I was born and brought up in the South East of Scotland. I studied Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and qualified as a doctor (MB ChB) in 1989. After 3 years in related medical training posts, I started training in Ophthalmology in 1992, having passed the Part 1 Fellowship of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists. I spent time in Stirling, Stonehouse in Lanarkshire, then Edinburgh’s Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in 1993; I became a Registrar in 1995; then passed the Fellowship of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (FRCOphth). I completed training, and took up a Senior Registrar position in Sydney, Australia. In 2000 I was appointed to my current post of Consultant Ophthalmologist to NHS Grampian at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital. I returned from sunny Australian summer to start that post in a snowy winter in Scotland – and I have been in Aberdeen, as a consultant at ARI, since then.

I started independent (private) medical practice at the Albyn Hospital, Aberdeen in 2001 and have been delighted to have provided high-quality personal eye care, both medical and surgical, to many thousands of patients there since then.

With an interest in training and teaching, I have been SHO educational supervisor 2002-2004, Training Program Director (TPD) for NHS Education Scotland (NES) North of Scotland Deanery (Aberdeen and Inverness) 2004-11 during the radical change from traditional medical postgraduate training to the new post-2006 MMC structure; Royal College of Ophthalmologists Regional Adviser 2004-2012; Chair of the Training Committee 2004-2011; Adviser to the Joint Committee of Medical Royal Colleges of Scotland 2011- current; Royal College of Ophthalmologists College Tutor in Aberdeen 2011-18; RCOphth CPD Coordinator 2010-2015. I have held an Ophthalmic Medical Practitioner (OMP) number since 1999.

As an Honorary Senior Lecturer in Ophthalmology for the University of Aberdeen, I teach ophthalmology to medical students in my clinics and theatres at ARI, and take part in general medical undergraduate admission interviews and undergraduate medical student examinations annually. I am a medical student Regent, providing academic pastoral care for medical students, throughout their undergraduate course. I train our own ophthalmology trainees - our consultants of the future - in clinics and surgery, and in my own subspecialties. I perform weekly vetting of referrals to the NHS eye department. I share provision of medical and surgical eye services to Shetland. I undertake regular training lectures and clinic sessions for local optometry colleagues through NES Teach and Treat Clinics and our own Eye Health Network, of which I am Clinical Lead (2019-current)

I am the author or co-author of several papers and have co-authored a book chapter in Ophthalmology.

I examine postgraduate ophthalmology trainees for:

• The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (RCPSG) since 2002 (Glasgow, Libya, India, Jordan and Oman)
• The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) in Part III FCROphth and the Clinical Refraction Exam since 2010
• The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh: I was on the Specialty Advisory Board and an examiner 2003-2008 for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
• I was appointed President of the Scottish Ophthalmological Club 2021-2024

I am a member, fellow, registered or affiliated with:

• The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth): Fellow
• The British Medical Association (BMA): Member
• The General Medical Council (GMC): GMC No: 3319118
• The Scottish Ophthalmological Club (SOC): Member, Current President
• The Scottish Paediatric Regional Ophthalmology Group (SPROGS):
• The University of Aberdeen: Senior Lecturer
• The University of Edinburgh: Honorary Lecturer
• NHS Education Scotland (NES): Honorary Lecturer

As a full-time NHS consultant, I take part in the regular audit, clinical governance activity and annual medical appraisal and 5-yearly revalidation. In my private practice, I keep a detailed ongoing audit of all cataract surgical outcomes: these greatly surpass the standards required by the RCOphth for appraisal and revalidation purposes, and I have a personal complication rate that is significantly lower than the UK average.