Dr Dagan Lonsdale, specialty registrar in clinical pharmacology, general and intensive care medicine, St George’s Hospital, University of London
What do you do? And what is a typical week for you?
I’m a trainee combining training in Clinical Pharmacology with Intensive Care Medicine. For me, one of the great things about Clinical Pharmacology is that there is no ‘typical week’. I have research, clinical, teaching and governance responsibilities so one week might be full time research – either working on my project or meeting with collaborators and the next might be a mix of clinical and policy work with the drugs and therapeutics committee.
What qualifications and experience do you have?
I’m an ‘ST7’, which means I am in the final period of my training, having qualified 10 years ago from medical school. In addition to my clinical training, I am completing a PhD in antimicrobial pharmacokinetics. Other skills and qualifications I have undertaken during my training include post-graduate certificates in education and statistics.
What’s the most interesting aspect of your job?
The variety of my work keeps it very interesting. Being able to work clinically, caring for some of the sickest patients in the hospital is a great privilege and combining this with time dedicated to working on new treatments for those patients is fantastic. If you were to force me to pick one thing that makes my job interesting, it is that I am constantly learning new skills to enable me to be a better researcher and clinician, ultimately with the aim of improving the care provided to patients.
What are your research interests?
My PhD is a population pharmacokinetic study of antimicrobials in critical illness. I have an interest in how we manage infection in hospital inpatients and improving the understanding of the way that critically ill patients handle drugs.
What one piece of advice would you give to someone seeking a career in clinical pharmacology?
In my view, one of the great strengths of clinical pharmacologists is their breadth of knowledge and variety of their training. Most clinical pharmacology trainees I know have been told at some point in their junior careers that the training program they are looking for doesn’t exist or isn’t possible – yet they manage it and become uniquely qualified consultants. My advice is not to believe people who tell you your desired training pathway is impossible!
If you are interested in the use of medicines, wherever that may be - in general medical populations, the critically ill or even paediatrics – then consider clinical pharmacology. Seek out Clinical Pharmacology consultants who have similar interests to you and talk to them about your career aspirations. In my experience, senior Clinical Pharmacologists know all of the right doors to open and the right people to talk to in order to make your career happen.