Christine has been retired from urological practice in the NHS for two and a half years and intends to continue to work in Africa until she is 65. By then she hopes to have helped Christopher Samkange and Mohammed Labib to set up a FUrol for the College of Surgeons East Central and Southern Africa [COSECSA].

Christine first went to Africa in 1968 to 1970 as a medical officer to the Goverment of Botswana and was paid by the Ministry of Overseas Development. She was SHO level and had just passed her primary fellowship of the Edinburgh College first time, to her own and her friends amazement. She fell in love with the continent [and a certain fellow there!]. Christine left to complete her surgical training over the next 8 years returning briefly, in 1991, to see the country and vowed she would return.

Christine got interested in UROLINK in about 1996 and, when she became chairman in 1999, she decided to take an extended leave to visit 7 countries, in sub-Saharan Africa. Of these countries both Zambia and Zimbabwe have remained in touch and she has re-visited both 5 times, taking an eclectic mix of urologists and masses of equipment.

Lusaka can truly now be said to be endoscopically viable and has good endoscopes, diathermy, light source and a teaching aid as a consequence. Most importantly they now have  a competent endo-urologist in Mohammed Labib and he is working on expanding his number. Christine has also had good support from Patrick Duffy who has transformed the hypospadias repair results in Zambia. Christine has taken trainees, students, nurses and an anaesthetist, to up grade the ITU, and her secretary as a thank you holiday!

Zimbabwe was always more advanced it has other problems at the moment but she goes there with equipment and teaches the trainees.In the last 3 years she has also been to Kurdistan in Northern Iraq three times to help and teach them how to treat stone disease endoscopically, amongst other things. Christine has found this most rewarding. Now Kurdistan has rejoined the world they are getting well equipped and trained and will join the developed nations soon so she will have fulfilled her role.

You can read more about Christine and working abroad in her interview with Peter Cross from BMJ CareerFocus, August 2003.

Christine was awarded the St. Peter's medal for her contribution to her work in the developing world, by BAUS, in June 2007.