Episode 9: Vernon Bainton on Career Serendipity, Overcoming Clinical Guilt, and Leading Global Health Communications
What does it take to walk away from anaesthetics and lead one of the world’s top healthcare communication networks?In this episode, we speak with Dr Vernon Bainton—Chief Medical Officer at HavasLynx—about his unconventional journey from hospital medicine to global medical communications. Vernon shares how personal upheaval, health challenges, and an unexpected meeting with three entrepreneurial clinicians changed the trajectory of his career.We dive into:💡 Finding career clarity through serendipity, not a five-year plan🚪 Leaving medicine and shedding the guilt that comes with it🌍 Launching global health campaigns that reach millions🎯 Building a vocation in communication, creativity, and strategic influence🧠 Why transferable skills matter more than you think—and how to spot yoursThis is a must-listen for any clinician contemplating a leap into the unknown.Follow us on:🗞️ Substack: outofprogramme.com➡️ Youtube: @outofprogramme🎧 Spotify: Listen here🍎 Apple Podcasts: Listen here
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Episode 8: Elsa Varghese on Leaving Residency, the Pressure of Family Expectations, and Building Medical Games
What happens when you choose not to pursue residency after medical school?In this episode, we speak with Elsa Varghese—a medical doctor who walked away from the traditional path to build a career at the cutting edge of digital health. From family pressure and financial worries to launching clinical games at Level X and leading teams at Snake Inc., Elsa shares how she transformed uncertainty into opportunity.We dive into:💡 Finding purpose beyond the ward🎮 Building medical education games with Hollywood-style teams🧠 Leading diverse teams as a medical director🏥 Redefining success in a system that doesn’t make space for changeElsa’s story is a must-listen for anyone questioning the status quo in clinical careers.
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Episode 7: Iain Hennessey on Carving an Innovation Career in the NHS, Building the Alder Hey Innovation Hub, and Balancing Surgery with Tech Leadership
What does it take to be a paediatric surgeon and the driving force behind one of the NHS’s most groundbreaking innovation hubs?In this episode, we sit down with Mr. Iain Hennessey, Consultant Paediatric Surgeon and Clinical Director of Innovation at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. From a childhood spent in the mine rescue medical centre to founding the iconic Alder Hey Innovation Hub (aka the Batcave), Iain shares how he fused medicine, creativity, and technology to forge a truly unconventional clinical career.Tune in to hear:How Iain’s engineering instincts and love of theatre shaped his surgical journeyThe origin story of the Alder Hey Innovation Hub and why 2014 was a tipping point for NHS innovationHonest reflections on risk, failure, and redefining clinical successPractical advice for doctors who want to explore innovation without leaving medicine behindWhether you're a med student, clinician, or creative thinker at a crossroads, this episode is your invitation to imagine a different kind of future in healthcare.
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Episode 6: Dr Anushka Patchava on Founding with Purpose, Mental Health Breakthroughs, and Leading with Authenticity
From Imperial dropout to Cambridge medic to digital health leader — Dr. Anushka Patchava’s career has been anything but traditional.In this candid and energising conversation, Anushka reflects on:The cultural and internal pressures that pushed her into medicineWhy she left radiology (and what a night shift at King’s Hospital had to do with it)Her difficult but necessary leap into consulting and health insuranceBuilding WellEx and why she walked away from itHer brutally honest journey with mental health — and how it led her to join a mental health startupAnushka brings radical honesty, vulnerability, and wisdom to a conversation about identity, ambition, and the courage to start again — again and again. Whether you're contemplating a transition or simply curious about what life outside of clinical work looks like, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.Follow us on:🗞️ Substack: Out Of Programme Podcast ➡️ Youtube: @outofprogramme👨💻 LinkedIn: @outofprogramme
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Episode 5: Sam Shah on the Fallout with NHSX, Pivoting from Dentistry to Law, and Thriving Outside the System
Professor Sam Shah has worn more hats than most clinicians ever dream of — dentist, public health leader, NHS digital director, startup founder, and now lawyer. But none of it has been linear.In this energising, no-holds-barred conversation, Sam reflects on:How being too curious almost got him thrown out of dental school — twiceWhy he challenged his deans and training programmes (and what he’d do differently now)The realities of navigating NHS hierarchy and its unwritten rulesWhy he left NHSX and how the politics shaped his next movesStartup life, burnout, and building resilience through lived experienceHow he juggles regulatory law, urgent care, board work, and still says yes too often!🎧 A must-listen for anyone questioning the "right" way to build a career in healthcare.Follow us on:🗞️ Substack: http://outofprogramme.com ➡️ Youtube: @outofprogramme👨💻 LinkedIn: @outofprogramme
The Out Of Programme (OOP) podcast shines a spotlight on clinicians who have ventured beyond the traditional path of clinical training to forge unique and unconventional careers. Hosted by Drs Jing and Muhammad, this series delves into the diverse backgrounds, driving motivations and transformative moments that shaped their journeys outside the realm of medicine. Whether you’re a clinician curious about life beyond the white coat or simply fascinated by stories of bold career reinvention, this podcast offers inspiring conversations and thought-provoking insights that go beyond the ordinary.
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