A DOCTOR in the Dumfries and Galloway has been awarded the William Cullen Prize for Excellence in Teaching by the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh.
Dr Ritesh Malik is a Specialty Doctor in Stroke Medicine and Elderly Care Medicine with NHS Dumfries and Galloway, and has been highly praised for his contribution to the education of medical students over the past ten years.
The annual, national award was presented as a surprise to Dr Malik at the recent DGRI Summer Ball 2019 fund-raising dinner and ceilidh held at Easterbrook Hall.
Reacting, Dr Malik said: “I was left speechless and surprised.
“I didn’t know anything about it until they said my name, but it was very nice and very appreciated. It was a very pleasant surprise.”
The award was presented to Dr Malik by NHS Dumfries and Galloway Medical Director Dr Kenneth Donaldson on behalf of the NHS Board, supported by Professor Derek Bell of The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
Dr Malik has provided education to students from Edinburgh University and Glasgow University for many years, and two years ago took on responsibility for providing training around medicine for the elderly to senior students from Edinburgh University.
Praising him, one of his students said: “Dr Malik is a friendly and excellent supervisor – very encouraging, and always available to give timely and worthwhile feedback. He is very supportive and easy to raise issues with. He is always seeking to push students to the next level and has provided excellent teaching.”
The William Cullen Prize for Excellence in Teaching or Service Innovation was
established in 2016 to recognise excellence in teaching and/or service innovation at a regional level.
Dr Malik notes the large amount of work which takes place each year training medical students in Dumfries and Galloway.
Students come to study at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary from the universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen, with GP students from the latter university.
Education is provided in the specialities of medicine, surgery, emergency medicine, medicine for the elderly, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry and general practice.
This week also saw the arrival of the first 11 ScotGEM students, with NHS Dumfries and Galloway just one of four boards in Scotland participating in the pioneering graduate training programme aimed at increasing numbers of medical professionals in rural areas. The students underwent their first year of studies at St Andrew’s University, meaning that DGRI now hosts students from every medical school in Scotland.
In the 2018/19 academic year a total of 91 students received instruction through the Education Centre at the new Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary. Meanwhile, 19 psychiatry students studied at Midpark Hospital, and there were nine GP students in the region.
Six students from Dundee University meanwhile spent the last academic year in the region as part of the Longitudinal Clerkship programme.
Praising the education provided at DGRI, Dr Malik said: “The teaching in this small District General hospital is of a very high standard. The tutors are able to offer a friendly, personalised approach, ensuring students are achieving their learning objectives.
“Clinicians give up a lot of their time to provide education, and it’s people who are genuinely interested in teaching. They do it outwith their clinical responsibilities, and what is gained from that is the reciprocation from students who say they have enjoyed their placement here, and that’s wonderful.
“It’s also a recruiting opportunity for DGRI, and we hope that students choose to come back because their experience here was so good, and that’s always to our benefit.”
Dr Malik praises the staff who run DGRI’s Education Centre, and the facilities at the new hospital which was officially opened in July last year.
He said: “I think it’s well laid-out service and well set-up, and it lends itself to teaching because it’s not within the busy clinical environment. Between the simulation suite, the resuscitation rooms, the seminar rooms, and all the other areas, it’s a very well set up education centre.”
The DGRI Summer Ball 2019 was a successful, well-attended event which helped raise £3118.71 for this year’s chosen beneficiary. The chosen recipient was Dumfries and Galloway Blood Bikes, the charity which provides an important service transporting blood and samples around the country.
More pictures from the DGRI Summer Ball 2019 can be found by visiting https://tinyurl.com/y5dbuky9
