Hi everyone welcome back to the first post of 2021 and Happy New Years!!
To kick start the year, (13 days later), I have done a mini interview with the Chief Immunology Biomedical Scientist at the immunology department I work in.
This post is light hearted and different from the rest, so sit back grab a brew and happy reading!!
What is your name and what do you do?
“My name is Andy Moran and I work as a Biomedical Scientist for the Greater Manchester Immunology Service.”
What is your favourite subject?
“Immunology (of course)!”
What is your favourite film?
“There are several!”
“One has to be Marathon Man starring Dustin Hoffman. I’d recommend watching it if you can but preferably not before you visit the dentist! I also like musicals especially ‘West Side Story’ which is a film my brother and sisters used to watch when we were younger and sing along to (pretty much as people do now to Mamma Mia). For pure nostalgia, any Ealing comedy film (try the Titfield Thunderbolt), Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton or Harold Lloyd! “
What do you like to do in your spare time?
“Run, Bike, Hike, Run, Bike, Hike and Rest (in that order) as it fits nicely into a week! I also enjoy listening to music; anything from rock to classical. I’m a big fan of Bruce Springsteen although am yet to get to one of his concerts. I’ve been known to attempt cooking but I’d stop short of inviting you around for one of my meals! I’m a school governor at the school my children used to go to, so I keep busy with that and as my children (who aren’t children anymore!) live in London, I visit them when I can.”
What inspired you to work in this industry?
“Whilst studying for my Biology degree there was a final year Biomedical Science module which I opted for. I found it really interesting and I was hooked. At that time AIDS was in the news a lot, pretty much as Covid is now. So the focus was on the immune system and I thought it was a fascinating subject. Hospital laboratories were expanding and a position as a trainee medical laboratory scientific officer (MLSO) came up at Manchester Royal Infirmary so I applied immediately as the opportunity was too good to miss. The rest is history as they say!”
What is your favourite thing about your career?
“I think we are blessed with an excellent career that combines science with many other areas such as training and education, computer science, technology and management. This opens up lots of opportunities. However I think the most favourite aspect is being able to work as part of a great team of people. Immunology is blessed with a wonderful mix of people who all work together for the benefit of the patient.”
What motivates you to work hard?
“I always want to do my best and so feel that I have earned my keep! Working hard also helps ensure that you receive satisfaction from your work, whether that be giving advice to someone on the phone, helping a colleague, carrying out a scientific procedure or introducing a new test into the lab.”
What do you see yourself doing in the future?
“Muneebah, this question made me laugh as I’m about to retire! I’ve worked for the NHS for a long time. I won’t tell you how long however when I started to work in a hospital laboratory we used to hand write the test results on to paper report forms. There were no such things as computers or printers! I hope to find time to do some of the things that I have missed whilst (hopefully) working hard. So as well as ‘Run, Bike, Hike’ it would be nice to spend more time reading; we have some wonderful books at home (3 large bookcases worth). I really enjoy walking (hence the ‘hike’) so I hope to be able to get out and explore the countryside more. My son (who now lives in London) has a guitar in his bedroom gathering dust, so I intend to get to grips with playing that (I can already, albeit badly)! I’ll also keep in touch with what’s going on in Immunology as I don’t think I’ll ever lose my interest in the subject.
What are the greatest challenges you faced during your career?
“As with any job things go wrong and this then presents as a challenge to put things right. There is also the challenge of turning what could be considered a negative event (the error) into something positive. We all have to be able to learn from our errors so that the risk of the error happening again is reduced at much as possible. That is also why ‘reflection’ is very much part of a biomedical scientist’s learning skills
Do you have any advice or tips you would give to the future generation interested in working in a laboratory setting?
“Sometimes it’s very easy to forget why we do the work we do as our days are very busy and we are driven by targets and deadlines (along with good dollops of red tape and bureaucracy)!It’s important that we never forget that there is a patient at the end of every sample we handle and test. If you remember that, I don’t think you can go much wrong. I’ll shut up now Muneebah!”
“Thank you Muneebah for giving me the chance to contribute to your blog. Here’s a picture of me when I was younger!”
“And a more recent picture…. Me and my wife, enjoying some late October sun whilst stood in front of the Tower of Belem, Lisbon.”
I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I did. Thank you Andy for taking part in this post and for the support given towards my blog!!
I have made it my new year’s resolution to be more active on my blog, so subscribe for future updates. Leave a comment on your thoughts on this post and if you would like to see more!!
A Muggle's Laboratory 
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