Bio: I am a final-year medical student at King’s College London (KCL). I feel incredibly honoured to have been awarded the 2023 BASEM Undergraduate Elective Award. I wanted to share my very little but meaningful experience within SEM so far. During my earlier years in medical school, none of the traditional medical specialties really clicked with me. I’ve always been into sports, exercise, and fitness my whole life, but I never really thought about blending that passion with a career in medicine.

Everything shifted for me during my third year at university when I accidentally found myself at an event organized by the KCL SEM Society. There, SEM consultants shared insights into their specialty and daily routines. Something just clicked that day, and I remember thinking, “This sounds really cool!” When I got home, I couldn’t stop myself from Googling everything about this career. Since then, I’ve felt like I’ve found my true calling in medicine, and I haven’t looked back since.

I took on the responsibility of being the conference lead at KCL SEM Society, organising the annual Undergraduate Sports and Exercise Medicine Conference 2021 in partnership with USEMS. In the following year, I served as the co-president of the society, hosting various events with the hope of inspiring fellow students and promoting SEM as a viable career option. Alongside these roles, I actively sought out opportunities to shadow SEM consultants, gaining invaluable experiences. Noteworthy moments include shadowing the medical team at Silverstone Race Circuit and volunteering as a medical staff member at the London Marathon in 2023.

I firmly believe in the promotion of physical activity as fundamental for overall well-being and illness prevention and am confident that my studies will empower me to effectively convey this message to diverse segments of the population. With this in mind, I am thrilled to share that I will be undertaking an elective in SEM in Sydney. This experience is incredibly valuable, providing not only an enhanced understanding and management of musculoskeletal conditions but also a unique opportunity to further explore a career path in SEM. I am enthusiastic about the learning opportunities and insights this journey is bound to offer.