10/04/23

Taking the lead

5th Annual NIHR Trainee MeetingLeeds, 2001

Hywel Williams

Director of Centre of Evidence-based Dermatology and

Chair of the NIHR HTA Commissioning Board

♫ “I did it my way” ♪

Briefly – my career path

• Medicine and dermatolology in London• Wellcome Trust Clinical Epidemiology Fellowship MSc and PhD• Senior lecturer 1994 at Nottingham, Professor in 1998• Started Centre of Evidence-Based Dermatology – Cochrane Skin

group, UK Dematology Clinical Trials Network, NHS Evidence• 300+ papers and grant income £1million per year plus• 1998 Director of R&D for the Trust• Then Trent Institute for Health Services Research• Started Nottingham Clinical Trials Unit in 2005• 2006 – Chaired RfPB East Midlands• 2010 chair HTA Commissioning Board

Story 1: the birth of dermato-epidemiology

European Dermato-Epidemiology Network, Venice, 1999.

Tip one

• Beat your own paths (and learn leadership along the way)

Story 2: Hywel and the horrible statistician

Tip two:

• Turn your demons into your strengths

Story 3: “One day they will find me out”

Tip three:

• Do you realise why you are successful?

Story 4: Your other interests

I really wanted to do art and music

Tip four:

• Find a way of bringing your true self into your work

Story 5: Hywel and the helpful professor

Tip five:

• Find a good mentor

Story 6: Getting the balance rightbetween pushing and pulling

Tip six:

• Let go (for a while)

Story seven: the Empire strikes back

Tip seven:

• Invest in people – different people

Story eight: The loneliness of good science

Tip eight:

• Eschew fashion - Good science will prevail

Story 9: the failed application

Tip nine:

• Pick yourself up and learn from your mistakes

Story 10: how green was my valley

Tip 10:

• Know who you are, and where you come from

Final thoughts

• All of you are good, but do you know why?

• Know when to compete and when to collaborate

• Never underestimate your own ability to forge your own career path

• The most important: Be true to yourself