the lives of a lot of people, influencing policy through research. It is also a huge privilege to work in other countries, to be immersed in different cultures and to learn from the experience.We have a lot to learn from other coun-

IS: How do you think your research - or global health research in general - will change in the future? TH: Nowadays we mostly know what works and what needs to be done to improve the health of the population - the problem is how

to deliver it. So I think going forward, much of my work is going to be trying to find ways to deliver the interventions, which we already know are effective. For example, at the moment we are doing work on antibiotic resistance and finding ways to reduce antibiotic use in China. Everybody knows we should reduce antibiotic misuse but how should we do it? That is the question. Another crucial area is universal healthcare, finding ways of delivering healthcare in an affordable and accessible way. Now I am moving much more towards the “how”: how to achieve things, because we know what needs to be done. It’s just there aren’t the resources, there isn’t the know how, there isn’t expertise, there aren’t enough health workers to deliver healthcare in a way that we would like - so it’s finding all those things. A great example is ageing - how do we deliver health and social care to rapidly ageing populations across the world and help people to experience healthy ageing?

IS: What has been your best career move so far? TH: Choosing medicine would be one thing of course. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like if I hadn’t done that! Also, training as a paediatrician before I went overseas was a really important move. Any medic wanting to go into global health should definitely do specialty training first. I think that it’s really good to go overseas and get your hands dirty and really experience medicine overseas before going into the academic world, especially population health research.

IS: Do you have any advice for medical students Dr Robert Aldridge is an NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Public Health who splits his time between the UCL Farr Institute of Health Informatics Research and Public Health England. Dr Aldridge originally studied mechanical engineering at the University of Nottingham and then worked on irrigation and education projects in India, followed by being a management consultant in investment banking for two years. Dr Aldridge had considered medicine before and, within the projects in India, he met two doctors whose work led him to reconsider the field. Dr Aldridge then studied medicine at UCL and during his time at the medical school, he realised he wanted to do research. He kept links with a charity, Development in Action, which he

IS: What would be your best career move so far? RA: The MSc and PhD - I think getting the formal qualifications. The MSc in epidemiology I did gave me some really concrete tools: how to design observational studies, how to design Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) and how to analyse data really well and efficiently that then allowed me to go on and do a PhD. So, that really set me up.

IS: Is there anything that you regret or would have done differently in your career? RA: No, and although I’ve had a ridiculously uncoordinated career path, the only regret I have is not being able to do more strange and diverse stuff! Medicine is a really good degree but it doesn’t teach you how to think analytically and logically through a problem… My engineering degree taught me that. Working as an investment banker gave me very different business and efficiency focus and so I don’t really have any regrets.

IS: How do you balance your time considering all the projects you are involved in?

interested in global health? TH: At UCL, if they [medical students] are really interested in global health, they should do the Intercalated BSc in Global Health, if they have not reached that point yet obviously. A lot of people at UCL have some global health experience. You will find in many clinical departments here that there are people around who have worked overseas and still do. At the Institute for Global Health, there are people around who have been through the system and we are the kinds of people that students can come and talk to if they are seriously interested in a career in global health. But my advice would always be to complete medical training and preferably specialty training before going into global health.

IS: Lastly, who would you like to thank who inspired or encouraged you to pursue global health? TH: I can think of three people: Professor Andrew Tomkins, my first boss in what is now the UCL Institute for Global Health - he gave me my first break.The late Professor Sheila Wirz, also at the UCL Institute for Global Health, a wonderful and generous mentor who died way too young, and Professor Zhuang Bin Jin, from the Zhejiang Health Bureau, a fantastic female role model in my early days in China, who showed me how to use existing systems to bring about wide-scale change for the better. Thanks to Prof. Hesketh for her time and advice. had previously worked with. He completed his elective in Peru where he undertook a research placement in TB and Infectious Diseases. Dr Aldridge then entered the Academic Foundation Programme, the academic side being in virology at the Royal Free, but due to frustrations in health inequalities seen with regards to vulnerable populations, he decided to train in Public Health.This led to him completing an MSc in epidemiology and then a PhD. Dr Aldridge’s main research interests include homelessness, migration and TB. One of his projects at present is looking at what happens to migrants during the VISA screening process for TB upon arrival in the UK. Dr Aldridge is also a collaborator on the Global Burden of Disease Study with the University of Seattle, Washington, looking at how morbidity and mortality can be measured globally.

RA: Badly! I am trying to get better at saying no to things which I think is something you learn as you get more experienced. It’s important to think about what you want to do but have some flexibility.

IS: If you could have chosen a different specialty, what would it be? RA: When I was choosing public health, I was weighing it up between general practice, infectious diseases and genitourinary medicine, but I have no regrets at all about choosing public health. I do miss not being a practicing clinician; I think now if I was to pursue any of those it would be general practice, because of the broad base of skills that it gives you. It’s very transferable and very relevant to global health.

IS: How do you think your research - or global health research in general - will change in the future? RA: I think the work I am doing with the Global Burden of Disease project has and will continue to have an important impact on global health research. 10-15 years ago, we didn’t systematically count and

Careers

measure the burden of morbidity and mortality globally and the Global Burden of Disease collaboration has changed that landscape. It has made those issues much more transparent and robust in how we spend these resources. So I think global health research is going to be driven much more by that kind of data, about where the biggest problem is, rather than research funder fashions. I think we’re going to see much bigger international collaborations between research groups in the future, and bigger longer-term studies that are driven by needs and requirements. Obviously, the Millennium Development Goals had an important and positive impact of focusing global health research and I think the Sustainable Development Goals will do something very similar. Related to the Sustainable Development Goals, I think universal healthcare is going to be a huge push. I think there will be an increased focus on that in global health research and how governments can implement universal access to health.

IS: What advice would you have for medical students?

people with whom I can talk to about my research ideas… Having people that you work well with and are willing to make opportunities for you are really important. I think, as I was saying, you need to have an idea of the direction. At the beginning, I always had a general idea of the area I wanted to go in and that has opened up many opportunities, led to lots of many productive and fruitful relationships and papers… And I think that’s a good thing, because then you meet the right people and do really interesting research. But at some point, you have to start narrowing it down...If you want a career in research, these days you have to do a PhD.

Lastly, who would you like to thank who inspired or encouraged you to pursue Global Health? Professor Andrew Hayward, Professor Dame Anne Johnson and Professor Ibrahim Abubakar. Thanks to Dr Aldridge for his time and advice.

