We are a team of GPs working part of our week in QUB.  We all continue to see patients in general practice. 

You can find out more by reading the short Biographies below

I graduated from Queen’s University in 1999. After completing my JHO year in the Belfast City and Royal Victoria hospitals, I entered the Northern Ireland Deanery GP training programme. Along the way in medical school I developed an interest in research (initially in relation to altitude medicine and altitude physiology) and medical education and was fortunate to gain a place in GPARTS (General Practice Academic Research Training Scheme) which was situated in the Department of General Practice on the 4^th Flood of Dunluce . This gave me the opportunity to come into contact with the important role-models of Professors Margaret Cupples and Philip Reilly, and Drs Drew Gilliland, Keith Steele and Kieran McGlade. I owe a deep debt of gratitude to all of these people for their ecouragement and mentorship. This environment played a very important role in my development. With their support I successfully competed for a National Clinical Researcher Development Award and I completed an MD thesis in 2006. I subsequently completed a Masters degree in Medical Education.

I entered into GP Partnership in 2007 spending 8 years as a GP for the Crossgar community; eight of my happiest years. During this time I also held down a position of part-time Senior Lecturer in the School of Medicine at Queen’s University.  In 2015 I gave up my GP Partnership to take on a more substantive role in Queen’s as a way of succession-planning for colleagues on the cusp of retiring. I now conduct my clinical work in Grosvenor Road Surgery in West Belfast. In my clinical role I provide GP care to people experiencing homelessness in the Belfast Inclusion Health Hub.

Why am I interested in education / academic medicine? The word “doctor” is derived from the Latin, docco, which means “to teach.” It is part and parcel of the same motivations to be a doctor. I get a buzz out of seeing others thrive and develop through education. I believe that we all have something to teach and that in doing so we can improve the lives of many.  I guess the interest in teaching again comes back to role models and the example they set. I have been formally responsible over the last 8 years to expand GP in the curriculum at Queen’s. As a result of this role, I sit on the Senior Management Team.

Outside work I enjoy time with my family. I play some music (guitar and piano) and for exercise I try to get into the hills on most weekends. I enjoy cycling of all types and I am the proud owner of a Brompton fold-up bike.

Prof Helen Reid

I grew up on the Isle of Man where I attended the local state comprehensive school. Almost all my family were teachers and I’d been incredibly squeamish as a child; they were quite surprised when I announced that I planned to study medicine! I studied at Cambridge (where I met my NI raised now-husband who enticed me over here...)  and then Oxford. I started hospital work in England, moving to Belfast in 2008 to complete my GP training.

GP was all I ever aspired to within clinical practice – drawn to the variety, challenge, and opportunity to connect with individuals as they journey through life. GP work never ceases to challenge and surprise me. As a Manxie who had trained and initially worked in England, Irish traditions – particularly those around death – were new to me. I’ll never forget the first time I went on a home visit as a GPST2 to see the family of a lady I’d cared for over the last phases of life.  Not only had I never seen an open coffin, but I was also entirely unprepared for the sight of a deceased lady in her nineties in a pink velour tracksuit. “Pink was her favourite colour doctor,” her son said to me as he tried to persuade me to take a cold cooked chicken away with me…

Supporting future generations of doctors to provide the highest levels of service to our patients and communities drives me both clinically and academically. I was lucky enough to be appointed to the GPARTs scheme in 2009 and I have been around the amazing GPs in QUB ever since. They have been an inspiring bunch of colleagues over these years. They encouraged me to graduate with an MPhil in 2014 and a PhD in 2018, developing various research interests along the way. I am now a Clinical Professor in the Centre for Medical Education, where my current roles include leading Year 4 GP alongside overall curricular leadership of the Y4 course. I have diverse research interests spanning clinical General Practice (particularly around cancer and mental health) and education, and I thrive on supervising and nurturing future colleagues. I work clinically in Elmwood Medical Practice in Belfast where my patients and colleagues do an excellent job of keeping me grounded! My boys and various sporting endeavours otherwise keep me out of too much trouble.

 Dr Diane Wilson

I spent the early post graduate years widening my experience in General Medicine whilst studying for MRCP. I then applied for GP training and completed this over 2 years in Dunluce Health Centre whilst completing a research project and MPhil degree. A career development opportunity arose to work as a clinical teaching fellow in the Clinical Skills Centre at QUB. I have continued in that role for several years before applying for the post as Assistant Director in the Centre. I have continued working in General Practice on a part time basis and have an specialised interest in Headache and am a member of the British Association for the study of Headache. I have always had a keen interest in sport but seem to be more often of a spectator of my children’s sporting activities rather than doing as much myself now!

