Name:
John D. Walley
Current Position:
Senior Lecturer in International Public Health/Director of TB-HIV research programme.
Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development,
Institute of Health Sciences and Public Health Research, Faculty of medicine,
University of Leeds.
I believe that the rewards of my work include that I am helping better health in low income countries. My work actively supports the development of programmes (such as TB and HIV) in
particular countries.
The challenges I face in my current work are:
Finding time to doing every thing, including being a good parent! (as for any doctor I suspect),
Limited time for clinical work (doing only one session of GP in UK or when overseas).
Spending too much time in front of a computer (but seems worth it when visiting and working with collaborating colleagues in developing countries – i.e. when being directly involved in the PH work and seeing the improvements in services/ programmes).
Past Positions:
Various including:
• GP training rotation
• Medical Officer of Health, Mashonaland Central province, Zimbabwe 84-86
• Doctor/ Manager Save the Children/ Regional Health Advisor, Ethiopia, 89-90
• WHO Global Programme against AIDS, Geneva, 90-91
• training project advisor ministry of health, Vietnam, 92 – 93
• present post, Leeds based since 93 (including work in Pakistan, Swaziland etc. and from 2002-4 with WHO in Uganda).
Education:
1977 Degree in Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, University Medical School, Newcastle, MBBS
1979 Diploma of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, London; DRCOG
1981 Diploma of Membership of the Royal London College of Physicians, Part 1 MRCP
1982 Diploma of Membership of the Royal London College of General Practitioners, London; MRCGP
1982 Diploma of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool; DTM&H
1987 Masters Degree in Community Health for Developing Countries, School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool; MComH. This was one of the most useful courses I did as was.....
...1990 Diploma of Membership of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians, London; MFPHM
1997 Accreditation, European Specialist in Public Health Medicine, JCHMT, London.
What strengths, skills and experience are useful in your role ?:
Experience in doing international public health, e.g. working in a district/ provincial health team, and implementing disease control initiatives within routine health services.
Operational research and development skills
Teaching (of developing country PH professionals)
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to your current position?:
Do an international health intercalated B Sc e.g. here at the Nuffield, Leeds.
If already qualified.
May/not get your professional SpR training done first.
Do the Public Health Specialist Training in the UK, if this is your chosen speciality to continue when in the UK
Get a job overseas, initially this may have to be on a voluntary basis, e.g. via VSO.
If not done as part of the SpR training then do an MPH, preferably in a centre concentrating on international/ low income.
While doing service PH overseas (as well as improving health directly, and having a great time) do operations research and publish.
Apply for a post in the UK, either full time “academic” or part time with service NHS PH job.
What are your ambitions for the future?:
To extend from our existing TB/HIV research and development programme into other communicable diseases and countries such as China.
To finish,...an anecdote for you...How can you tell that you’ve met an Epidemiologist?
They're the ones broken down by age and sex. !!