RA: It’s having really good mentors and having a really good group of

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Book Reviews

Fresher Book Guide

similar to the ones on the exam. If it’s not in the famed D+P, you won’t need to know it for pre-clinical anatomy exams and its worth getting used to Dean’s writing style as well. With lots of diagrams and explanations, D+P is meant to be used as a revision guide to a more in-depth study of anatomy, so it forms an excellent basis for extending knowledge as well. It’s worth finding another anatomy textbook with colour illustrations, because Core Anatomy was designed to be a condensed anatomy course, there is quite a lot of clinical anatomy missing and some more detailed explanations may be required. It’s also worth noting in the latest edition of Core Anatomy that some of the true/false answers are incorrect and may need checking against another book! For this I recommend Gray’s Anatomy for Students - with massive colour diagrams, clear tables and revision notes with clinical contexts and links throughout to similar structures, Gray’s is rightfully the best of the bunch.

If you’re really struggling with anatomy, to make it fun you can always use Netter’s Anatomy Colouring Book which shows all of the structures in black and white for you to colour in on one side of the page and a clear explanation of the theory on the other side. Netter also does anatomy flashcards to save you from doing your own.

he traditional books recommended to first year medics are as follows:

Wheater’s Functional Histology is a great book if you have a particular interest in histology, but the software given to you by UCL should be more than enough to pass the histology parts of the spotter exam. The pictures on the online program are well detailed with excellent explanations and it’s easier to ask a professor if you have any questions than to try and find the relevant pictures and explanations in a book.

• Human Physiology, Pocock and Richards • Core Anatomy for Students,Volumes 1-3, Dean and Pegington • Wheater’s Functional Histology, Barbara Young, Geraldine O’Dowd and Phillip Woodford Do you need them? No - not all of them. Human Physiology is an excellent book, but it goes far beyond what UCL covers in the first two years of medical school and is probably better aimed at undergraduate and postgraduate biomedics. There are plenty of copies in the library for the few paragraphs you will actually need - or want to read - so it’s not really worth buying it. Everyone will rush out in the first week or so to get it, but as long as you read the relevant page or two before exams then you’ll be fine. If you’re desperate for a physiology book, Eureka: Physiology is aimed more at medical students and covers much more of the physiology we need in simple and effective terms with good diagrams and Single Best Answers (SBAs). The three Core Anatomy for Students books are an absolute must. All three of them will be used over the first two years at UCL; Dean himself sets the anatomy questions on the SBA papers and his SBAs in the back of the textbooks tend to be quite

RUMS Review

Book Reviews Thieme Atlas of Anatomy

Eureka: Psychiatry

With large, clear diagrams, Thieme has produced an atlas which finally gives Gray’s some competition.There are loads of clinical updates included, which helps you to link anatomy to its actual context. Whilst not organised in the same way you’d expect from a classic anatomy textbook, it has plenty of tables to quickly summarise key facts which make it ideal for last minute revision.

Eureka Psychiatry starts like all Eureka textbooks with a ‘First Principles’ chapter that explains all the key mechanisms we’ve discovered to underpin psychiatric conditions. Unlike all the other Eureka books, Psychiatry includes chapters on managing psychiatric emergencies and how primary and secondary care need to be integrated to provide the best level of care - a much more holistic view of medicine than is normally presented in books. The disease descriptions and clinical scenarios are detailed without being too packed with information, showing you just the level of information you’d need to find out from a patient. With the clear diagrams and cartoons we’ve come to expect from this series, Psychiatry is the crowning glory, covering disease and health systems all in one.

The structures are broken down into ways that make more clinical sense and linked together well to give you a view of the whole body- you never feel like you’re just learning a tiny part of the arm. This helps you to link everything together to see common structures. Unlike some other anatomy textbooks, the illustrations do not have masses of captions, making it easy to see which structures belong to which label. They are all large and clear with plenty of text on the relevant pages to explain further if needed - but not so much as to make the pages appear crammed. The explanations are clear and simple and all follow on from each other, with no jumping around between topics or referring to things that haven’t been taught yet. Overall this is a very clear atlas at just the right level - clear without being overly simple, detailed without overloading you with information.

Book Details: Core Anatomy for Students Vol.1 The Limbs & Vertebral Column ISBN: 9780702020407 Publisher: W.B Saunders Company Ltd Year of Publication: 1995 Vol.2 The Thorax, Abdomen, Pelvis & Perineum ISBN: 0-7020-2041-9 Publisher: W.B Saunders Company Ltd Year of Publication: 1995 Vol.3 The Head & Neck ISBN: 0-7020-2042-7 Publisher: W.B Saunders Company Ltd Year of Publication: 1995

Eureka: Psychiatry is pitched at undergraduate medical students and it hits the nail on the head - easy to understand but with plenty of detail to allow you to extend your learning outside of clinic.

If you have a book you would like reviewed, please contact our book review editor at katie. hodgkinson.13@ucl.ac.uk

Human Physiology Fourth Edition ISBN: 9780199574933 Publisher: Oxford University Press Year of Publication: 2013 Wheater’s Functional Histology Sixth Edition ISBN: 9780702047473 Publisher: Elsevier Science Year of Publication: 2013 Thieme Atlas of Anatomy Publisher: Thieme Georg Verlag,Third Edition Pub date: 21st May 2016 ISBN-10: 1626232520 ISBN-13: 978-1626232525 RRP £60

Eureka: General Surgery and Urology Eureka has done it again, producing a beautifully clear book which explains general concepts before taking you into in-depth clinical scenarios, complete with the sort of SBAs you’d expect from exams. The Eureka series in general has always been very good at making clear distinctions between the kind of learning you need for exams (presented in SBA format) and the kind of learning more relevant to clinical practice. With chapters dedicated to general skills needed for clinical practice and then individual ones for the major diseases seen in general surgery, this book is exceptionally well organised and everything is very easy to find. This textbook presents clinical cases in the way you’d expect from a normal ward round and then walks you through the diagnosis, management and further treatment of them. All the common conditions are covered but with some lesser known ones for interest, all beautifully presented in full colour with cartoon strips and diagrams to make reading a lot more pleasurable than normal, dry textbooks. Perfect for revision before clinics in the start of the chapter but also for SBA and OSCE revision with more and more detail as you get further in, General Surgery and Urology is an excellent book.

Eureka: Psychiatry Publisher: JP Medical Ltd; 1 edition (31 Jan. 2016) Pub date: 31st Jan 2016 ISBN-10: 1909836311 ISBN-13: 978-1909836310 RRP £22.95 Eureka: General Surgery and Urology Publisher: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers, First Edition Pub date: 31st March 2015 ISBN-10: 1909836044 ISBN-13: 978-1909836044 RRP £22.95

Vol.II No.I

ROUND UP

RUMS Review brings you the latest reports, news and updates from all RUMS sports and societies. The new academic year represents a fresh start for our clubs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they have evaluated their previous form and set out their ambitions for the next twelve months. New to RUMS? Unsure which club or society to join? Read this section carefully as each club explains what they can offer to prospective members, and how to get involved. Also, we have the first in a series of interviews with former RUMS Freshers of the Year; how has medical school life changed for them since attaining the dizzying heights of first-year fame? In this edition, we speak to Dominic Blauth-Muszkowski. Meanwhile, James Shuttleworth introduces himself and his masterplan for RUMS sport 2016/17.

