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David Blundred, former Education Manager at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology.
What are your fondest memories of Queen Square?
Having spent 15 years at the IoN (I joined 1st June 2008) I have so many fond memories. In my role, the people I have the most contact with are students, and I have a great affection for so many of them. One of the most interesting aspects of working with students at Queen Square is the chance to meet people from all over the world, with all the benefits that represents. I have gained so much from working with them all and would like to pay tribute to them for helping make Queen Square so special. In my early years at the IoN I was fortunate to become friends with many students, and have met some truly exceptional people over the years. I have travelled to the Netherlands, France, Germany, Greece, Brazil and Thailand visiting and staying with the friends I made here and spent many nights in pubs and restaurants in London talking about anything and everything. From 2008 to 2011 I hosted BBQs and football matches at the house I stayed in (perfectly made for parties) and it was through events such as these that we created such a strong bond and sense of belonging. Some students gave me gifts from their home countries, and for those interested they can try the quiz at the end of the interview.
I was very fortunate to join a team that had a great sense of purpose, and thank Dr Caroline Selai for having the vision to set up a dedicated Education Unit within the Institute. The support I received from Caroline, Daniela Warr, Jean Reynolds and Adam Liston was invaluable. Later when I became the Education Team manager, I was fortunate to have a fantastic set of people join the team (some of whom still remain with the Institute, and others who have moved on). The camaraderie that we had within the team is unmatched and it was a real pleasure coming to work.
Dr Helene Crutzen, as Institute manager, has done a great job in bringing professional services colleagues together and the away days that she organised were always fun and informative. She has been a constant source of support and guidance. Finally, Prof Alex Leff as current Head of Education and Student Experience has been incredibly supportive and I am very thankful that I had the opportunity to work so closely with him for a number of years.
Who are the people who have inspired you/impacted you the most throughout your career?
There have been a lot of people. I am very fond of former colleagues at Morrisons in particular; Daniel Coleman who welcomed me on my first ever shift with such patience and kindness, Simon Edwards who embodied all the qualities a manager should have (knowledgeable, hard working, supportive and fun). My time in Canada working for Showtime pictures with a wonderful bunch of colleagues, to working at CIMA in London with a great team.
At the IoN the standout person is Dr Caroline Selai, who is so thoughtful, generous and selfless – she has been a champion for students, and has helped so many who have struggled over the years to complete their studies here. She also set the tone for the Education Team and tirelessly pushed education onto the agenda along with creating a sense of fun and camaraderie. Pre-Covid (and in 2023 as well) Caroline organised get togethers for the team and professional services colleagues (finance, IT, library, Medical Illustration etc).
I think the people who I have connected with most during my time here (whether academics, students and other colleagues) are those who seek to improve things, share knowledge freely and work towards a collective rather than personal goal. The people who personified this are: Krishna Chinthapalli, Atbin Djamsidian, Tony Pullen & Laura Silveira-Moriyama.
What would you say is your greatest achievement during your time working here?
One of the things I am most proud of is re-starting the Alumni association, inspired by my friend from Thailand, Dr Surat Tanprawate (Clinical Neurology 2009-10). Over the years we produced 17 newsletters, uploaded old newsletters to our website and organised a 2 day conference (which was stressful, but very rewarding). At the time I suggested producing a newsletter there was not much appetite within the Institute, and I think the fear was that I did not have time to do this. I was lucky to have a certain amount of freedom to express myself, and I created the first newsletter in my own time and quickly gained the support of colleagues at the Institute and UCL for my endeavours. I remain very thankful to Prof Simon Shorvon and Prof Andrew Lees who offered support and encouragement, Louise Shepherd (the former QS Librarian who sadly lost her battle with cancer in 2013) who contributed to articles relating to our archives and Sarah Lawson (our current, amazing QS Librarian) who has produced so many articles and has been a constant source of support. I am passionate about history, and thanks to both the archives we had in our offices, and information from Queen Square: A History of the National Hospital and its Institute of Neurology, Sarah and I created a dedicated part of the IoN website on the history of the Institute.
I remain proud of the work myself and my colleagues have done in supporting all the programmes we offer, especially where we have helped to create new educational activities that have had a positive impact on students experiences (the breakfast club and afternoon tea club for elective students, clinical master classes for MSc Clinical Neurology students and lab workshops for other MSc students, and latterly guides on applying for honorary contracts). All of these activities came about by working collaboratively with students, being inspired by them and having a constant desire to seek to improve. It was a pleasure to help launch new programmes and short courses, in particular the neuro-oncology short course with Dr Jeremy Rees.
I am also proud of the role I played in the link forged between the Institute and the Berlin School of Mind and Brain, and I learned so much from my German colleagues, Dr Inken Dose, Dr Dirk Mende, Zarifa Mohamad & Annette Winkelmann. My initial contact was via the ERASMUS staff exchange programme, and my link to Germany was set up by an old MSc Brain and Mind student, Christoph Korn. It flourished into a collaboration first for PhD students, and then for masters students.
What does Queen Square mean to you?
It means everything. All of the memories come flooding back and I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to work here and to meet so many incredible people.
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