Heartbeat: Wave goodbye to… Dr Chilvers

March 17, 2020

Recently we said farewell to Consultant Anaesthetist and Director of Medical Education, Dr Julian Chilvers.

In 1993, Dr Chilvers graduated from Leicester Medical School. Having joined our organisation in 1995 as a Senior House Officer at City Hospital, he’s gone on to have a successful career. Dr Chilvers recalls his early days well and commented: “I was surprised by the amount of trauma that City Hospital treated at the time including shootings and stabbings. I learnt a lot from my early years working here at the Trust.”

Between 1998 and 2003, Dr Chilvers worked as a registrar on the Birmingham School of Anaesthesia, rotating to City Hospital before becoming a consultant at SWBH in 2003 specialising in obstetrics, trauma, orthopaedics and regional anaesthesia.

In 2009, Dr Chilvers took up the position of postgraduate clinical tutor at City Hospital. In this role, he had responsibility for the welfare and training of all junior doctors. “I developed my interest in medical education as a trainee by becoming an advanced life support instructor in 1996. This interest in education continued as a consultant. I became a college tutor in anaesthetics in 2004 up to becoming a clinical tutor in 2009 and then director of medical education in 2018.”

More recently Dr Chilvers has developed an interest in global anaesthesia and education. “In the last 2-3 years, I have developed an interest in global anaesthesia and education. Following a trip to Uganda in 2017, I have travelled to and helped to deliver training programmes in India and Tanzania.”

Over his time working as a postgraduate clinical tutor, Dr Chilvers has worked closely with Dr Saket Singhal, a fellow consultant and his counterpart at Sandwell Hospital in medical education. When reflecting on their working relationship as postgraduate tutors he commented: “In 2009 we were both appointed as postgraduate clinical tutors with joint overall responsibility for the welfare and training of all junior doctors at SWBH. This required us to work closely together for many years in several aspects of junior doctor training.”

Dr Singhal added: “Since 2017 Julian’s role has changed to include responsibility for postgraduate doctors and undergraduate medical students in his role as director of medical education (DME). For several years he has also been the foundation lead for the West Midlands Central School, an important role within Health Education England.

“In my role as head of academy for the undergraduate academy, I have valued the support and advice that Julian has been able to give me since he took up his role as DME. I will very much miss his support and friendship when he leaves.”

Karen Parry, Postgraduate Manager also worked closely with Dr Chilvers over the past ten years during his time in medical education. She commented: “Dr Chilvers has played a major part in the leadership and development of medical education at the Trust and provided excellent support for our junior doctors. It has been lovely working with him and he will be greatly missed by the medical education team.”

Thank you for your contribution, Dr Chilvers.