Medicine, Medical Research and Health and Social Services career panel

The first Jujiro career panel of 2019 was held on Tuesday 5^th February, bringing together a wide variety of professional expertise from across the worlds of medicine, research and healthcare.

We were delighted to welcome alumnae Sophia Anderton and Diana Goldin, who joined parents Genghis Lloyd-Harris and Tanya Thirkell to form Tuesday’s panel.

Each speaker brought with them a broad range of experience and knowledge from within their chosen field:

Sophia Anderton studied Chemistry at A level, before completing her Master’s in Chemistry at Durham University. Sophia now works as Head of Publishing at the British Institute of Radiology, where she collaborates with researchers from across the globe.

Diana Goldin originally trained as an Occupational Therapist at Brunel University before becoming a Family and Systemic Psychotherapist at the Royal Free Hospital London in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. Diana also teaches at the Tavistock and Portman Clinic on the Post-Graduate Diploma and Masters courses.

Dr Genghis Lloyd-Harris is a parent of a current Regent’s Park pupil, and having previously trained as a paediatrician, now works in the field of biotechnology and is a partner at Abingworth.

Dr Tanya Thirkell, also a parent, is a Consultant Psychiatrist/Clinical Director at Harrow Mental Health Services.

The four panellists discussed their careers to date in front of an attentive audience of pupils and parents. With their diverse range of expertise, they were able to impart some invaluable advice, where they discussed education, key skills, career pathways and the future of medicine and research. Despite their varied careers, all agreed that strong communication skills and resilience were necessary to navigate the often tough worlds of medicine and the healthcare professions.

Sophie was emphatic that her decision to study Chemistry both at A level (which was very much encouraged by her teachers at Regent’s Park) and as a postgraduate came from the heart, and urged the pupils to study the subjects they loved.

Medical and healthcare degrees, it was concluded, are excellent stepping stones to a panoply of careers, with medicine being viewed as a particularly valuable degree to possess; one that is attractive to many employers. The potential to diversify within the world of medicine is broad and carries much potential, as demonstrated by the panel.

The event was brought to a close with a lively Q&A session, where the audience were able to engage with the speakers individually.
Many thanks to our guest panel for inspiring and regaling the pupils with tales resulting from years of dedication and hard work.