RUMS Review

Sports & Societies

A word from the new Sports and Societies Vice President...

ello everyone!

Whilst joining sports and societies offers endless opportunities to meet new people, they serve as a network to maximise the enjoyment and experience of our time at university. Members often go out of their way to support those who need assistance; tutorials are held by senior students, and many sports and societies have recently introduced Welfare or Education Secretaries.

My name is James Shuttleworth; I am the new Sports and Societies VP for RUMS and I am just starting my fourth year in medical school. For the coming academic year, I will look to continue the good work of my predecessor, Andy Webb, as well as to build on the values of different groups within the medical school bubble.

The social scene amongst RUMS groups is a huge attraction, with Wednesday night sports nights often the source of conversation. Many groups have time honoured activities throughout the academic year beginning with Freshers’ Fayre in late September, leading through to Christmas, with Bill Smiths Rugby (freshers vs second years), and UH Sports night all highlights. After Christmas, there are many more events including Johns Cup football (freshers vs second years) and the ever popular Lumsden netball tournament!

As your elected VP, my role this year is to ensure the RUMS machine keeps rolling without any issues. I am here to advertise RUMS and head the fantastic team of sports and societies presidents for the wellbeing of medical students. We will continue many of the traditional events throughout the year, culminating in RUMS Sports Ball which is held just before the Easter Holidays. Last year, over 450 people made this an undisputed highlight of the year, and I will work hard to ensure similar success!

The jump to medical school and life in a huge, diverse city with no familiar faces around is a daunting one – it certainly was for me. But RUMS sports and societies offer everyone the opportunity to try something different, to make lifelong friends, and establish yourself at university. Personally, as a member of RUMS Hockey Club, sport has had an immeasurable effect on my time at university so far. I have had a fantastic time and joining one of our sports teams or societies is something I cannot recommend enough. As someone who had not picked up a hockey stick before university and has gone on to play for the first team, Varsity and represent the club committee, I am a prime example of how jumping out of your comfort zone can lead to unique memories and experiences.You very much get out what you put in, so if anyone has any doubts, just go for it!

We are all part of RUMS from the moment we begin our studies at UCL, but much of the identity we acquire during our time here is based around our activities, and the sports teams and societies that we join and contribute to. RUMS is a unique association at UCL in that it solely focuses on addressing the concerns and experiences of medical students. We need to increase the inclusion within these groups and support the incoming freshers in what can be a stressful (but incredibly fun) first year. The sports teams and societies that represent RUMS are one of our most visible and highest achieving factions; not just within UCL, but London as a whole. This is reflected year on year by our strong league and cup performances, and with numerous RUMS sports teams holding the title of UCL ones (despite the fact that our intake is a tiny proportion of the university’s total). Some of our teams compete in the annual London Varsity event against GKT, whilst RUMS Rugby compete in the oldest rugby union competition in the world - UH Cup (winners 2015, runners up 2016). RUMS Boat Club annually competes in UH Bumps against other medical schools, and the MDs run numerous shows throughout the year. These are just a few of the goings on at medical school.

I am really looking forward to representing RUMS in the coming year, addressing problems that I have experienced during my time at university. I am eager to maintain the importance of RUMS sports and societies, as well as introducing inclusive and exciting new activities. If any of you have any queries or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me, via Facebook or email: zchaje0@ucl.ac.uk. See you all next year!

James Shuttleworth MBBS Year 4 Sports and Societies VP

Vol.II No.I

Sports & Societies RUMS Badminton

RUMS Cricket

RUMS Badminton continues to thrive as one of the largest and most established clubs in the medical school. Comprised of members in all year groups and abilities, we take pride in the inclusive nature of our club. Last season saw success for the men’s team, achieving promotion and an undefeated season. Equally, the women’s team had a fantastic year with new and old members working hard in training and matches. Next year we hope that both teams, captained by Vinodh Arumugam and Kate Brown, will be just as successful with a new intake of talented players. Our training sessions are available at a variety of ability levels: team training, development squad, and a more relaxed social practice. Outside of the sport itself, the social side continues to hook members. Wednesday sports nights are a staple of both the club and RUMS, along with events such as club meals, tour, UH sports night and a trip to the All England Championships, run by our friendly social secretaries. BADeducation - a series of tutorials led by members for members has continued to expand. OSCE practice sees the return of former alumni members. Additionally, we will be continuing charity initiatives led by our Volunteering Officer, Catherine Storm. Please join our Facebook group (‘RUMS Badminton’) or follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@RUMSBadminton). If you have any questions please email our president, Ken Kawamoto (ken.kawamoto.13@ucl. ac.uk) or our Treasurer, Arnav Srivastava (arnav.srivastava.14@ucl. ac.uk).

Once again named by Carlsberg as “Probably the Best Cricket Club in the World”, RUMS CC continues to go from strength to strength. Boasting a talented squad, a packed social calendar and the prospect of a tour to Barbados, the future looks bright for cricket in RUMS. Our year begins with weekly nets at the Home of Cricket - Lord’s. 2016 will also bring the new “RUMS Premier League” - our winter intra-club indoor league, pitting teammates against each other in a bid to settle ultimate bragging rights. In the summer we move outdoors, fielding a first and second XI in BUCS, LUSL and UH competitions. Yet another prolific season saw RUMS CC claim the UH Plate and retain their title as UH T20 Champions. The inaugural RUMS T20 day then capped the year off in style, with the club welcoming teams from RUMS Rugby and Hockey for a dramatic day’s cricket. There has never been a better time to join RUMS CC and newcomers of all standards are welcomed. Off the field, weekly sports nights and socials provide a break from lectures, with classics like the Annual RUMS CC Poker Night guaranteed to provide some much needed light relief. August 2017 will then see the club jet off to the Caribbean for an unforgettable tour in Barbados. With excitement in the club already at fever pitch, now is the time to get involved and claim your place on the plane! So whether you are looking for competitive university cricket, or to meet some new people and have a laugh, RUMS CC is the club for you. We would love to hear from you, so for more information feel free to e-mail me at james.groves.13@ucl.ac.uk or follow our Twitter @ RUMSCC for more updates. James Groves, RUMS Cricket Club President

