MedSciLife
Professor Catherine Law FMedSci
Professor of Public Health and Epidemiology, University College London
My MedSciLife
I live in the country and tolerate a long commute to balance my desire to work in the best place for children’s research (for me, this is London) and my love of my garden and the countryside (Hampshire). This aspect of my work-life balance costs four hours per day. I have learnt to make the most of my journey, and schedule in work to do on the train, and to think about in the march to and from Waterloo. At weekends I try and cut off from work, and gardening is perfect for this – good exercise, absorbing, frustrating (the things that deer will eat!) and rewarding. I also run in the countryside, which benefits my mental health even more than my fitness. I’m not sure I could work if I didn’t exercise – it puts everything into better perspective.
Met my husband as a junior doctor 1980
Started working in children’s health 1980
Took up a public health post in the USA 1985
Seconded to the civil service 1996
Moved to my current post in London 2003
Top tip for MedSciLife
Don’t plan everything – leave some flexibility, at least in your attitudes, for the unexpected opportunity, the irresistible challenge, the slightly scary (but also exciting) request. Doing the next thing that is interesting and worthwhile is rarely a mistake – even if it doesn’t work out as you expected, it will be a source of learning and experience.
Q&A
Public health research is like gardening…
Promoting children’s health is an investment for the future – if we want our children and their children to live fulfilling lives we need to cherish them and every part of the planet. Public health and gardening have a lot in common – both involve planning, looking after the environment, truly believing and acting on the evidence base and sticking with it for long term rewards. For both you don’t do something today and see the results tomorrow, this week or even this year. I garden organically and most years make improvements that will benefit the owners of the future – I hope they will enjoy it.
The importance of flexible working
I worked part-time for 17 years after I had the boys – it was a necessary compromise between professional pressures and our family circumstances then. I felt quite comfortable with the decision, but I was surprised how frequently it was equated with an assumption that I was not committed to an academic career. What is so magic about a 5 day contract? However, it did mean that I took longer to achieve certain things and this was sometimes hard to accept, as I am naturally quite competitive. Since I have had a leadership position, I have tried to tackle institutional barriers to flexible working practices, which I believe are largely cultural. Limiting academics only to those who are able to work full-time is in nobody’s interests.
Tips for survival
Be optimistic, be constructive, look after your colleagues and yourself. Oh, and make good lists…