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Matthew Fok

    • About Me:

      I live and work in the greatest city in the UK, Liverpool. I am a Surgeon in the NHS, but I’m taking time out of my training to do research trying to improve radiotherapy for cancer. I love food, I used to do fencing at university, but at the moment a lot of my time is taken up by our newborn baby and our two rabbits.

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      I’ve been in Liverpool since I started medical school in 2007. At medical school I took up fencing, its a great way to relieve stress being able to hit people with swords legally! I love eating and food. I’ve tasted some weird food over the years.

      I started working as a doctor in 2013 and briefly moved to London for 2 years but came back. I’ve been working as a surgeon for 6 years now.

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      I am a surgeon and work in emergency surgery and bowel cancer. The training route before I become a consultant is long, I finished medical school in 2013. I had the opportunity to do some research in the lab and at the same time do a PhD so I took it last year.

      My research is investigating how to make radiotherapy (using x-rays to get rid of cancer) better for people who have rectal cancer. Most people who get rectal cancer have to have surgery and radiotherapy can help these people survive longer. In some people, radiotherapy can cure rectal cancer and they don’t have to have surgery. If we can improve radiotherapy maybe fewer people can have surgery.

    • My Typical Day:

      If im not due on the emergency rota at the hospital I get woken up by the baby, breakfast if there is time and then I get to the lab about 8.30am. Sometimes I have a few experiments to do in the lab, always have a good lunch with my lab friends and finish anytime between 3-6pm.

      In the hospital I can either start at 8am or 8pm and stay for 12 hour shifts. I will have a mix of seeing new patients referred from the A&E to be assessed and performing any emergency surgery required on patients that need it.

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      I would like to show people round the lab and let them see exactly what we are up so I would organise tours and use the money for advertising and food. Very nice food!

    My CV

    • Education:

      Eltham college for secondary school and sixth form, Liverpool University for undergraduate medical school, Liverpool University of my Masters.

    • Qualifications:

      GCSEs – chemistry, biology, physics, english, DT, ICT, maths, history, geography, RE, french

      AS levels – biology, chemistry physics IT

      A levels – biology, chemistry, physics

    • Work History:

      odd jobs on a building site at 16

      bar tender at 18

      doctor and now surgeon

       

    • Current Job:

      Surgeon

    • My Interview

      • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        happy, approachable, determined

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        doctor

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        a lot

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        Muse

        What's your favourite food?

        noodles or dumplings or both

        If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

        make all my experiments work first time,

        Tell us a joke.

        whats green and not heavy - light green

Questions answered by Matthew

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