Leo Vella Lecture at IAEM 2021

25 Oct

Leo Vella was the first consultant in EM appointed in Ireland. He passed away in 2014 and the Irish Association for EM created the annual Leo Vella Lecture where an individual in Irish EM is given an invited slot to speak on a topic of their choice. I can only conclude that some mistake was made this year and I was asked to speak.

It is of course a great honour to get asked to do something like this and I’d like again to thank IAEM for considering me for the award. The lecture itself is included below and is certainly off the beaten track for me in terms of lectures and it is probably the most personal lecture I’ve given.

I cover 3 topics:

  • FOAM, its history and where we are now
  • The virtue of training slowly
  • The hidden curriculum

I try and make the argument that they are primarily united by friendship and the importance of friendship in sustaining and building the virtue needed to practice the good work of healthcare. The whole lecture is deeply influenced by my wife, my long time mentor and friend, Gilly Carson, my time studying theology in St Andrews and reflections on the faith and church community that I find myself a part of.

It may not be everyone’s cup of tea/pint of plain, but i enjoyed the process of putting it together and reflecting on my journey through medicine so far.

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