201-Doctorate in Health Studies with Dr Ella Corrick

This week, Aebhric O’Kelly sits down with Dr Ella Corrick, Head of Postgraduate Studies at the College of Remote and Offshore Medicine (CoROM) and Director of the Doctor of Health Studies (DHS) programme. Ella discusses her work as a rural physician in the Scottish Highlands, her role in mountain rescue, and how CoROM is helping clinicians transform operational experience into meaningful doctoral research.The conversation explores rural medicine, doctoral education, research methodology, healthcare systems in austere environments, and the future of research in remote and resource-limited settings.Chapters00:00 Introduction and welcome back to the podcast00:25 Working as a physician in the Scottish Highlands01:00 Life after becoming a new parent01:40 Mountain rescue and rural emergency medicine02:00 Joining CoROM and taking over the DHS programme03:00 Shared challenges in rural and austere medicine04:20 Transforming operational experience into research06:30 Who are CoROM doctoral students?08:30 Future directions for doctoral research11:00 Why CoROM focuses on applied rather than laboratory research12:30 Understanding the Doctor of Health Studies (DHS)16:00 How long does a doctorate really take?17:50 Oxford, Nottingham, and Ella’s research journey22:00 Research on prescribing quality in children25:40 How doctoral study improves clinical practice27:40 DHS versus a traditional PhD29:20 Advice for prospective doctoral students32:30 Ella’s current research interests35:00 Mountain rescue, resilience, and rural healthcare38:00 Books, science fiction, and lifelong curiosity40:30 Advice for clinicians entering austere medicine41:40 Closing thoughtsTopics DiscussedRural and island medicineMountain rescueDoctoral educationResearch methodologyTelemedicineResource-limited healthcareProlonged casualty careClinical leadershipResearch literacyVolunteer emergency servicesHealthcare resilienceEvidence-based medicine