When I first met Andrew Wilner, an American physician, a few years ago, it was the first time I had heard of the word “neurohospitalist.” I obviously knew what a neurologist or a neurosurgeon are, but a neurohospitalist was an absolute novelty, and I have a feeling it is not a well known role in […]
Category: Tiago Villanueva
Tiago Villanueva: Do young Portuguese doctors still want to work in Portugal?
About 10 months ago I blogged that an exodus of doctors from Portugal would be a sign of Portugal’s worsening economic situation. Medicine has always offered one of the few stable and prosperous careers. Most doctors are still in employment, and our income levels are usually above the national average as many doctors juggle professional commitments in both the public and […]
Tiago Villanueva: The European union of general practitioners
Whilst Italy’s government was falling, general practitioners from 21 countries convened in Turin on 11 and 12 November for the autumn meeting of the European Union of General Practitioners (UEMO), which is a leading European medical organisation based in Brussels. As well as providing clinical care to their patients, there are a number of reasons why general practice […]
Tiago Villanueva: Learning about European general practice research in Krakow, Poland
Last week I left the 30ºC heat of Lisbon for the almost sub-zero temperatures of Krakow, and made premature use of my winter gear. But the cold was not enough to deter me from attending one of my favourite conferences, the biannual meeting of the European general practice research network, which gathers dozens of people interested and involved in primary […]
Tiago Villanueva: Quaternary prevention
The primary care innovation seminars group, a primary healthcare think tank that was created in Spain in 2005, convened this weekend in Barcelona. The group used to meet several times a year in Madrid. This year, group members gathered for the first time outside the Spanish capital, with the added bonus of the presence of […]
Tiago Villanueva: My early thoughts on professional development after vocational training
One of the purposes of vocational training is to develop good professional development habits and skills that will hopefully be sustained and honed throughout the rest of a doctor’s professional life. The great thing about completing vocational training and entering the ranks of seniority is not having to feel forced to study periodically and carry […]
Tiago Villanueva: Barbara Starfield’s legacy
Primary healthcare gurus can’t compete with the ranks of top film or sports stars in terms of global notoriety, but Barbara Starfield, who died earlier this month in California aged 78, was one of the most, if not the most, glistening star of the world of academic primary healthcare. She came as close to worldwide celebrity status as a […]
Tiago Villanueva: The dawn of open access books
It is well known that doctors’ professional roles change throughout their career. A junior doctor is expected to be mainly committed to clinical duties, while the head of department may be mainly dedicated to management duties, with a minor or even no clinical workload. GP trainees usually start off their vocational training program by spending most of their time […]
Tiago Villanueva: Critical appraisal of medical schools around the world
Apart from universities as a whole, the recently released QS World University Rankings also include a list of their selection of the top 200 medical and life sciences schools in the world. In theory, rankings seem like a good idea. After all, parents of budding doctors-to-be will be reassured that their offspring will benefit from […]
Tiago Villanueva: Spanish doctors and the revolution in the streets of Madrid
We’ve all seen the recent images on television in Spain, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets of Madrid and occupying its main squares. After Tunis and Cairo, the Spanish capital has been seen some of the people’s momentum that toppled governments and dictators just across the other side of the Mediterranean. […]