• Question: What is the best part of your job?

    Asked by 677epdj29 to Liz, Kevin, Beccy, Rosie on 9 Jun 2017. This question was also asked by 549epdj29, 387epdj29.
    • Photo: anon

      anon answered on 9 Jun 2017:

      Being able to play a part is something as monumental as the control of Ebola in West Africa. There were over 20,000 cases of Ebola and over 10,000 deaths but if not for international control efforts, it could have been much worse. I am not a medic – I can’t help individual patients but I can help understand how the disease is spreading, whether it is getting better or worse and what control measures are working best.

    • Photo: Kevin Pollock

      Kevin Pollock answered on 9 Jun 2017:

      I help to protect people’s health through immunisation.
      Over 2 million doses of vaccine are given to people in Scotland every year. While we take for granted that most infectious diseases are almost preventable e.g. there have been no cases of measles in Scotland this year but in Romania they are having a massive measles outbreak, where 27 people have died. Thus, we don’t hear about old diseases because immunisation is so effective. One of the best bits of my job is that I can see all the data and the impact that the HPV vaccine is having on cervical disease, which could lead to cancer. Seeing a vaccine prevent cancer is a very rewarding part of my job since it means women will survive and live healthy lives.

    • Photo: Rosie Fok

      Rosie Fok answered on 10 Jun 2017:

      Seeing a really sick patient get better because we have chosen the right antibiotic to treat them with is a really great part of my job. I also like being able to talk to patients and their relatives and explain what can sometimes be complicated information about their infection or treatment to them, in a way that they can understand (no matter what their background knowledge of science is).

    • Photo: Liz Buckingham-Jeffery

      Liz Buckingham-Jeffery answered on 11 Jun 2017:

      I think there are two things about my job that are my favourite.

      The first thing is that I get the chance to travel to meet other scientists and so I can explore other countries. I really like travelling and visiting new places.

      Secondly, it is really nice when a bit of my work gets used by Public Health England to improve what they do. Seeing my work being useful and helping people is such a nice feeling.

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