Career Conversations

In this episode, Dr Heather Kennedy talks with Dr Amy Perkins about a career in Dermatology. Dr Perkins highlights what attracted her to the specialty, discusses her route to becoming a consultant, and gives advice for any medical students or resident doctors looking to develop their interest in the career.

Dr Amy Perkins is a Consultant Dermatologist at NHS Forth Valley and Honorary Clinical Lecturer at the University of Glasgow. She sits on the board of examiners for the Royal College of Physicians and is completing a Master’s degree in Skin Ageing and Aesthetic Medicine at the University of Manchester. Her interests include dermatology education, health misinformation on social media, digital health communication and the ethical integration of artificial intelligence into healthcare.

Dr Heather Kennedy has completed IMT and is currently working as a locum in NHS Fife. She is a member of the Trainees and Members' Committee.

Recording Date: April 2026

-- Useful Links --
British Association of Dermatologists - https://www.bad.org.uk/
DermSchool 2026 - https://bad.org.uk/events/18th-annual-dermschool-preconference-session
Physician Higher Specialty Training Recruitment in Dermatology - https://phstrecruitment.org.uk/specialties/dermatology

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https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/events

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This podcast is from the Trainees & Members' Committee (T&MC) of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE).

In this episode, Dr Marilena Giannoudi talks with Dr Toby Merriman about what it means to be the medical registrar. Based on research during his Masters in Medical Education, Dr Merriman discusses the different ways that people cope with being the medical registrar and some of the benefits of this difficult but rewarding position.

Dr Toby Merriman is an Acute Medicine Registrar working in NHS Lothian. While completing a Masters in Medical Education at the University of Dundee, he became interested in professional identity formation and the socialisation factors that influence this complex process. Inspired by his own experience, he studied the professional identity of the medical registrar for his Masters research. Along with his clinical work, he maintains an interest in simulation, clinical education and narrative research.

Dr Marilena Giannoudi is a cardiology registrar based in Leeds. She is Co-Chair of the Trainees and Members & Committee, a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and is currently undertaking a PhD.

Recording date: 24 March 2026

--Links--

JRCPTB Specialties - https://www.thefederation.uk/training/specialties

Physician Higher Specialty Training Recruitment - https://www.phstrecruitment.org.uk/

Dr Merriman's talk at the Medical Trainees' Conference 2026 (you must be a member to view) - https://learning.rcpe.ac.uk/mod/page/view.php?id=28041

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This podcast is from the Trainees & Members' Committee (T&MC) of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE).

In this episode Dr Marilena Giannoudi talks to Dr Clare Bostock about the important topic of work-life balance. Dr Bostock also discusses the concept of hyper-doing and shares advice gathered from their own experiences on when to recognise hyper-doing and reclaim the balance between the personal and the professional.

Dr Clare Bostock is a Consultant Geriatrician in Aberdeen. Outside work, she enjoys creative writing and a variety of sports, including triathlon . She confesses to being a 'hyper-doer' and is always looking for fresh ways to 'hyper-don't'.

Dr Marilena Giannoudi is a cardiology registrar based in Leeds. She is Co-Chair of the Trainees and Members & Committee, a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and is currently undertaking a PhD.

Recording Date: 18 February 2026

-- Useful Links --
Reframing failure; redefining success - Clare Bostock, 2025 - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14782715251368571

Hyper-doing? Hyper-don’t - Clare Bostock, 2023 - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/14782715231189297

Burnout and Work–Life Balance: Getting Personal - Clare Bostock, 2019 - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.4997/jrcpe.2019.202

Digital Life: Value or Vice? - Clare Bostock, 2019 - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.4997/jrcpe.2019.408

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This podcast is from the Trainees & Members' Committee (T&MC) of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE).

Dr Katherine Ralston (Consultant Physician and Geriatrician) joins Aoife Duignan (RCPE Trainees and Members' Committee) to discuss preparing to finish training and achieving your certificate of completion of training.

Dr Kat Ralston is a Geriatrician working in West Lothian.

Dr Aoife Duignan is Co-Chair of the Trainees & Members' Committee (T&MC) of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and Registrar in Geriatric and General Medicine in Edinburgh.

Recording Date: 29 January 2026

-- Useful Links --
JRCPTB Guidance - https://www.thefederation.uk/training/training-certification/completing-training
Consultant Conversations Podcast Episode - https://podcasts.rcpe.ac.uk/show/consultant-conversations/what-i-wish-i-knew-preparing-for-and-becoming-a-consultant-7-mar-2024/

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This podcast is from the Trainees & Members' Committee (T&MC) of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE).

This is a co-release with our sister podcast, Clinical Conversations.

In this episode, Dr Marilena Giannoudi talks with Dr Manav Sharma about the specialty, Aerospace Medicine. They discuss the pathways which lead to the specialty and some interesting cases.

Dr Manav Dutt Sharma is an aerospace medicine physician, former Indian Air Force flight surgeon and human factors specialist with over 23 years of experience at the intersection of aviation and healthcare. He has led an award‑winning primary healthcare centre in the Air Force, works on safety, service quality and systems improvement in hospitals, and has authored a forthcoming book, From Runways to Recovery Rooms, on what healthcare can learn from aviation.

Dr Marilena Giannoudi is a cardiology registrar based in Leeds. She is Co-Chair of the Trainees and Members & Committee, a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and is currently undertaking a PhD.

Recording date: 12 December 2025

--Links--
JRCPTB Specialty - https://www.thefederation.uk/training/specialties/aviation-and-space-medicine

Physician Higher Specialty Training Recruitment - https://www.phstrecruitment.org.uk/

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https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/events

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Feedback: cme@rcpe.ac.uk

This podcast is from the Trainees & Members' Committee (T&MC) of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE).