After house jobs, Itrained in
anaesthetics at Western Infirmary, Glasgow getting the FFARCS in 1976. For the
next few years, I had various sessions in anaesthetics and for the Blood Transfusion Service. In 1984, I
started in Virology at the Regional Virus Lab at Ruchill Hospital.
I passed the MRCPath in 1988 and became Glasgow University Senior Lecturer/Hon
Consultant in Virology. I spent rewarding years at the Institute of Virology
working alongside world class researchers. My own research was in hepatitis Cwhile also teaching undergraduates, doing
routine diagnostic virology and hepatitis clinics with Peter Mills at
Gartnavel. In 2007, Ibecame Lead
Virologist for Wales.
This has given me the chance to work with Welsh epidemiologists to develop
strategies for public health independent of the Health Protection Agency (as Scotland always
has been). Day to day work is the ever improving diagnosis and treatment of
virus disease.
Personal Details
Douglas and I married in 1973 and had Andrew in 1976, Fiona in 1979 and
Heather in 1981. Sadly, Andrew, a software engineer, died suddenly of a
pulmonary embolus in 2007. Fiona is a physiotherapist, Heather an architect and
both are based in Glasgow.
Douglas and I attend a very lively church in Cardiff and that has certainly helped us to
feel part of the community. We still manage to play tennis and have joined a
friendly local club. South Wales has beautiful
countryside for walking and cycling at the coast, in the valleys, which are
returning to their pre-coal mining beauty, and in the Brecon Beacons.We’re becoming more interested in bird
watching living beside the Glamorgan Canal Nature Reserve. We still have our house
in Old Kilpatrick and return regularly which allows us to stay in touch with Glasgow friends from
work, church, tennis, hill walking etc.
