I had wonderful weeks in Oxford. I learned so much about Neonatology, the NHS in general and research. Before this observership I was thinking about Neonatology as a fascinating fusion of incredible fragility and hard, precise decisions. And I would still sign it up like this, if not even more than ever. Neonatology is an unbelievably interesting specialty, which comes with a broad spectrum of tasks and can be a rollercoaster of emotions too. I learned how to get fully involved to use the team’s full potential to help and also saw how important it is to try to distance yourself again sometimes, for the same reason. I watched how the amazing teams in the neonatology units at the JR Hospital are using their sources efficiently, the enthusiasm to teach and how they keep learning from each other on a daily basis.
I got to know a lot of interesting and inspiring people. Oxford itself is a city to fall in love with. It's a magical place, I could stroll through forever, admiring the historic buildings, gardens, dozens of cafes, bars and pubs. I had some wonderful days in London as well, getting lost in the endless amounts of exhibitions, parks and jazz venues. Thank you so much to everybody who was involved in this very special experience I had, especially to Kevin, my amazing supervisor and mentor in Oxford- he is one of a kind, a brilliant and unbelievably experienced consultant, to Charles, the amazing director of the ESPR who gave me the best start in Oxford and made all this possible for me, to Sanja, Ilia and Ryan who allowed me to get a little dip into the research world and to Zoltan, who was very engaged in helping me to get the broadest picture of Neonatology and Oxford itself through this month. Thanks to Dr. Amit Gupta and his outstanding team @ouhospitals, @dralexscrivens!
And nothing of this would have been possible without the Deutsche Stiftung Kranke Neugeborene and the European Society for Paediatric Research. They are doing amazing work for the present and future of Neonatology. Thanks for giving us students the chance to get to know you, your work and the magic world of Neonatology itself. It’s been a pleasure to share the Roland-R.-Wauer Award 2021 with lovely Lisa and Bartolomeo. Don’t miss the chance to apply for the next year’s program and feel free to contact me for further information about the Award or application. Check out the link!