Dr Miriam Dolan

I was born in the Netherlands and went to medical school at the University of Amsterdam. From the beginning I had a great interest in health seeking behaviour (why do people come to the doctor?), the influence of culture and society on health systems and people’s well-being and population health. I was fortunate to do a master’s in medical anthropology during my medical studies and since I have explored this interest with some further studies including masters in public health/health service management and medical education.

In 1997 I moved to Northern Ireland with my husband who inherited the family farm. We live in beautiful Southwest Fermanagh. After finishing my speciality training in 2001, I joined Maple practice in Lisnaskea as a GP principle and I have been there since. My involvement in teaching and training started soon after joining the practice and has been a part of my job I really enjoy. In Maple we have a very extended multidisciplinary team and its  working within this team that gives me great job satisfaction as well as serving the community I have become part of. It is without doubt that our rural communities and health services face several, often unseen challenges with regards health and access to health care and through my involvement as the rural representative for the RCGP NI, the local medical council and the medical educational institutions I strive to highlight and validate these.  

At home on our farm for about 10 years we have welcomed people from our community who may have some struggles in life because of mental ill health or an intellectual disability and on the social farm there are opportunities to reconnect with life, people, engage in meaningful activities and feel better.

Dr Grainne Kearney 

I became involved in teaching in Queen’s in 2009, initially in the Clinical Skills Education Centre and later in Clinical Communication and in the General Practice module. To support this interest, I undertook my Masters in Clinical Education part time, whilst working as a GP and having my third baby! After graduating in 2014, any hope that my curiosity for medical education research would have been satiated was dashed when I started my PhD in 2016. In this research, I am took a critical look at OSCEs, something I suspect many of us have done over the years. I officially moved over to what my friends call “The Dark Side” in 2018 when I took up a Clinical Teaching Fellow role in Queen’s. I started my role as a Clinical Lecturer in 2019, later promoted to Senior Lecturer and now Clinical Reader. I value being able to divide my week between clinical practice in Lisburn Primary Care Centre, teaching and research. For me, these three aspects of my work support and drive each other; I enjoy the combination immensely. I am excited to be involved in QUBGP through the GP expansion. In leading  Family Medicine for Year 1+2 medical students, I enjoy overseeing the early clinical contact they value so much. I am also Year 2 academic lead and am involved in various aspects of EDI and professionalism work.  I am married (to a GP!) with three children so spend much of my time as a taxi service for their busy social lives. I enjoy Pilates and spending time with my friends, many of whom I met as an undergraduate at Queen’s University.

Dr Jim McMullan 

I was born third son to a large family in the Glens of Antrim. My Dad was a teacher; my mum had been an air hostess. I wanted to be a doctor since primary school. There were no medics in my family , but my parents and some of my teachers encouraged my enthusiasm. In 1986 I was accepted to do medicine in Queen’s, and in the summer of 1991 I graduated. I had mixed experiences during my GP attachments , but thankfully I was “rescued” by a GP who remains a friend and mentor to this day- Dr Gerry Lundy. He inspired me to think GP. I did my Junior Doctors rotation-Houseman’s year –F1 in new speak, in Daisy Hill , as their GP rotation was excellent. I have been a full time GP in the Southern Trust for 26 years. During the early part of my GP work , I was approached by our local Pain Consultant to help him at clinics. I have worked as a GPWSI in Chronic Pain in Belfast Regional Pain Centre and for the past nine years in the Southern Trust team.

I hosted my first medical student just after my first daughter was born- she is now 20! That first student is now a senior consultant , whom I can still call my friend. We were at his wedding , and, true story – he married our babyminder’s sister! Teaching is a two way educational street, especially in these young intelligent men and women. It is a privilege to help them on their journey, just as I was, all those years ago.

I am married to a wonderful wife! I have three kids 20, 17 and 11. The oldest is studying Medicine in Queen’s and my second girl is hoping to join her soon. I love sport and now that I am too old to play hurling , my golf career has taken off. I was briefly single figures and won Captain’s day last year.  My son has told me not to worry about Queen’s for him, as he will be playing for Man United!?!

