Mike Hendry Face to Face - Thursday 11 January 18.00

FACE-TO-FACE

It’s a tradition in Rotary that new members give a short informal talk (a Face to Face) in which they outline their background and share some aspects of their life.  At the meeting of the Club on Thursday, Mike Hendry was invited to present his Face to Face. 

Mike titled his talk From Buckie to Bridge of Allan, suggesting, perhaps, that he had had limited geographical horizons.  In fact, this was far from the case: as a paediatric radiologist Mike’s career has taken him to Sweden, Australia, Canada, the Middle East, with further professional links in France and Germany.

Shortly after his birth in Buckie, Mike’s family moved to Newcastle-upon-Tyne.  It was there that he went to school, and where he began his training as a doctor. During his initial training he undertook a three-month elective period in Sweden.  At that time, Sweden was a leader in the use of diagnostic X-rays, and, intrigued and excited by the potential of this technology, Mike decided that he wanted to train as a radiologist.  Having qualified as a doctor, he then had to undertake a three-year course in radiology, followed by a five-year training programme, both of which were mainly undertaken in the north of England.  It was during this period that he became involved in the emerging specialism of paediatric radiology.  A placement in Edinburgh, encouraged him to apply for a year’s fellowship in Toronto at a hospital specializing in children’s illnesses.  This hospital had the first CT scanner in North America, and it was here that Mike was involved in the development of new techniques in radiological diagnosis.  

In the light of his breadth of experience, Mike was appointed as a consultant in paediatric radiology at the Sick Children’s Hospital in Edinburgh.  His initial assessment was that the level of equipment there was inadequate, and thus began a successful programme to bring the hospital’s equipment up to international standards.    In the process of this extended period of developmental work, Mike had further spells abroad – six-months in Melbourne and a period in the Middle East teaching trainee paediatricians – which helped to further develop his specialized knowledge and, in consequence, advanced the capability of the Edinburgh hospital.  

Following his retirement, Mike did some work reporting on scans, and then spent twelve months as a locum in Brisbane’ Children’s Hospital, followed by a two-year period in St Helier.

Mike is married to Christine.  He has four daughters and nine grandchildren.  It’s clear that the appeal of radiology has extended to the next generation: one of Mike’s daughters is a radiographer in Forth Valley Royal Hospital, while a son-in-law is a radiologist in the same hospital.

Mike’s talk raised questions about the shortage of radiologists, the current state of radiological equipment, and the potential for artificial intelligence systems to undertake radiological diagnoses.  Reflecting on this obvious range of members’ interest, Colin Smith, Speaker’s Host, congratulated Mike on an interesting and illuminating Face to Face.