Profile
Kip Heath
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About Me:
I’m a healthcare scientist in the NHS – this means I help patients by working out what is making them sick. In the evenings I tell science related jokes on stage!
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I joined the NHS aged 18 as a trainee biomedical scientist and am still here 17 years later. Outside of work I live with my husband and two cats and like to travel. I\’ll try almost anything once, which has recently led to me dangling over a canyon when a zipline failed.
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My pronouns are:
She/her
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My Work:
I\’m a healthcare scientist in the NHS – this means I help patients by working out what is making them sick. In the evenings I tell science related jokes on stage!
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Read more
My name is Kip Heath and I have too many jobs. For my main job, I am a healthcare scientist in the NHS. Healthcare scientists use science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects to diagnose, treat and prevent disease and injury in patients. In short, we work out why patients are ill and find ways to make them better. Even though only one in twenty NHS staff members are healthcare scientists, the NHS wouldn’t work without us!
There are 50 different healthcare science specialisms. Mine is virology, so I look for viral infections in patients. During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic I helped set up a brand new SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) testing lab in just three weeks!
My main job is as deputy lead scientist at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London. We have 770 scientists here, and I support my bosses (the lead scientists) by providing education and training opportunities for any scientist who wants it.
Outside of that role, I am really passionate about apprenticeships. I work for the National School of Healthcare Science as lead assessor for life science apprenticeships. This means that I carry out the final exams for apprentices, but also support new assessors, check paperwork for other assessments and help to write the exam papers.
I’m also a science communicator and stand up comedian. I did my first comedy set in February 2020, just before everything began to close. It was in a converted courtroom and during my set I stepped backwards and almost fell backwards down a flight of concrete steps to land in an old jail cell.
Life as a healthcare scientist is nothing if not flexible!
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What I'd do with the prize money:
Now that face to face events are back, I would use the prize money to run a careers day in a local community. The money would let me hire a hall and pay the train tickets of the scientists that come and help.
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Education:
(1993 – 1999) Bourton Meadow School /
(1999 – 2006) Royal Latin School /
( 2006 – 2010) Oxford Brookes University /
(2010 – 2011) University of Westminster /
(2012 – 2013 ) University of Nottingham /
(2020 – 2021) University College London /
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Qualifications:
I have 13 GCSEs because I went to the type of school that valued the number over anything else. I did A Levels in Biology, Chemistry and English Literature (grades BBB) with an AS Level in Maths (c) that I didn\’t take to A Level because I found it far too hard.
When I left school at 18 I took a work based placement, so all of my degrees were completed while working. It\’s a lot of work but gave me a better understanding of my career, work experience, and I have no student loan! I have: a BSc (Hons) in Applied Biomedical Science from Oxford Brookes, as well as an MSc in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Westminster.
After this I started an MSc in Clinical Microbiology but withdrew after the first year (it was a three year course). There is nothing wrong with starting something in your career and realising that it\’s not the right path for you.
Currently I am halfway through a Postgraduate Certificate in Health Professions Education at UCL. All of my degrees were precisely the ones I needed for work which means I\’ve always found it fairly easy to find new jobs when I need them.
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Work History:
I have had lots of jobs and loads of overlapping roles. Portfolio careers – where you have multiple part time jobs at the same time – are not for everyone, but they are becoming more common and it has really worked for me.
Jobs that I\’ve had (in order of start date) : Newspaper delivery – Catering Assistant – Trainee Biomedical Scientist – Waitress – Specialist Biomedical Scientist – Trainee Clinical Scientist – Specialist Biomedical Scientist – Ebola Outbreak Response Laboratory- Private Tutor – Senior Biomedical Scientist – Senior Biomedical Scientist – Healthcare Science Education Lead – End Point Assessor (Apprenticeships) – Specialist Biomedical Scientist – Deputy Trust Lead Healthcare Scientist
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Virus detector and occasional funny person.
What did you want to be after you left school?
I had absolutely no clue whatsoever.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Not really, I was one of those annoying goody two shoes types.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
I\'ve always been eclectic (or just plain weird). I like something out of most genres, but I once flew 4,500 miles to see Five Iron Frenzy (a 3rd wave ska band) perform live. Actually I did it twice.
What's your favourite food?
Arepas - a Venezuelan fried corn bread.
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1. I need a week off - it\'s been a very long year in the NHS with covid!), 2. To finally get my PhD. I\'ve been trying on and off for 10 years. 3. To write a book. Which requires time, the most valuable commodity.
Tell us a joke.
I\'m not good at one liners - you can see a sleep deprived Kip perform here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbtUWMbLFcM
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