Tail Lights

Abstract

And so here we are : the end of another
academic year, summer beckons and the 4th
online edition of Surgo 2023/4. Timely then
to review the last year as we look forward to
a well-deserved holiday to recharge
ourselves for next year.
It was so joyous to see all the graduating
final year students at the GU to celebrate
their magnificent achievement and hear
their excitement in joining the noble
profession of Medicine come August.
Extremely proud of all of them and eager to
call them my colleagues!
MedChir has organised another successful
year packed full of social and educational
events. It is always an honor and pleasure to
be involved. A highlight was the Revue
judging invitation – especially when my and
other fabulous colleagues’ faces featured in
the winning (of course!) performance. Well
done the Glasgow Medics Netball Club!!!
Surgo (born in the 1930s) is now online – an
economic saving for MedChir and more
sustainable for the environment. Every
publication here on out is “discoverable”
published work is therefore legitimate CV
entries.
Very well done to those who submitted
visual abstracts to Surgo. I have learnt so
much from your interesting projects! FYI
the best 5 entries are published with
each issue of Surgo, with the overall end
of year winner receiving a grand £100
prize. (Get your skates on!)
Gratitude, thankfulness, or gratefulness
is a feeling of appreciation by a recipient
of another's kindness. This kindness can
be gifts, help, favors, or another form of
generosity to another person. The word
comes from the Latin word gratus,
which means "pleasing" or "thankful"
(Wikipedia). Not to be confused with
“gratis” (free, without charge)
fortunately for us, practicing gratitude is
free! Daily gratitude exercise can
improve our emotional wellbeing by
helping us cope with stress (1) – so here I
go:
This has been a busy year – a new
Radiology chapter in the latest Kumar
and Clark (eek!), speaking invitations to
Vienna and Gothenburg, runner up for
NHS Education Scotland Innovation in
Education prize and winning 2 grants
from the Association of Study of Medical
Education. I organised the Scottish
Radiological Society Spring Meeting
with a Well-Being and Education focus. It
was attended by almost 100 radiologists,
the first to witness a standing ovation (I
think) and the wonderful, generous
feedback was deeply humbling.
I am grateful to my family, all my clinical
and radiological colleagues, the
university, medical students and my
patients They allow me to improve patient care
directly and also indirectly through my
interactions with you - tomorrow’s
doctors.
Finally, I am very grateful to have got to
know and work with Anna Bradford,
Surgo Editor in Chief this year. Anna is a
force of nature – publishing 4 issues of
this year (“usual” is 2 issues/year with no
publications for a while! That is a tale for
another Tail lights…). Her energy,
enthusiasm and determination has been
instrumental in bringing Surgo into the
21st Century and online. I wish her all the
very best as she hunkers down to the
business of getting through final year
MBChB. I am looking forward to working
with Daanyaal Ashraf who has many
ideas for Surgo 2024/5.
Future
I am brimming with excitement to
welcoming students, international and
local experts to the Uncertainty in
Medicine / Humanities elective this
summer. The Surgo Visual Abstract
Competition will continue into 2024/25
so please send in your interesting
projects to Daanyaal (publication = CV
fodder and £20 prize – don’t say I am not
generous to you!). Finally, I am looking
forward to my new role at Dundee
Medical School.
Until the next Tail lights – have a great
summer!