Dr Elisa Lewington-Gower
Elisa graduated with Distinction in Clinical Practice from Imperial College London in 2013 and is a senior Respiratory Medicine registrar in North West Thames Deanery. Prior to taking up medical training she read Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, and completed an undergraduate research project in genetics.
Elisa has a great interest in medical education and has been involved in organising and delivering training to junior doctors and allied health professionals throughout her career. In 2017 she undertook a teaching fellowship at Harefield Hospital and was responsible for organising the core educational activities for medical trainees in the deanery. Elisa is particularly interested in the benefits of skills based and simulation training in improving clinical confidence and leadership skills and has presented her research on this at a national conference. She has also developed an interest in interdisciplinary learning involving different staff groups and has found this benefits team working and empowers allied healthcare professionals, resulting in improved care for patients.
Elisa is committed to quality improvement and has led and contributed to projects benefiting patient safety, patient experience and medical education. She has been interested to note the barriers to change that exist in organisations and how medical leadership can improve outcomes. She is keen to get the best out of teams and believes a significant driver for this is improving staff welfare. In her role as trainee representative during several hospital placements, Elisa has ensured trainee issues were raised at trust level and improved working conditions for junior doctors.
Reason for applying for the scheme
Elisa is passionate about the importance of medical leadership and education in improving the health service and is looking forward to gaining invaluable experience through the FMLM scheme. She is interested in gathering new perspectives on the challenges facing the NHS at a national level, in particular with regard to future medical staffing and education.
Elisa is delighted to be joining the General Medical Council and is looking forward to gaining a broader understanding of healthcare policy and the impacts and interactions of allied healthcare organisations on NHS future workforce planning. She hopes to build on her experience of multi professional training and development to contribute to policy and strategy affecting the future landscape of healthcare workers in the NHS.
Elisa is particularly looking forward to benefitting from mentorship from senior healthcare leaders and utilising the exposure and networking opportunities provided in the scheme to develop as a clinical leader. She expects to return to the NHS with a greater understanding of national healthcare policy and will build on the new perspectives and insights she gains to develop in her career as a clinician and future medical leader.