RUMS Boat Club

Islamic Society

RUMS Boat Club is the largest RUMS sports club, consisting of over 100 men and women of all abilities.We have six main teams (or crews) that regularly train and compete - these being our men’s and women’s first and second VIIIs, as well as a novice men’s boat and a novice women’s boat. Most of our rowers start as complete beginners and spend a year in the novice boat, receiving on-water coaching from our Novice Captains. However, we also welcome experienced rowers or coxes for our senior squads. The club has enjoyed a couple of years of great success, having being crowned United Hospital (UH) champions two years in a row, bettering the likes of Imperial, King’s and St. George’s. Outside of UH events, we compete at Cambridge, BUCS events, the international Head of the River Races and send rowers to compete at Henley Royal Regatta. In addition to competitive rowing performances, we have a vibrant social calendar with weekly sports nights, two formal dinners a year and special events following races. We pride ourselves on being a mixed-gender club and our social events reflect this. If you have seen the rowing success at the Olympics and want to give the sport a go, or just want to try something new, then we would love to hear from you at http://www.rumsbc.co.uk/, @rumsbc on twitter, or by finding RUMS Boat-Club on Facebook. Sam Jackson, RUMSBC President.

Welcome to RUMS Islamic Society (Isoc). We are open to all medical students and provide pastoral and academic support for members across all year groups. Our members, including Muslims and non-Muslims, receive regular tutorials throughout the year delivered by members of older year groups. We also assign a personal mentor to each fresher who will answer any questions you have about medical school and help ease you into university life, as well as being a familiar face at the regular socials we have to help freshers integrate and balance enjoyment with the hectic life of a medical student. We have an annual conference presented by various doctors and psychiatrists on the topic of mental health and confronting taboos. Last year it was attended by 200 people from across different universities and professions. We also play a major role in UCL Charity Week during which we raise money for orphans across the world, last year raising £109,000; £30,000 of which was raised in one evening during RUMS Isoc run Charity week dinner and auction. We also run outreach projects in the community, such as teaching basic life support, and in secondary schools, such as teaching students how to suture. Larger events run by RUMS Isoc include AspireMed and BMAT courses during which we teach secondary school students what life as a medical student is like and how to get into medical school.

RUMS Review

Sports & Societies If you would like to get involved with the academics, socials or community, there is a place in RUMS Isoc for you. If you have any questions feel free to message our president, Lukon Miah, at lukon.miah.14@ucl. ac.uk, or message sarah.mahmood.14@ucl.ac.uk - alternatively, check out out Facebook page.

pen without our amazing tech team. Is that a musical instrument in your pocket? Well why not join our band and help provide the music for our musical and pop parodies. With socials every Thursday (often ending with shapes being thrown all over the dance floor) and a legendary annual weekend trip to an undisclosed location, where we rehearse and go crazy with equal measure, you’re guaranteed the best of times with us! If you fancy what we do and want to join in, we would love to have you, so keep an eye out for auditions on our Facebook page and Twitter (@ MDsComedyRevue). If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch: mdscomedyrevue@gmail.com

RUMS LGBT+ RUMS LGBT+ is a branch of UCLU LGBT+; we make sure that LGBT+ medical students have the best time they can at UCL and their specific opinions are heard. Last year - our first after re-launch - we ran plenty of events and our group has grown massively. We hosted loads of dinners and drinks nights, and organised sexual health chats and film screenings. A lot of RUMS students made very close friends through the RUMS LGBT+ and we are all here to support each other, with work and with social life. Make sure to get involved this year to meet similar people in a relaxed, commitment-free setting. Andrew C.Tindall, RUMS LGBT+ President

Medic to Medic Charity Committee Keen to make a difference abroad? Passionate about global health and tropical medicine? Is charity work for you? Medic to Medic (M2M) is a UK registered charity which helps support healthcare profession trainees, including doctors, nurses and physiotherapists in Malawi and Uganda.The charity aids trainees by providing student sponsorship and learning resources. Currently, there is one doctor for every 50,000 people in Malawi creating a huge pressure to train professionals and keep them in their country of origin. With the current economic crisis in Malawi, the burden on healthcare is greater than ever. Last year, the M2M committee raised funds and awareness for the charity with a major event each term. Notably, a “Medicine and Africa” art exhibition was hosted in January, displaying exceptional pieces by students and a professional guest artist. Carol singing, bucket collections, marathon sponsorship and elective study workshops also took place in the 2016-2017 season. Additionally, Alice, a qualified physiotherapist from Malawi, visited London while on a short placement in Glasgow. It was a privilege to hear about Alice’s enriching career following the sponsorship she received. This year, M2M are recruiting a committee who will be responsible for carrying on the fundraising work and innovation at UCL, and in wider London. A committee position provides creativity, flexibility and accommodates the medical school timetable. There is the opportunity to visit and do project work in Malawi, in collaboration with the work of Alex’s Medical & Educational Clinic in Africa (AMECA). To find out more please visit: https://www.medictomedic.org. uk and to express interest in being part of the committee or for any enquiries, please contact Elle Wilson: zchaejw@ucl.ac.uk.

MDs Have experience onstage, backstage or in a band? Great! Don’t take yourself too seriously, enjoying looking on the funnier side of things and looking for like-minded people? Even better! The MDs Comedy Revue may be the place for you. It all began 117 years ago, with a few medical students performing in the Middlesex Hospital wards around Christmas, cheering up patients with their sketches. We may have moved from wards to theatres but making people laugh is still our number one priority. The MDs’ annual Christmas show is a singing and (questionable) dancing extravaganza, and with our return to the Edinburgh Fringe, the coming year promises to be bigger and better than ever! Hopefully, the Freshers’ Show on 1st of October will give you your first injection of our medically related humour. We welcome everyone to come along and give your funny bones some exercise. Not a fan of the spotlight? Our shows would not hap-

Vol.II No.I

Sports & Societies Medic to Medic Charity Committee

RUMS Rugby

RUMS Mixed Basketball RUMS Mixed Basketball - for the first time ever! Fancy a shot at being part of mixed basketball? Wondered where it has been all these years? Without a doubt, RUMS dominates in all sports. We own at rugby, hockey, rowing and netball to name a few. However, it’s time to take on the basketball game. Calling for players of all levels of experience and genders! This could be the game for you. Subject to interest, the season will begin with training sessions and social fun with the hope of league entry and winning glory. To express interest, come find us at the Freshers’ Fayre or contact Elle or Derek on zchaejw@ucl.ac.uk.

