Smeeth, Liam

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Smeeth, L (2015) BMJ CONFIDENTIAL Liam Smeeth: Still hopingfor Olympic gold. BMJ (Clinical research ed), 351. ISSN 0959-8138DOI: 10.1136/bmj.h5097Downloaded from: http://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/2344848/DOI: 10.1136/bmj.h5097Usage GuidelinesPlease refer to usage guidelines at http://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/policies.html or alterna-tively contact researchonline@lshtm.ac.uk.Available under license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/BMJ CONFIDENTIALLiam Smeeth: Still hoping for Olympic goldWhat was your earliest ambition?To kiss Rebecca (unfulfilled).Who has been your biggest inspiration?My dad. When I was growing up, caring for others, acting withintegrity, and treating people equally weren’t optional: theywere just things you did, like breathing or walking.What was the worst mistake in yourcareer?My medical house job was pretty grim. I was the last of thegeneration to do 100 hour weeks, although I fear I’m in dangerof romanticising what a great training this provided.What was your best career move?Doing the MSc in epidemiology at the London School ofHygiene and Topical Medicine. On the first morning I sat downbetween a woman from Chad who had just completed medicaltraining in Moscow, who cheerfully told me that learningRussian wasn’t as big a challenge as being a lesbian in Russia,and a Belgian woman who had just come back from caring forpeople with cholera in the refugee camps in Rwanda. I felt athome in the world.Bevan or Lansley?Who has been the bestand the worst health secretary in yourlifetime?Bevan founded the NHS! Has anyone in the history of thiscolumn ever chosen Lansley over Bevan? Ever?Who is the person you would most like tothank and why?My mother, who I don’t remember at all. She died when I was3.To whom would you most like toapologise?My dad. I was an unappreciative 18 year old when he died.If you were given £1m what would youspend it on?I’d share it out to family and to charities that campaign for abetter world, such as Amnesty International and Shelter.Where are or were you happiest?Last time I had sex (weirdly, no one seems to mention sex inthis column, so if that’s unsuitable the answer “Here and now”will do).What single unheralded change hasmadethe most difference in your field in yourlifetime?Apologies for such a dull answer, but computers haverevolutionised healthcare and research in high income settings.Do you support doctor assisted suicide?In theory yes, but in practice no. It’s easy to see mistakes beingmade, and there’s no going back. For example, 20 years ago inthe West—and today in low income settings—many peoplewould have opted for suicide when what they needed was goodpain relief or adequate treatment for depression.What book should every doctor read?No relation to being a doctor, but my favourites include Jasmineby Bharati Mukherjee, Requiem for the East by AndreiMakine,and Ahab’s Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund. They are loosely allabout the central goodness of humans in a difficult and changingworld.For personal use only: See rights and reprints http://www.bmj.com/permissions Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribeBMJ 2015;351:h5097 doi: 10.1136/bmj.h5097 (Published 30 September 2015) Page 1 of 2ObservationsOBSERVATIONSBiographyLiam Smeeth is professor of clinical epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. His interest in the causes ofdisease and the evidence base for its treatment was triggered by wondering about the evidence behind his advice to patients as a GP. Oneof his first studies helped to refute the link between the MMR vaccination and autism by using general practice records, and he is an enthusiastfor the value of linking big data for the better understanding of disease.What poem, song, or passage of prosewould you like mourners at your funeralto hear?I hope that they’ll be celebrating, not mourning.What is your guiltiest pleasure?Sitting on a ski lift in the sunshine with my daughters.If you could be invisible for a day whatwould you do?That is too weird an idea: it would be just like stalking people.What television programmes do you like?Made in Chelsea, although I often catch the last 10 minutes ofNordic noir thriller episodes. The West Wingwas the best thingI’ve ever seen.What is yourmost treasured possession?My bike.What, if anything, are you doing to reduceyour carbon footprint?Going most places by bike, although Brazil defeated me.What personal ambition do you still have?Olympic gold medal in the decathlon.Summarise your personality in threewordsOne word from each of my children: weird; whatever; fantastic(possibly said with irony).Where does alcohol fit into your life?Comfortably, in the evenings.What is your pet hate?Ketchup.What would be on the menu for your lastsupper?Anything good quality andwell cooked. The company and beingoutdoors would matter far more than the food.Do you have any regrets about becominga doctor?None.If you weren’t in your present positionwhat would you be doing instead?A career in intensive care briefly appealed, but I’d probably justbe winning an Olympic gold medal in the decathlon.Cite this as: BMJ 2015;351:h5097© BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 2015For personal use only: See rights and reprints http://www.bmj.com/permissions Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribeBMJ 2015;351:h5097 doi: 10.1136/bmj.h5097 (Published 30 September 2015) Page 2 of 2OBSERVATIONS

Liam Smeeth: Still hoping for Olympic gold.

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Liam Smeeth: Still hoping for Olympic gold.

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