podcast

I count myself so fortunate to work with the most amazing infection prevention and control team at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). Not only are they experts, but they work incredibly hard to always keep the patient at the centre of all of their decision making. On top of this they are a creative bunch, with brilliant ideas about how to communicate complex ideas in a way that is easy for anyone to understand. They are a constant source of inspiration to me, and so I am overjoyed to share with you all a project they have been working on, a podcast aimed at offering an accessible starter for patients, families, and staff on how infection control works at GOSH, and why things may be a little different to what people have encountered in adult or other healthcare settings.

NB I may invade for a few episodes but the concept is all theirs, so please ignore mine and go for the others first, you hear enough of my voice 🙂

Children Are Not Small Adults: Why infection prevention and control in paediatrics really is different

I started thinking about this topic some time ago when I wrote a blog about it (above), but our great Director of Infection Prevention and Control (Helen Dunn) and Lead Practice Educator (Kate Harkus) have done a lot more than think, they’ve created an entire academic module. So, if you are a healthcare member of staff and enjoy this introductory podcast series, you might want also think about joining this course where you can meet like minded people and dive deeper into a fascinating topic:

https://www.mdx.ac.uk/courses/short-courses-and-cpd/infection-prevention-and-control-for-children-and-young-people

Why a podcast?

Why are antimicrobial resistant bugs important?

Getting to share my love of all things viral

Explaining CPEs without being baffled by the complexity

What about C. auris, the new kid on the block?

Candidozyma auris the New Kid on the Fungal Block: What is it and why should we care?

I get to talk about the environment and VRE

Let’s talk MRSA

What about the other Gram negatives?

GOSHpods has all kinds of other podcasts on a range of topics, so if you are interested in anything from sustainability to leadership, check it out!

All opinions in this blog are my own

This post was supposed to be something quite different. It was supposed to be about One Heath and a great podcast created by Beckman Coulter I was involved with in 2024, alongside some really inspiring people. In some ways it still is that, but because of the cruel reality of life it is actually also something quite different.

”Going Macro on Micro” is a podcast that Dr Simon Doherty and I were involved with that explores emerging themes and pressing issues in the world of microbiology. As the host, Dr Lough, says the podcast covers everything from investigating the global challenges of infection control to unveiling the future of diagnostic technologies.

The week the final episode of the podcast dropped, before Christmas, I got some pretty devastating news. Sadly Simon has passed away. Now, I didn’t know Simon well. We’d emailed since doing the podcase together and I kept an eye on the awards he received and his really interesting posts. In this limited contact though, he still managed to inspire. Recording the series with him was such a privilege. He was kind, open and funny. More than that he was so knowledgeable and I came away feeling like I’d learnt so much. I am so sad that I won’t be able to build on the foundation we laid to continue to learn from him and talk about the challenges/opportunities that face us in the fascinating world we both inhabited. I thought about not sharing these episodes when I heard the news, but then decided that I don’t want you to lose out on the honour I had of learning from him direct. I hope that you will hear both his wisdom and his challenge, and also aspire to do better, as I do, as a result. Thank you Simon.

https://www.bva.co.uk/news-and-blog/news-article/remembering-the-inspirational-life-of-simon-doherty/

I’ve decided to keep the focus on Simon and just put some graphics and links here that might supporting learning more about antimicrobial resistance and One Health. At some point when the loss of Simon has had a little more time to be processed I will think about writing something in a little more depth reflecting on his comments and the overlap between human health and veterinary medicine. Until then, the links to the episodes are below: