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Patrice Forget is our Faculty Member of the Month. He is a Clinical Chair in Anaesthesia and a Professor at the University of Aberdeen. Over the past 10 years, he has published more than 100 articles, letters and editorials. In this blog, he gives us an insight into a day in his life and what he likes about being a member of the F1000Prime Faculty.

Can you describe a typical day in your life? 

All my days are different, rendering my life complex but very exciting. I typically begin my week with clinical sessions in the theatre. After that, I alternate with days dedicated to research activities, including students’ supervision. In parallel, I follow my patients on a daily basis, with the aim to ascertain and deliver the best pain therapies which will facilitate optimal recovery for the patient.

What career advice would you give to your younger self?

The advice I would give my younger self would be to stay open-minded, it is essential as creativity in research is welcome. Travelling should be greatly encouraged. Realism is, however, crucial, including integrity and a big dose of humility.

If you hadn’t chosen this career path, what medical speciality would have been most interesting to you?

If I’m being honest, I don’t think I would change my career choice! I really enjoy my job because I’m not restricted to one age or one organ, I really like the field of pain management and I get to work with a great team in a stimulating environment. But if I was really pushed on this, then I think I would have enjoyed combining different approaches, including from a public health perspective.

But with more time, I would have enjoyed combining different approaches including in a public health perspective.

What kind of environment do you primarily work in? 

The University of Aberdeen and the NHS Grampian, ARI hospital, are located on the Foresterhill Health Campus, nestled in the marvellous North East of Scotland. This is one of the biggest health campuses across Europe, permitting to develop multidisciplinary approaches, especially in research. The data science is particularly promoted in Scotland and may be considered as a fast-expanding area of research in the field of anaesthesia, pain and perioperative medicine.

What do you like about working on F1000Prime?

In my opinion, interactions are the essence of science. F1000Prime is a great platform to be part of, as it’s made up of a large community of scientists within my discipline. I find that reading and writing about science is an incredibly enriching experience.

My last F1000Prime recommended paper was on the age of patients undergoing surgery. I chose this paper because I am particularly excited by innovative methodologies addressing patient-centred problems. The common denominator in all my previous and current interests is the postoperative outcomes that matter to the patients.