RUMS Netball RUMS Netball is a thriving club consisting of more than 80 fun, friendly medics from freshers right up to final years. We have six teams catering for all abilities and hold weekly training and fitness sessions. Four of our teams compete in both LUSL and BUCS leagues, with the other two teams also playing regular matches. We also have a packed social calendar and an annual tour, providing you with many opportunities to meet new people, both within the netball club, and from other clubs in RUMS. We have been thrilled to welcome an unprecedented number of new members into the club over the last two years, which has propelled us forward to be one of the biggest RUMS sports clubs. Aside from playing netball, we continued with our volunteering scheme with ‘KEEN’. We also raised £507.22 for ‘Children’s House of Hope’ at our famous annual Lumsden Cup tournament - a netball tournament created with teams from all of RUMS Sports! Our Alumni cup took place in January where we welcomed back old RUMS Netball girls, and our tour took us to Liverpool for a packed social weekend enjoyed by many of our members. Whether you are looking to play netball seriously, or to simply have some fun, we are the club for you! If you have any questions, please contact me at emily.house.13@ucl.ac.uk, check out our website www. rumsnetball.co.uk, search ‘RUMS Netball’ on Facebook, tweet us @ RUMSnetball, or follow us on Instagram. We hope that the coming season will be as fun and successful as the last, and I look forward to welcoming new members to join in the fun, both on and off-court! Emily House, Club President.

RUMS Review

RUMS Rugby is a club for all abilities. Our first XV are UCL’s highest ranked rugby team and the highest ranked sports team in RUMS, making us ideally suited to the established player. Our second XV, known as the Boars, are the heart and soul of the club, catering to players both new and old. Our third XV, known as the Piglets, are perfect for those new to the sport or the casual player looking for an occasional game. We host weekly socials following our Wednesday matches in the Huntley Bar, as well as occasional trips to curry houses, karaoke and sporting events. We travel to Germany every year to sample the sights and sounds of Oktoberfest and participate in the Munich Sevens Festival. We have also struck up a partnership with a French university, PSL, in recent years, meaning an annual fixture alternating between London and Paris. The rugby club are also responsible for one of the biggest events in the RUMS calendar: The Bill Smith’s Cup. This is an exhibition match contested between first year and second year sides, held during the final week of first term.The game commemorates a late medical school lecturer that dedicated a huge amount of time and effort to our club.The match always draws a big crowd, but is best known for its infamous promotional videos, allowing members to show off their creative sides. Whether you’re an experienced player or you have never picked up a rugby ball in your life, we’ve got a spot for you. If you’re interested in joining the rugby club, or have any questions, follow the club on Twitter (@OfficialRUMSRFC) or drop me an email (jack.smith.13@ ucl.ac.uk). Jack Smith, President.

RUMS Men’s FC RUMS Football is one of the biggest clubs in RUMS with five 11-a-side teams playing in both BUCS and LUSL leagues, providing the opportunity for players of all abilities to get involved. All teams train on Mondays with matches typically being played on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Transport is free to our home games at Shenley, which is shared with Watford FC, giving you the chance to play on a top quality pitch. In 2015/16, RUMS FC had another strong season. The first XI reached new heights by establishing themselves as one of the best London

Sports & Societies RUMS Squash

university teams, finishing third in LUSL Premier, placing higher than UCL firsts. While the second XI narrowly missed out on promotion, the other teams endured mixed seasons but showed potential for improvement in the coming season. Off the pitch, we have an exciting social scene that involves weekly sports nights at the Huntley, mixed socials with other RUMS clubs, alumni events, and club meals. The highlights of our yearly social calendar include the annual John’s Cup, where freshers play second years, and two national tours. Last year, one tour saw us travel to Liverpool to compete in the annual National Association of Medical Schools’ Football Tournament. We left victorious, continuing the club’s proud tradition by winning for the 47th consecutive year. With plans being made for the first RUMS vs GKT Varsity Football match, and our volunteering scheme - running football sessions for pupils at UCL Academy – continuing to pick up steam, it is sure to be another great season at RUMS FC.

RUMS Squash is a friendly, sociable club.We welcome players of all abilities to try out for the teams or simply join our weekly social sessions to learn a fun and exciting sport! We have two men’s teams and one women’s team playing in the LUSL and BUCS leagues, with our men’s first team playing in the LUSL Premier Division. There are three training sessions a week with regular coaching - men’s team training, women’s team training and a session for social players.Training takes place at the Royal Free Hospital courts. We also organise regular social activities and dinners which are a perfect opportunity to get to know everybody off the court, and you’ll also find us on the top floor of the Huntley during sports nights every Wednesday. We conduct an annual foreign squash tour (last year we went to Belgium), in addition to an annual tour to Birmingham for the national medic’s squash tournament. These tours are for casual and experienced players alike and are always the highlight of the year! New to RUMS squash is our education wing. We conduct OSCE practice sessions as well as more formal teaching sessions from senior years. It’s a great opportunity to brush up on some exam practice, and get an idea of how best to approach medical school. Sri Sivarajan, RUMS Squash President

RUMS Music RUMS Music aims to nurture and showcase the music talent within UCL Medical School. We are one of the smaller RUMS societies, however we are friendly and inclusive, welcoming a range of abilities from absolute beginners to experts. Our choir and strings group both have weekly rehearsals where members practice music from a range of genres. The rehearsals are fun, friendly and relaxed and are a great way to take some time out from studying and meet others within the medical school. We are also hoping this year to start up a group for wind instruments, to broaden the range of instruments we can accommodate. Last year, our musicians and singers performed for charity in various places such as in churches, care homes and at the Whittington hospital. The highlight of our year was our annual Spring Concert, where all RUMS musicians gathered together to perform. Freshers who are interested in joining our society, or have any questions, should contact uclu-rumsmusicsociety@ucl.ac.uk. Lloyd Warren, RUMS Music President.

