Laura Heath
GP Academic Clinical Fellow
Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences
Tell us a bit about your role
Half of my time is working at as a GP Registrar at a busy surgery in Cowley, East Oxford. The other half is spent in the Health Behaviours team at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences. I followed a traditional route, having undertaken an Academic Foundation programme in the department, and I enjoyed it so much, I came back for more! I see my role as part of the prevention/ public health arm of Medical Sciences – to enable people to live healthier, longer lives.
What is the most meaningful aspect of your work?
I love working in primary care – it keeps you grounded in real life, maintain a broad medical knowledge, and provides endless research inspiration. I enjoy using elements of primary care research in my clinical practice – whether this be using weight loss interventions, aspects of conversation analysis, or trying to use tests in the most evidence based way.
Can you tell us about something you've done, contributed to that you're most proud of?
During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, I worked in a busy palliative care team. Together with hospital colleagues, we documented symptoms and symptom management at the end of life of patients dying of COVID-19. Despite over 1 million deaths, this was a largely overlooked aspect of the pandemic. We are currently collating the evidence from other teams on this subject for a rapid review. This highlighted the lack of visitation at the end of life, and anticipated increased bereavement support families and loved ones would need.
What changes would you most like to see in the Medical Sciences in the next 100 years?
As a GP and public health enthusiast, I would love to see a greater emphasis on primary care practice, research and system. The pandemic has revealed how much we depend on the ‘invisible’ infrastructure of public health, prevention, and local knowledge, which delivers in a disproportionate way to its degree of funding. I would love to see what could happen if this were properly resourced!