Dr Terry Quinn

Dr Terry Quinn, FESO, MD, MRCP, MBChB (hons), BSc MedSci (hons) Stroke Association / Chief Scientist Office Senior Lecturer

Being fortunate enough to hold a Scottish Clinical Research Excellence Development Scheme (SCREDS) Clinical Lecturer post in Geriatric Medicine from 2010 to 2015,  I was based in the Institute of ‌Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow.

My Lectureship took me from early specialist training through to my current consultant post and Senior Clinical Lectureship. 

When I returned to clinical training, having completed a two year research MD, I applied for the Clinical Lecturer post.  

Although I had academic aspirations and plentiful enthusiasm, I was still rather inexperienced. 

The SCREDS Clinical Lecturer scheme does not mandate a particular research program and I had the space and opportunity to try a variety of differing research approaches and techniques.  

The unit was very supportive and under the watchful eyes of Professor David Stott, Professor Peter Langhorne and others, was able to gain my first experience in fundamental research skills such as managing a grant; supervising a PhD and communicating science.

The SCREDS scheme allows for one day a week of protected research time. 

This one day can quickly be taken up by administrative tasks; teaching and clinical work and so it is vital that SCREDS Clinical Lecturers can manage their time effectively. 

The protected time in the SCREDS scheme is less than in offered in other Clinical Lectureships and this is something to be mindful of when applying for more senior positions. 

However, with a bit of hard work, a lot can be achieved in this time and during the period of my Clinical Lectureship I published over 50 papers; became associate editor of the top clinical journal in my field and completed a research placement in University of Oxford.

Combining clinical training with academic activity necessitated delaying my CCT (Certificate of Completion of Training). 

Personally, I was glad of this as it gave me time to work on a competitive application for a Senior Lecturer Fellowship. 

The bar for a Senior Lectureships is set high, but it was encouraging to hear from interviewers that they recognised the SCREDS scheme had a track record of producing excellent clinical academics. 

I would not have been successful in obtaining my current Chief Scientist Office and Stroke Association Senior Lectureship had I not applied with the ‘quality assurance’ of SCREDS training in University of Glasgow. 

As the first Glasgow SCREDS Clinical Lecturer in Geriatric Medicine I appreciate that at the time of my appointment this may have been perceived as a risk. 

Hopefully, I have shown that the investment has paid off. 

Since becoming Senior Lecturer it has been heartening to see an increasing number of Geriatric Medicine trainees take an interest in research. 

In collaboration with West of Scotland deanery, I established an Evidence Based Medicine training day for Geriatric Medicine and this has proven fruitful in growing my research group and attracting new talent to the Glasgow SCREDS scheme. 

There is no doubt that the Glasgow Geriatric Medicine trainees currently supported by the SCREDS Clinical Lecturer scheme will be the research leaders of the future.

 

Dr Terry Quinn - FESO, MD, MRCP, MBChB (hons), BSc MedSci (hons) Stroke Association / Chief Scientist Office Senior Lecturer