RUMS Tennis RUMS Tennis is an absolutely fantastic club, consisting of more than 80 members. Whether you’re a beginner or the next Roger Federer, we welcome players of all talents and abilities. Representing the club, we have two men’s teams and a women’s team playing in the BUCS Leagues and we also take part in the United Hospitals (UH) competitions. The teams did very well last year: all of them maintained their positions in the leagues, we won the UH League Cup Men’s Doubles and also came runners up in the UH Mixed Doubles. Furthermore, RUMS Tennis Men’s first team also won RUMS Team of the Year for their prior success in the UH competitions. On Wednesday afternoons, we have our social tennis where everybody is welcome to join in regardless of whether you have played before or not. We also have our development squad for players pushing to be in the men’s and women’s teams. We hope to build on the success we had last year with each of our teams and will be looking to connect more with our sponsors. Additionally, we will have more social events coming up, including our trip to the ATP World Tour Finals, our yearly tour to a top secret location and our countless sports nights! If you are looking for a sports society to welcome you with open arms, help you improve your tennis ability or provide you with endless-

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Sports & Societies entertainment, then RUMS Tennis is the club for you. If you join us, we will aim to make your RUMS experience the best it possibly can be! Check us out on Facebook or www.rumstennis.co.uk. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to email me at ammar.hilali.12@ucl.ac.uk. Ammar Hilali, RUMS Tennis President 2016/17

RUMS Men’s Hockey Fast-paced, team-based and a whole lot of fun, it’s no surprise that hockey is one of the most popular university sports. RUMS Hockey Club caters for players of all abilities, with three teams in action every Wednesday, and two representing us in the Sunday LUSL leagues. Our first XI plays highly competitive fixtures against other universities; the second team is for improving players, while our third XI has been created specifically for beginners. I started in the threes – the self-styled “Most Fun Team in RUMS” – who offer a relaxed learning environment and an ideal starting block for those lacking in stickball experience. The highpoint of the year is the fierce rivalry exhibited in the London Varsity Series match against GKT (King’s Medics) at the Olympic Park. Top players have the additional incentive of playing for the United Hospitals invitational team. A strong RUMS contribution to UH Hockey continues this year with Harry Bamber being elected as UH secretary. Regular training and fitness sessions add to our competitive edge, however a vibrant social scene continues away from the pitch. We run a plethora of combined social events with the women’s club, including tours to other UK medical schools, black tie dinners and the legendary weekly sports night. A recent sporting highlight was our preseason tour to Swansea, where a development squad trained intensively for three days before a nail-bitingly close match against Swansea University. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or considering picking up a stick for the first time, why not come along to the Olympic pitches for one of our Monday evening training sessions? We look forward to welcoming new members to the club. For more information please follow @RUMSHC on Twitter or email rumshockey@ucl.ac.uk. You will not regret your decision. Ollie Totham, RUMSHC President

RUMS Review

Sexpression Sexpression:UK is a student organisation that empowers young people to make decisions about sex and relationships. We achieve this through teaching our volunteers the knowledge and skills required to deliver interactive, engaging, and comprehensive sex education sessions in secondary schools and sixth form colleges. We are run as a first year Student Selected Component (SSC), as well as a volunteer project with the Volunteering Services Unit (VSU). Last year, we taught over 650 students between the ages of 11-18. This year, we aim to teach even more! It has never been a more exciting time to join, as this year Sexpression:UK became a registered charity! As well as teaching in schools, we do a lot of advocacy work. Last year, we had the chance to go to Parliament and talk about issues important to us, including Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) in schools, and gender-neutral HPV vaccination. We also run workshops at conferences, and campaigns on campus. So, if you are interested in expanding your skill set, improving your teaching skills, and making a real impact, join us! Have a look at our Facebook page for more information: www.facebook.com/uclsexpression or drop us an email to find out more: ucl@sexpression.org.uk. Nicole Sarens, Co-President of Sexpression UCL

Spectrum Spectrum is a volunteering society run solely by UCL medical students, which involves working with disabled children and their families in the Camden area. Now in its 34th year, the society is still growing and evolving with new projects and developments propelling us forward. Our purpose is to offer a befriending service to local children with both mental and physical disabilities. This a chance for the children to improve their communication and social skills but to also do their favourite activities such as swimming, going to the cinema or bowling; time away which is really appreciated by their parents/carers. Alongside various group trips during the year, to places such as the Science museum, Coram fields and Kentish Town City Farm, the highlight of the Spectrum calendar is always the annual residential trip to an outdoor activity centre.This year, we are hoping to recruit more volunteers and further expand the society with even more socials and group trips. We are a friendly bunch of volunteers and are always looking for new members, so if you enjoy volunteering and have an interest in Paediatrics or otherwise, we would love to hear from you. For more information or any questions about Spectrum please email us at: spectrum.rums@gmail.com or check us out on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/spectrum.rums), Twitter (https://twitter. com/spectrum_rums) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ spectrum_rums). We look forward to meeting you at our stall at the RUMS Freshers’ Fayre in September! Felicity Norris – Spectrum Chairperson 2016-17

Sports & Societies RAG

ning for our first term trip this year is well under way; it will take us somewhere more local, but will give us the opportunity to try out something new – look out for details! We also hope to run our second international expedition in the summer of 2017. Other plans include an outreach programme, regular skills sessions, conferences, and a busy social calendar (did someone say paintballing?). If you want to get in touch, follow us on Facebook (www. facebook.com/ucluwms), or visit our website (www.ucluwildernessmedicine.com). Mark Gavartin, President, UCLU Wilderness Medicine Society

Welcome to UCLU & RUMS Raise and Give (RAG) Society. Each year our society’s main aim is simple: to raise as much money as possible for our chosen charities through fun, adventurous and innovative events! From travelling as far as possible with no money in our infamous ‘Jailbreak’ event, to hiking to the rooftop of Africa, we offer our members once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to make their university experience unforgettable. Other events only offered by RAG at UCL include: falling out of a plane at 13,000ft in our Skydive, and, our newly introduced project abroad, climbing an active volcano and trekking through ice in our ‘Fire and Ice trek’ in Iceland. And for our less adventurous members, we also have a range of events and socials lined up for you. From eating competitions and pub quizzes, to blind dates and club nights organised with the other RAGs of London, UCLU & RUMS RAG has something in store for everyone! Last year, we proudly raised over £60,000 for charity and this year, we are hoping to raise even more money for our fantastic chosen charities: Make-a-Wish, Hope For Children, Breaking Barriers and Autistica. As one of the few societies that includes RUMS and UCLU students, we provide an opportunity to make friends from a variety of backgrounds. RAG events are highly flexible and the level of commitment can be tailored to your availability, so they are perfectly adapted to suit your busy lifestyle! If you are curious about what we do, keep an eye on our UCLU & RUMS RAG Facebook page and Twitter (@ UCLUandRUMSRAG).

RUMS Women’s FC Playing football seems an intimidating prospect for many ladies, especially with stereotypes of Bend it Like Beckham-esque athletes, able to scissor kick the ball whilst performing a headstand. We do have some gifted superstars in our club, but RUMSWFC is first and foremost a family and support system at medical school, with lovely ladies who just really enjoy kicking balls in their free time! Most ladies currently in the club took up football when they started university. We’ve had people progress from not knowing which foot is right or left, to winning man-of-the-match for the first team within their time at medical school. We have three teams: the firsts (playing competitive matches), the seconds (for anyone and everyone, it’s undoubtedly where you have the most fun - play for them once and see!) and a mixed ability (BUCS) team. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never kicked a football, you’ll be entirely immersed in the club through matches, training, socials, and tours (two per year!).

