David Longbotham

What do you do now?

I work as an NHS doctor within the Yorkshire region, specialising in General Surgery. I completed my MD (Doctor of Medicine) in 2020.

I qualified from Hull York Medical School (HYMS) in 2008. I chose HYMS as, at the time, it was seen as revolutionary in medical education. It was one of the first UK medical schools to use problem-based learning rather than traditional methods. It was based on small-group learning environments and what was important to learn and understand about a given medical condition.

It was more interesting and memorable than traditional medical education, and also gave me the opportunity to stay close to where I was brought up within Yorkshire. I have more or less remained working in Yorkshire (apart from brief stints in Durham and Lincolnshire).

I have fond memories of my time at South Craven, and it helped make me the person I am today. 

What advice would you give your 17-year-old self?

Two things:

1. Always do something that fascinates you. It means you will work hard, keep pushing yourself, and it will take you where you want to be. There is no limit or barrier to achievement from whatever background you come from - it’s your own drive that will get you there.

2. Never give up on the fun distractions in life - for me, it was playing music. It will be there to help when the work feels too hard, and you need a break or distraction.

What are you most proud of?

My time in research and completing my MD at the University of Leeds. An MD is equivalent to a PhD in the UK, and involved working on an original research project, writing a thesis and defending it. 

I researched methods of using MRI scanning of the liver to predict how well it was working, so we would know how much liver could be safely removed in surgery without the patient coming to harm. I even used some of the statistic methods I learned in A level Biology and Maths!