Becoming the Director of HSMC during its 50th year has been a truly special moment for me. I have been so grateful for the support received from all those who I have been working with so far.
Arriving into post as the various HSMC at 50 events and blogs have taken place, and various memories shared, has been a wonderful learning experience. Many of these have reaffirmed what I have always believed in since I started here some 14 years ago: that HSMC continues to be at the forefront of research, education, and leadership development. It is an enjoyable and welcoming place to work, learn, develop, and improve. A place that I have certainly been able to grow and develop as my career has progressed. As my colleague Steve Gulati mentioned in a previous blog, HSMC has a proud legacy and exciting future!
I will reflect more of HSMC at 50 as the year draws to a close but for me a notable highlight so far was our alumni celebration afternoon tea which we held this week.
No one could have predicted a red weather warning and the hottest temperatures on record as we prepared for the event. But the decision to have this at the air-conditioned Edgbaston Park Hotel (rather than the original plan to have BBQ) was a very wise move.
For those able to attend we certainly made the most of it. We welcomed past and present alumni from our education programmes:
- NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme,
- NHS Leadership Academy Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Programme,
- MSc Health Policy and Management,
- Health Management and Leadership intercalated programme, and
- Health and Care System Leadership Apprenticeship.
We had alumni currently undertaking PhDs as well as friends of HSMC that have provided valuable support over the years.
The highlight of the day was a talk by our guest speaker Sarah Jane Marsh. Sarah’s leadership reputation precedes her as the Chief Executive of Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Foundation Trust, and Chair roles for NHS England Maternity, Children & Young People Transformation Programme Boards, the Newborn Genomes Programme, and the National Health and Social Care Discharge Taskforce.
Sarah-Jane is an alumni of HSMC based on her time as an NHS Graduate Management Trainee. It was both fascinating and refreshing to get her thoughts and reflections about her time with us.
Her memories recalled the quality of teaching, the support she and others received, and some of the characters that have made Park House a special place over the years!
Sarah-Jane also stressed the importance of education and the learning experience. She highlighted how HSMC teaching provided valuable insights into the importance of context, the use of theory to make sense of experience, and the need to appreciate the role of history and ideology in shaping current and future trends in policy and practice.
Sarah-Jane’s experience with us provided her with the confidence to grow and develop her career. Her hopes for the future were for HSMC to continue with excellence in teaching but also to further grow and develop its thought leadership and seize its potential to shape current and future policy and practice.
Sarah-Jane’s talk gave us much to reflect on and celebrate. Alongside the other discussions I had at the event, it really brought home to me the impact of HSMC and the enjoyable experiences people have had with us.
The event also reaffirmed the need to keep up momentum with HSMC at 50 and continue to build lasting relationships with our alumni. The challenging conditions meant that a number of people were not able to attend the event. However, we feel this can be the start of a closer relationship, with further events and opportunities to connect being developed for the future.
Next steps: HSMC at 50 mentoring scheme
To complement our Alumni event, we are inviting HSMC alumni to volunteer as mentors on our new 50/50 mentoring programme. We are encouraging 50 alumni to give 50 minutes of mentoring to a current HSMC student
The launch of our mentoring programme is a chance for alumni to support current students and develop the next generation of health and care leaders. A number alumni signed up to our mentoring scheme at the event.
If any HSMC alumni would like to act as a HSMC at 50 mentor then please contact: Jessica Cooper, Alumni Relations Manager j.cooper.1@bham.ac.uk
Sarah-Jane also stressed the importance of education and the learning experience. She highlighted how HSMC teaching provided valuable insights into the importance of context, the use of theory to make sense of experience, and the need to appreciate the role of history and ideology in shaping current and future trends in policy and practice.
Dr Ross Millar
