NEWS: The Leicester Diabetes Centre 12 days of Christmas

Professor Melanie Davies CBE and Professor Kamlesh Khunti share their reflections on 2020 with us:

We just want to reflect on the last twelve months and what tremendous challenges we have faced nationally but also reflect on how we have adapted and embraced these changes within our team at the Leicester Diabetes Centre. 

This year we have seen the emergence of a global pandemic that has impacted on all of us in our home and work life.  We have been very aware of a number of people in the team who have lost close family members to this terrible virus and all of us have been impacted in every aspect of our lives.  

As well as the global pandemic we have welcomed some new people to our team including Pratik Choudhary and Paddy Dempsey, but we have also seen the retirement or departure of some of our long standing and very senior colleagues such as Sue Enright, Lesley Bryan and of course Deirdre Harrington, leaving us to further her career in Scotland.

We have continued to be humbled and impressed and at times astounded by everybody’s abilities to rise to the challenge, produce extraordinary work, support each other and just deliver the work.  Whether it has been delivering the vaccine trial or submitting high quality publications or forming and reflecting with the well-being group, everyone has made an amazing contribution.  We are both really proud to be part of such a fantastic and inspiring team.

While there is no doubt that this situation in the last few months has tested us to the core, we feel we’ve emerged from this with greater appreciation of our colleagues, a greater appreciation of our families and the contact and closeness of friends. We have developed an even greater ability to work quickly and flexibly, to respond to the numerous challenges that have been thrown at us almost each and every day.  

As we head to this time of holiday, we both send our very best wishes for a relaxing and restful season and that hopefully it is a bit of an opportunity to recharge and reflect on what has been an extraordinary year.  

The team at the Leicester Diabetes Centre is exceptional and we are both proud to be part of such an amazing team.

Professor Melanie Davies CBE and Professor Kamlesh Khunti