In each of the past 15 episodes, Prof. Martin McKee spoke with people he sees as role models for communicating medicine to a wider audience. He asked them about what inspired them, the lessons they have learned, and their advice for doctors who may want to follow in their footsteps.   In this bonus episode, we summarise their wise words and Martin shares his own advice to young doctors who may want to follow in his footsteps. You do not need to have listened to any of the episodes to enjoy this one, but we hope that if you haven't, this might pique your interest in listening to the series ..read more

In our final episode, Martin speaks to two special guests, from the team behind the BBC series ‘Call the Midwife’. Stephen McGann, who plays Dr Turner, and is not only an actor but also an experienced science communicator; and Heidi Thomas, an accomplished screenwriter and playwright who is the creator, writer, and executive producer of the series. They talk about the opportunities of the show to deliver health messages to its wide audience, the response doctors have had to fictional GP Dr Patrick Turner, Heidi’s childhood aspirations towards healthcare, Stephen’s science communication work, a ..read more

In this episode, Martin speaks to Hannah Barham-Brown, a GP trainee who is an activist, campaigner and advocate around gender, disability and LGBTQ+ issues, a former Deputy Leader of the Women’s Equality Party, and one of the Shaw Trust’s 100 most influential disabled people in the UK. She speaks to Martin about the role of doctors in politics, being a ‘roll model’, how to have awkward conversations, and why everyone should pay attention to the bins in NHS bathrooms. Episode transcript available at bma.org.uk/inspiringdoctors Content warning: use of a disability-related slur in the context o ..read more

In this episode, Martin speaks to Nick Black, a health services researcher, professor and author, whose interest in history led him to write a guidebook entitled Walking London’s Medical History, and more recently his first historical fiction novel, The Honourable Doctor. They discuss Nick’s lifelong desire to educate the public, the disciplines that can enhance health systems improvement, the difference between whistle-blowers and reformers, and the parallels between the Covid pandemic and a shortage of French leeches in the Napoleonic era. Episode transcript available at bma.org.uk/inspiring ..read more

In this episode, Martin speaks to Alice Roberts, an anatomist, paleopathologist and science communicator who is best known for bridging the gap between medicine and archaeology. Her rich broadcasting career started on Time Team, and she tells Martin about this and much more, including public engagement in science, the important links between medicine and evolution, and the challenges of talking about reproductive systems on the BBC before 9pm. Episode transcript available at bma.org.uk/inspiringdoctors You can find Alice's work including her newly published children's novel Wolf Road at www ..read more

In this episode, Martin speaks to Dom Pimenta, a cardiologist and writer who resigned in protest at Dominic Cummings’ rule-breaking trip to Durham in 2020. He wrote juniordoctorblog.com for years, and his latest book Duty of Care recounts his experiences during the COVID pandemic. He talks to Martin about high-functioning anxiety, establishing a charity to support health workers, the role of AI in the future of medicine, and how his career as an author began at a very young age, with a book about ants. Trigger warning: mentions of COVID-related death and bereavement. Episode transcript availa ..read more

In this episode, Martin speaks to Ben Goldacre, a psychiatrist and science writer who wrote the ‘Bad Science’ column for the Guardian from 2003 to 2011 as well as four books – he is also a founder of the AllTrials campaign and OpenTrials, which call for greater transparency on clinical trials. They discuss the responsibilities of the media as gatekeepers, being sued for libel, and the Barbie Liberation Organisation – and much more. Episode transcript available at bma.org.uk/inspiringdoctors The interviewees on this podcast are just a selection of those who communicate medicine in fantastic w ..read more

In this episode, Martin speaks to Trisha Greenhalgh, a GP who is a member of Independent SAGE, internationally recognised academic in primary health care, and self-professed avid Twitter user. They talk about evidence-based medicine, the difficulties of running a randomised control trial of face masks, co-creating solutions with patients, and the best ways to handle media interviews and Twitter trolls. Episode transcript available at bma.org.uk/inspiringdoctors You can find links to Trisha's key publication and the MSc in Translational Health Sciences at the University of Oxford at http ..read more

In this episode, Martin talks to Jason Leitch – a dentist and the National Clinical Director for Scotland. He was widely praised for his public briefings during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for his ability to translate complex scientific information to the public. He tells Martin about working within the Scottish government, doing radio show phone-ins, the unsung heroes of the public service, the challenges of cancelling Christmas and even worse, postponing Rangers vs Celtic. Episode transcript available at bma.org.uk/inspiringdoctors The interviewees on this podcast are just a selection of th ..read more

In this episode, Martin talks to Ian Williams – a GP and cartoonist who established the field of Graphic Medicine. Following the success of his graphic novels The Bad Doctor and The Lady Doctor, he is working on his third, The Sick Doctor. He also wrote a weekly comic strip Sick Notes in The Guardian in the mid 2010s. They talk about the Medical Humanities movement, mental health, the work involved in drawing cartoons and animation, and writing a graphic novel about general practice, OCD, cycling and heavy metal. Episode transcript available at bma.org.uk/inspiringdoctors You can find Ian at ..read more