Dr Louise Sands

A Queen’s graduate in 1992, I always wanted to be a GP. In 1996 I completed my training six weeks after the birth of my first child, and started as a Principal in Lisburn Health Centre two months later. The practice took medical students and I started teaching the "Introductory Clinical Skills" course. In 2001, I took a “year out” to live in Australia with my husband and two children as he completed his hospital specialty training. On my return, as I had always enjoyed teaching,  I decided to become a GP Trainer. After 10 years in this role, I took on a GP Training Programme Director role.  

After exactly 20 years as a GP Principal I wanted a new challenge. In 2016 I moved to sessional status and took up a new post as Associate Director for GP Career Development Scheme in NIMDTA. In this role I support doctors on the Induction and Refresher schemes, as well as the GP Retention scheme. I deliver a range of CPD events for this group. I created a website for anyone interested in GP as a career in NI https://www.gpnicareers.co.uk/.   I love working as a sessional GP in my old practice as it gives me the continuity of care that I would otherwise miss and patient contact. I started as a Clinical Teaching Fellow (CTF) at QUB in Autumn 2018.  My role now includes Year 3 GP lead, quality lead for GP placements and supporting and encouraging practices in NI to be involved in developing the doctors of the next generation. 

I am an RCGPNI member and have represented the College on a number of committees as well as  being an active RCGP Mentor. My areas of interest include mental health and learning disability. I also enjoy reproductive health care. I am a member of the Diabetes Strategic Network. I have been involved in Christian Medical Fellowship NI for many years. I enjoy quizzes, travelling and good food. 

Dr Nick Gardner

I loved being a medical student at QUB from 2003-2008, and was a bit sad when it ended and ‘adulting’ had to begin (Google tells me that co-incidentally the word ‘adulting’ came into existence in 2008 as well).

It used to annoy me as a medical student when we were told that most of us would probably end up being GPs- I was sure I wasn’t going to be among that number. However, two years of hospital rotations proved to be plenty for me, and I quickly felt more at home consulting with patients in the community. For about a decade I worked as a GP partner and did a little teaching on the side. After finally finishing the MSc in clinical education in 2021, I decided to organise my own Medical Education “training programme” by undertaking an MD, and started working at QUB as a clinical teaching fellow. I also work in postgraduate education as a GP programme director for NIMDTA. I am married and have three girls, all of whom were born with the ability to talk and listen at the same time.

Dr Christopher Dorman

I came into medicine at university knowing I wanted to be a GP - I always felt a patient knowing I was "their doctor" was the ultimate expression of care. When I was younger I went with my grandparents when they visited their GP and saw how they had built a long-term relationship and felt that was what I wanted to try to do. I went into training straight from F2, and after finding a permanent job completed the trainer’s course to become a GP trainer. I’ve ended up working six sessions as a partner in the surgery I used to visit with my grandparents and I still live a few streets away. For me, that role as a figure in the local community still is one of the most fulfilling aspects of work as GP.

I have always wanted to try to blend GP work with medical education and I find mixing clinical with non-clinical work really a stimulating balance. I never felt ready to consider myself as a GP with a specialist interest in education but having completed a Master's degree in clincial education I'm finally ready to shake off the imposter syndrome!

I'm still a GP trainer in practice but I also work as a programme director for GP training at NIMDTA and I love seeing the progression from undergraduate to postgraduate GP study!

I spent too long wondering why things never changed in GP despite me moaning in the tea room at the practice, so with that in mind I joined the board of the local federation and am now vice-chair.

Every now and again I think for a moment I might have some time for myself, however my wife and three children soon dispel that notion and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Dr Clair Lindsay

I undertook my medical degree here at Queen’s, Belfast. Despite thoroughly enjoying this, the grey skies led me to pursue training in tropical medicine in East Africa.  I thought that one day, I might return to this path after postgraduate training. 

On returning to Belfast I undertook training in Anaesthetics, enjoying the very acute and practical aspects of this, before switching to General Practice. Throughout this time I developed my interest in teaching and undertook further study in clinical education at Queen’s. 

An opportunity arose to contribute to undergraduate teaching in Queen’s in 2021 and this led to a clinical teaching fellow role in clinical skills and simulation based education as well as within GP teaching. I also work in Ulster University as a clinical and communication skills tutor. I thoroughly enjoy the mix of clinical practice and teaching in my working week as well as being part of a team of inspiring and supportive colleagues.

I am married and have a growing family. This makes me very happy, whatever the weather!