Member blog: Catherine Mbema

During my 4^th year at medical school back in 2005, I studied Management as my intercalated BSc degree. This provided my first insight into doing more beyond a clinical role as a future doctor. Covering topics such as health economics, strategy and managing healthcare organisations, all new to me at the time and potentially boring to some, were really intriguing for me. Though largely focused on healthcare, the year of study spurred my interest in things that impact upon people’s health in the broadest sense, though I was not yet aware that public health was a speciality option for me!

I progressed through my first year as a junior doctor and discovered that I could do a placement in public health. I set about swapping out of a surgical placement as soon as I could to spend four months with the North West London Health Protection team. Being part of that team, responding to cases and outbreaks of communicable disease, thinking about how they could be prevented and being around public health specialists gave me further insight into a future career, and helped to confirm that public health was for me. The ability to have a positive impact on the health of communities well before people arrive unwell at an A&E department or GP appointment really appealed to me. When I applied to the training scheme, I was really fortunate to get a place and pursue a future doing just that.

Through public health training I was able to grow and learn from my peers, senior colleagues and a wide range of stakeholders who I met on various training placements and Public Health MSc at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Though enjoyable, training was not all smooth sailing. I had to repeat the first part of my public health professional exams – something I have written about before. However, with good support and sheer perseverance, I passed, much to my relief!

Public health as a speciality has exceeded expectations and I now have the privilege of leading public health in Lewisham, a borough that is similar in many ways to the area of South London that I grew up in. Being of Ghanaian heritage and growing up in South London are things that have shaped who I am and what I bring to my public health practice in Lewisham.

Becoming a Director of Public Health (DPH)  during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic was a very steep learning curve. But the way in which DsPH, public health colleagues, and the wider health and care system came together to offer mutual expertise, support, learning and care for both our communities and each other is something I will always remember.

The stark inequalities that were highlighted by Covid-19 have also shaped my work to address health inequalities.  Some of the work I am proudest of has been where we have been able to work with and alongside communities to better understand the health challenges and inequalities that they face and implement action to address them.

A recent example of this is our work to develop Health Equity Teams within each Primary Care Network within Lewisham, which brings together primary care clinicians and community organisations to co-design health equity initiatives to meet local needs. This initiative follows on from  the Birmingham Lewisham African Caribbean Health Inequalities Review (BLACHIR). Though this sounds like a linear journey, it is work that is iterative, requires time, consistent focus and intention, continuous learning and sustained resourcing of all involved. To see an initiative piloted, evaluated, demonstrate impact and be extended has been incredibly rewarding. Being able to contribute to many other areas of work that aim to have a positive long-term impact on the wellbeing of residents, such as recent work on food justice, the cost-of-living and the impact of housing on health, assures me that I am in the right place in public health to continue to work with communities to improve health and reduce inequalities.