October 2023 President's Blog

I’m in a very reflective mood today. I’m thinking about the legacy we all leave behind us. As a number of you will have heard, sadly Dr. Keith Harding, or ‘LKH’ as he was affectionately known, passed away recently. He was an absolute giant of Nuclear Medicine (and I don’t just mean because he was very tall, which he was) and had huge influence on the practice of Nuclear Medicine in the UK and beyond. 

The first time I met LKH, I must admit, I was a bit scared of him. I was in my first job as a trainee Radiopharmacist at City Hospital, Dudley Road. I was very green and wet behind the ears. He was very tall (as I said!) and I really was a bit intimidated by his no-nonsense manner. He always asked questions – as many of you will remember from BNMS conferences, if you were there. Not always easy ones. He challenged things and had an expectation that you would do the same. So ever so slightly terrifying at first!

As I got to know him, however, I realised what a kind and supportive man he was. He would invite the Nuclear Medicine team to BBQs at his house in the summer. He made sure we all had the chance to go to conferences. He was generous with his time and encouraged us all to be better. He raised the standard – in fact, he often set the standard. After finding out he had passed away, so many people responded to say they owed him their entire careers. He was that sort of man.  

He did so many things over the years. He was instrumental in starting up our Nuclear Medicine department, and worked there for his entire career. He was the first chair of ARSAC, and indeed, was instrumental in setting that organisation up. He also led in establishing the carer and comforter regulations, without which treating our benign radioiodine patients on an out-patient basis would have been much more difficult. He had an influence beyond the UK, from sitting on a European Commission to look at early radiation protection law to being instrumental in setting up the IRMER regulations. And I’m sure many other things I don’t know about. 

He was a BNMS Treasurer, and BNMS President – same as me. I don’t think I would have been so involved in the BNMS if it weren’t for him, and my career would have definitely been the worse for that (I love the BNMS, in case you hadn’t already realised!)

There have been many other people who have been role models for me, but he was the first, and he made one hell of an impression. 

Maybe we won’t all go on to be as influential as LKH. We shouldn’t be comparing ourselves with other people anyway. But we can all aim to be the best we can be, within the roles we occupy. We can all challenge the status quo. We can all aim to raise the standard. We can all create our own legacy.

Every single time you go the extra mile for a patient, for another service or for a colleague, you are making a difference. You probably don’t think of it very often, but every day that we come into work we are in a position to encourage or discourage someone else, to be a role model - whatever our job is in the department. How we treat other people can have a huge impact, so if there is a kind way to do something, I think we should be kind. That doesn’t mean to say you shouldn’t challenge poor behaviour or performance, if appropriate, or discuss difficult subjects. It’s hard to say some things, but if messages are delivered with honesty and kindness, they can be something which helps people grow, not knocks them down. Honestly, you don’t ever make yourself look any better by belittling anyone else. But if you support your team, then everybody wins. 

We all have the potential to be an icon of Nuclear Medicine, and I think this is the greatest compliment we can pay to those who have influenced and encouraged us. So my thoughts today are that I want to be more like LKH, and I would highly recommend you try to be too. Ask the questions, challenge the status quo, raise the standards, create your legacy. But above all, be kind. 

So go be iconic!

If you would like to practice some LKH-style BNMS conference questioning, please join me at the Autumn BNMS meeting on Tuesday 31st October. I’d love to see you there!