I joined the Royal Navy in 2010 at the end of my time at UEA medical school which saw me heading down to Plymouth for my initial junior doctor years before attending Britannia Royal Naval College for initial officer training.
As she ships doctor on HMS RICHMOND for 6 months I travelled as far south as South Georgia which was an amazing experience, spending time in the Falkland Islands and central America.
During my GP training I developed an interest – both personal and professional with the birth of my second child – in how the military look after our servicewomen during maternity and the post-natal period. I initiated and led project REBALANCE which contributed to national changes in practice across Defence establishing self referral into mental health services for any women in the Perinatal period along with education and awareness and continue to run sessions with military ante/postnatal groups.
Once qualified as a GP my passion for women`s health continued and have recently taken on the lead role in the Defence GP Special Interest Group for Women`s Health. I`m passionate about education around women`s health for all – running sessions for servicewomen both UK based and in deployable units, for chain of command and for medical professionals of all types.
My current job in Academic General Practice has given me the opportunity to conduct research around women`s health in the UK Armed forces leading to publication and policy change to improve the lived experience of women who serve.