A regular feature where MBChB students meet teaching staff. This issue, Rebecca Murphy Lonergan meets Director of Undergraduate Teaching, David Kluth.
Rebecca
What were your expectations?
As Prof Kluth has to put up with me quite regularly, I knew we’d find lots to talk about. Because I am obsessed with efficiently using my time, I wondered how much of my MSC agenda I could slyly slip into our lunch and fully hijack it into a business meeting. I was also seriously excited for the food.
What did you talk about?
I got through my usual rant about student feedback and MSC business early on so that we could then chat more casually. It’s strange you can spend so much time with someone professionally and not really know much about them so we learnt each others’ backstories and interests outside of the medical school bubble.
Can you tell us about your lunch mate’s role and what they enjoy about it?
Despite popular belief, Prof Kluth does not run the entire Medical School. Even being able to recite his title as “Director of Undergraduate Teaching”, I still had to admit I had no idea what this meant and it clearly transcends these parameters. Dealing with students, no day is the same, never mind dealing with patients.
What’s your lunch mate’s favourite lunch place?
We both conceded that work doesn’t really leave many opportunities for lunches that aren’t from the Royal Infirmary M&S but I’m told I have to check out The Apartment in Bruntsfield next time I find an excuse to go out for dinner.
What does your lunch mate enjoy doing in their spare time?
I can’t imagine spare time is easy to come by for Prof Kluth but he did have some useful words of wisdom – while people are obsessed with achieving a work-life balance, you can’t escape the fact that work is always a part of life, so as long as you enjoy what you do and are passionate about it, you can get the same pleasure from it as you would from time off. Oh yeah, and he casually runs ultra races.
Did you find any interests in common (outside of work)?
Shockingly, I have not completed any ultra runs recently and find people who enjoy running terrifying so that was off the table. We both love to travel and a lot of this travel is motivated by food. At home, Prof Kluth does a lot of the cooking whereas I am blessed with flatmates that like to feed me.
Did anything surprise you about your lunch mate?
Prof Kluth has never failed to surprise me the entire time I have known him in his role. While I constantly complain that I can’t find half an hour to visit the gym, he is managing his role at the Medical School, practicing as a nephrologist, running across Edinburgh, spending time with his family and even religiously attends MSC meetings.
What’s your lunch mates most memorable moment in medicine so far?
A lot of Prof Kluth’s memorable moments were in medical school so I guess I’m at the peak right now. He admitted that during med school, his nickname was “Prof” for being a fountain of knowledge so actually, when he was made a professor, it was a bit of a relief to finally live up to this taunt. Can’t say I can relate.
Tell us about one aspiration your lunch mate has for the future
To improve student satisfaction and create a medical school that is successful and stable (I can assure you the words ‘strong and stable’ were never used). It is clearly difficult to achieve both and sometimes changes are brought in that students don’t appreciate, but we both agreed that pushing for progress is always a better option that just maintaining the status quo.
David
What were you expectations?
I was looking forward to an informal chat, getting to know Rebecca better and getting an inside track of medical student life.
What did you talk about?
Travel, languages, north London vs. south London as a place to live, practising medicine in a foreign language, careers, multitasking in meetings (me) and lectures (Rebecca), improving women’s careers in medicine.
Can you tell us about your lunch mate’s role and what they enjoy about it?
As MSC convenor, Rebecca coordinates the MSC meetings bringing together student voice to improve their time at University; academically and socially. It is the collegiate atmosphere of the team on the MSC that she really enjoys.
What’s your lunch mate’s favourite lunch place?
Montpelier’s in Bruntsfield, also a favourite place for me to have a drink.
What does your lunch mate enjoy doing in their spare time?
I think the honest answer was that she didn’t have much free time, but travel was Rebecca’s main interest.
Did you find any interests in common (outside of work)?
We both enjoy travel.
Did anything surprise you about your lunch mate?
That she has visited virtually every country in Europe (in fact she was off to Russia after lunch) and will have visited them all by the time she graduates (although she did not count Andorra!)
What’s your most memorable moment in medicine so far?
For Rebecca, I think this was becoming convener of the MSC. The support and camaraderie she gets clearly gives her a great lift.
Tell us about one aspiration your lunch mate has for the future
Rebecca would like to be a lead of NGO improving mental healthcare across the globe. I think she might also make a very good UN secretary general.
