Role Models: Adult Congenital Heart Disease

Good teamwork is key and throughout my career in ACHD, I have found my colleagues to be highly-dedicated, caring, inspiring individuals.

I graduated from Oxford University in 2006 and completed my junior doctor training in London and Bristol before returning to the Oxford Deanery to train in general Cardiology. I undertook higher specialist training on the Pan-London Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) Rotation from 2014-2019, completing fellowships at the Royal Brompton Hospital, St Thomas’ Hospital, St Bartholomew’s Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. I was appointed as a Consultant Cardiologist specialising in ACHD at the Oxford Heart Centre in 2019.

My job involves a mixture of inpatient and outpatient work (MDTs, echo and lots of clinics) and I really enjoy it. Our ACHD service forms part of the Oxford-Southampton Congenital Cardiac Network and I particularly enjoy the interaction this affords with Paediatric and Adult Congenital Cardiologists, Surgeons, Nurses and Physiologists across the region.

During my higher specialist training I had my 3 children (aged 6, 4 and 2 at time of writing!). Since having children I have always worked 4 days a week, as has my husband. This is a great balance for us and I find this arrangement very rewarding as a mother and as a doctor (although it is admittedly quite exhausting at times!).

ACHD is a brilliant, constantly evolving speciality. Good teamwork is key and throughout my career in ACHD, I have found my colleagues to be highly-dedicated, caring, inspiring individuals. There are excellent teaching opportunities and I have recently established a regional congenital echo teaching programme. Providing lifelong care for this important, expanding group of patients is challenging, both from a physiological and psychological perspective, but endlessly fascinating and incredibly rewarding.