UCLU Wilderness Medicine Society UCLUWMS runs a busy calendar throughout the year, exploring wilderness and expedition medicine, pre-hospital care and outdoor skills – and yes, we do go outside (even if finding wilderness in the UK requires going outside the M25…)! We attract students across the subject spectrum at UCL – everyone is welcome, regardless of experience or knowledge. One of our missions is to provide an opportunity to work with experts. This gives medical students the chance to learn skills and concepts that are not part of the curriculum, whilst providing everyone else with the opportunity to pursue a niche interest! Last year, our lecture programme alone welcomed eminent space physician Prof Thais Russomano, military surgeon and trauma expert Lt Col Dylan Griffiths, renowned expedition leader and guide Shane Winser, and travelling all-round Ebola fighter Dr Alex Kumar. An exciting line-up of speakers is already materialising for the year! We have a great reputation for skills teaching and organising expedi tions to practise them in real environments – last year, we travelled to “exotic” locations within the UK, and had exciting opportunities to work with Search and Rescue and Mountain Rescue Teams. Plan-

Last season was an exciting one for RUMSWFC. Our seconds started by winning their first game in years, bringing a new level of enthusiasm to the players who enjoyed several more wins to top it off. The firsts were in the Premier division this season, facing tough opposition throughout. Despite this, there were magical moments during intense games; we definitely came top in team spirit! BUCS was epic simply because everyone, including freshers, played a match at some point, experiencing the exhilaration of a football game. We also played in the reinstated women’s UH final! Interested? We train Monday evenings, and Wednesday and Sunday afternoons in central London - we’d love to see you there! Check out Facebook,Twitter and Instagram at @RUMSWFC for more information! For questions, email lucy.tiffen.13@ucl.ac.uk.

Vol.II No.I

Sports & Societies RUMS Women’s FC

We also have just as much fun off the pitch with weekly Wednesday socials, as well as curries, pub-crawls and our incredible annual tour and End of Season Dinner with the men’s club. If you are interested in joining the best club in RUMS, please contact our President, Emily, on emily.croft.12@ucl.co.uk.

RUMS Women’s Hockey We are the Women’s Hockey club, welcoming beginners to veteran players.With 70 members the club is thriving, allowing us to field three teams. The first XI competes to a very high level, finishing above the UCL ones last season and annually competing against our GKT rivals at Varsity. Our second team is going from strength to strength, with a winning streak in the LUSL league resulting in a first place finish. The third team is a fantastic place for beginners to get into hockey, with enthusiastic and friendly members, as well as the opportunity to get into matches early and to have fun. All three teams play twice a week, with training on a Thursday at the Olympic pitches and regular team fitness sessions.

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Reforming Anatomy: The Interplay between Art & Surgery Scheduled for February 4, 2017 at The Institute of Contemporary Arts. Reforming Anatomy: The Interplay between Art & Surgery will be a multifaceted conference examining the human body through a cross-disciplinary lens. Experience the unity of surgical and artistic disciplines through an invigorating programme of keynote talks, workshops and performances. Join us as we take you on a journey to inspire creativity in surgical practice, encourage multidisciplinary collaboration, and reinstate the importance of anatomical study in contemporary art practices. Student Tickets Available. For more information check out: https://reforminganatomy.com and find us on the Reforming Anatomy Facebook page. Instagram: @reforminganatomy

Introducing UCLU Volunteering Services Unit As a UCL medical student, you’ve got access to one of the biggest university volunteering departments in the country. That’s us, UCLU’s Volunteering Services Unit. We’re dedicated to connecting UCL students with charities, not-for-profits and volunteering organisations across London. Last year, over 2,000 students took part in activities, and we like to think that we’ve got something for everyone. For instance, you could •Tutor young people to help them achieve their academic potential •Staff helplines for people needing a listening ear •Run sports activities for children with learning disabilities •Befriend refugees or other isolated people •Assist in cold weather shelters for homeless people

•Campaign on issues you care about •Help charities raise vital funds …to name just a few. We also offer loads of one-off volunteering events where you sign up and turn up, and you can also create your own project as part of our Student Led Volunteering programme. Medical students are our most active group of volunteers as they know it’s a great way to get valuable experience as well as meeting other students, discovering London and making a difference. To get started, visit us at uclu.org/volunteers or email volunteering@ucl.ac.uk

Sports & Societies

RUMS Freshers of the Year – Where Are They Now? OT: What have you achieved within your club since being voted FOTY? DBM: After following the legendary Adam Muse in doing the FOTY double (RUMS and RUMSHC), stardom took its toll. Reaching your highest achievement at the age of 19, combined with overnight celebrity status, was difficult, and I admit I wasn’t fully ready to take on the mantle. Tormented by the trophies as they stared at me in my small Ramsay room, I still had to hold back the tears when it was time to pass them on. OT: What’s your favourite memory from your first year? DBM:There are a few that won’t make the edit. (Confirmed, they did not.) I’d never picked up a hockey stick before university, so I’d have to say the standout highlight was my first win playing for the third XI against eight guys from Barts (and no goalie) in a 5-4 thriller. A simpler time; a happier time.

Dominic Blauth-Muszkowski

For many of us in RUMS Sport, “Memories” and “Sports Ball” are two phrases that seldom go hand in hand. However, there are two things you should definitely remember despite the inevitable winefuelled carnage of the annual gala: the names of the Freshers of the Year (FOTY). These are the supposed stars of the future; the ones to watch out for in the years to come. After Josie Baker and Josh Bryant swept up the gongs in March this year, I had a thought: where are the former FOTYs now? I wondered if first-year fame actually translated to captaincies, presidencies or general status as a RUMS legend further along your medical school career. Over the summer I caught up with RUMS Hockey’s Dominic Blauth-Muszkowski, RUMS Fresher of the Year (male) 2015, to find out how he had acclimatised to life as a minor medical school celebrity. Here are his responses to some vaguely serious and absolutely-not-serious-at-all questions. Ollie Totham, Sports & Societies Editor

RUMS Review

DBM:The pre-match ritual tends to involve a lie-in to guarantee optimum freshness, an unapologetic message to the captain warning them that I’ll almost certainly arrive twenty or thirty minutes late, an expletive-laden response and a meal deal (or a Big Mac on derby day). Post-match, the ritual normally begins with the realisation that we’ll probably never leave our BUCS division, Man of the Match (MoM)/Dick of the Day (DoD) nominations, a shower and beer or two. All the while, the unfortunate captain is trying to establish what the final score was. This could be anywhere from 1-0 to 30-0.

DBM: We had an Alan Partridge-themed sports night once. I was a poor quality Alan. My best efforts were for RUMS Hockey’s Robin Hood tour last year where Fred Vivian and I built the “Combine Harvestour”, complete with a functioning boom arm. We released photoshopped movie posters before the big reveal, to build the hype. Sadly, the cardboard didn’t have the durability to survive more than a couple of hours in the wild.

DBM: If your application process was like mine, it was long and boring. Now that you’re here, enjoy it. If your favourite thing in the whole world is sitting in LT1 all day, then congratulations. If, like most of us (I hope), that’s not your idea of fun, then find something else you like doing – like a sport or society. Commit to it and it will pay dividends by the end of the first term. Just don’t get stressed about work too soon. As far as I can work out, Easter is rubbish for everyone anyway, no matter how much you’ve worked throughout the year.

DBM: I’m not sure I have an opinion as to whether it would inherently make your work suffer any more than any other

OT: Talk me through your pre- and post-match rituals.

OT: What has been your favourite RUMS fancy dress theme?

OT: What would be your advice to a fresher joining RUMS in September?

OT: Some people believe that joining a sports team leads to a dip in academic success. What are your thoughts on the matter?

learning anatomy. It can be quite humbling.

extracurricular activity might. In reality, it just comes down to what people want to do withtheir time in RUMS. Everyone is different, but I’m confident most people do something else with their free time other than re-reading lecture notes… right? Sports and societies of fer far more opportunities and experiences to students, rather

than living in the library. OT: Did you/do you have any role models within the RUMS Sport community? DBM: I’ll refrain from naming any specific individuals, but there are a lot of really impressive people with talents beyond

Sports & Societies OT: What are your aspirations within RUMS? DBM: I suppose I always dreamed of eventually maturing enough to fade gracefully into mediocrity. Picture this: 10:30 on a Wednesday night in the Huntley, spirits are high. A balding man nurses a “Miller-bomb” alone at the bar. A curious fresher asks a club senior “Who’s that guy?” And so the story commences about my rise to stardom, subsequent fall, redemption, and failed coup attempt at the presidency. OT: What’s er-bomb?

Mill-

DBM: It’s where you do a Jägerbomb through a straw. I’m not sure why we attributed it to [RUMS Hockey’s own] Hamish Miller. I’m not convinced he’s ever tried one. OT: Do you have any aspirations to become a captain, president or RUMS VP? DBM: Absolutely not. I’d probably try to launch a banana republic against myself out of boredom. OT: What do you think about other RUMS or UCL sports teams? DBM: Shockingly enough, I actually quite like the other RUMS teams; they’re great fun. UCL aren’t worth my time to think about. OT: How has changed you?

RUMS

DBM: Wrong question. Let’s talk about how I have changed RUMS. Three words: chicken or ladle?

If you are a former RUMS FOTY with a story to tell, get in contact! Email oliver. totham.12@ucl.ac.uk.

COMEDY COLUMN COMEDY COLUMN COMEDY COLUMN COMEDY COLUMN COMEDY COLUMN

The “Alternative” Book Review Junior Doctors’ Contract getting you down again? Just too much D&P to read in too little time? Grab a cup of tea, sit down, put your feet up and take a read of our Comedy Column. Yes, it’s a total waste of your time, but you’ll feel better for it - we promise!

COMEDY COLUMN COMEDY COLUMN COMEDY COLUMN COMEDY COLUMN COMEDY COLUMN

Dean and Pegington (D&P)

Indrajeet’s Notes

The journey of pre-clinical anatomy at UCL is guided by and centred around the meticulously designed trilogy that is Core Anatomy for Students by Christopher Dean and John Pegington.

Pseudonyms include Indra, I. DOT, Notorious IN.DRA.JEET. True fans have been crazy about him since day one, way back when his EP First Year Notes came out. Like RUMS’s very own Dickens, some of his works are left unfinished. However infuriating this may be, true Jeeties know that, like Frank Ocean, he’ll always follow through and drop them some day. But here lies one of life’s oldest questions: which came first; the Liyang or the Indra? A question that may never be answered, but if you miss that old school, spoon-fed secondary school life then these are the notes for you.

Some call it the Bible – as if Jesus had left it for you to colour in yourself. True, you can’t really hope to pass UCL anatomy without these books. What we really appreciated about the series was the thought that went into the layout of the book; having the diagrams on a completely different page to the text truly was character building and, some might suggest, good preparation for working in a post-EU referendum NHS. Wheater’s Histology Currently in full stock in all libraries and medical students’ recycling bins near you. Book equivalent of that plant you never water. Acland’s Anatomy Forget about “Netflix and chill”, it’s all about “Acland’s and abstinence”. Acland’s is the Attenborough of the medical world – move over 999 What’s your emergency – Acland’s new BBC documentary The Blue Vein is coming soon. Who doesn’t love this guy? With his ever-changing and ambiguous accents (probably to evade the PoPo), Acland can pull you out of any D&P trough. Rumour has it that David Blane actually based his glass box stunt on Acland’s amazing dedication to live out his life in that one room filming videos. Liyang’s Notes Also known as the lecture notes found on moodle, these are an example of what the overachieving medic at UCL can achieve with the magic of modern technology’s copy and paste. However, Liyang’s Notes are not for the feint hearted: spanning a whopping 5 million pages, we’ve heard if you dare print and bind all of them, the resulting booklet would overtake the Shard as the tallest building in Europe. Despite scrolling up taking approximately 2.8 leap years, these notes have proved to be a go-to for centuries and centuries of infamous Lecturecasters. A deluxe package is also available, which includes tutorials on how to get kicked out of ULU shirtless.

Jack’s Notes An entity of the pre-Indrayang era, Jack is seen as the Godfather of RUMS. Some say Charmian actually makes her lectures from these notes. For all you hipsters out there, this is so vintage your mum used to wear it in the 80s. Having been designated a world heritage site by UNESCO, these are definitely notes to be trusted and have seen multiple students through first and second year. Of course, some of the information may be slightly outdated, but who says a slap on the back doesn’t still work as a treatment for asthma? Abdel’s Drive Discovered by a joint task force formed by MI5 and Stu, when opened this drive uncovered a wealth and abundance of assets never before seen by the human eye… Except those that actually made it to Anderson’s lectures. Although this drive may encompass everything you will ever need, beware: it is always trying to get back to its master… One drive to rule them all, one drive to find them, one drive to teach them all and in the darkness of med school bind them. Embryonic Disk This review is still in the development stage. Lecturecast When working = BAE. When failed to record = a deep, dark abyss of silent blurred movement picking away at your poor sports night-damaged brains. By Ros & Roger Java

Vol.II No.I

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