Bruce Philp x His Mentors

Bruce Philp is a recently retired plastic surgeon with a specialism in burns who has worked to save victims of three of the UK’s worst disasters in living memory (the Paddington train crash, the Soho nail bombings and the 7/7 bombings).

He was also the first person to row for both Oxford and Cambridge in the Boat Race.

Here he speaks about the power of mentors.

I have had the privilege to have had numerous mentors. As their protege I’ve flourished and achieved so much more than if I had tried to go it alone.

At school (Bryanston in Dorset) I had two mentors; Dr Kaye Mash who was my biology teacher and Tutor, and Alan Shrimpton (nickname Waffle) who was also my biology teacher and my rowing coach. 

Kaye met with me on a weekly basis for tutorials and encouraged all my various academic and non-academic interests.

My passion was biology, especially evolutionary biology (Richard Dawkins being a great hero of mine).

Kaye was very supportive of my extremely busy school life what with skateboarding, gymnastics, archery, philosophy (I was lucky enough to once have a small group teaching session with the philosopher Freddie Ayer), art, music and rowing. Waffle encouraged me and a friend, Julian Rodd, to take rowing very seriously and we rowed together in a coxless pair, as well as the school First Eight. We managed to win a number of regattas and finally got a silver medal at the National Championships. Without their support and encouragement I doubt I would have got a place at Cambridge University.

At Downing College, Cambridge my mentor was Sir John Butterfield (later Lord Butterfield). He supported my rowing for CUBC and combining this with, firstly, the Natural Science Tripos and then the Medical Science Tripos. I remember once doing an exam in the morning, in my rowing kit, being picked up by taxi outside the exam hall, being taken to Stansted Airport, flying to Germany and competing in the Manheim International Regatta in the afternoon. All organised by JB. I was lucky enough to represent the University in the Boat Race in 1982 and 1983 (we lost both), and in Goldie (the University second crew) in 1984 (we won).

I moved to Worcester College, Oxford in 1984. My mentor for the next two years was Dan Topolski who was the Head Coach of OUBC. Initially he was very wary of me, understandably, but supported and encouraged by Dan I got into the Oxford Blue Boat and we won the Boat Race in 1985. I was the first person to row for both Universities in the Boat Race. I had my photograph on the front page of The Guardian and an editorial about me in The Times, which was quite exciting. The next year I was President of OUBC and rowed again in the Boat Race, though we sadly lost.

During my initial surgical training my mentor was Prof. J Slome who taught me physiology and took me under his wing, providing extra tuition and encouraging me to sit the initial exams in Ireland (he memorably told me that “if you can hold a fountain pen the right way round and speak English you will pass the exam”).

He was in his eighties but still lectured for four days a week. A truly remarkable man.

When I started my research for a PhD at The Raft Institute of Plastic Surgery Research at Mount Vernon Hospital my mentor was Prof. Roy Sanders who had set up RAFT and was very helpful to all the young researchers. Latterly he was crucial in helping me pursue my training and subsequently a career in Plastic Surgery. My other mentor at that time was Prof. Colin Green at Northwick Park Hospital, who guided me through the difficult process of operating on pigs and nude mice. My research was to do with using cultured skin cells to treat burn injury.

In the later part of my Plastic Surgery training my mentor was Prof. Peter Dziewulski, who was the Lead Clinician for the Burns Unit at the St. Andrew’s Centre, Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford. He appointed me as senior Burns Fellow at the end of my training and then as Consultant Burns Surgeon (from 2003-2019). His wicked sense of humour, technical expertise, management know-how and huge knowledge of burns surgery meant that I had an extremely productive and enjoyable Consultant career. I have published 32 papers in the peer reviewed literature and presented at numerous national and international conferences and symposia. I was also on the Executive committee for the British Burns Association for five years. During this time I was Training Program Director for all the trainee Plastic Surgeons in London, looking after 72 trainees. I also was on the Specialist Training Committee for Plastic Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons for five years and involved in the National Selection interviews for Plastic Surgery training positions for 12 years. I was privileged to mentor numerous trainee Plastic Surgeons, many of whom have gone on to have illustrious careers.

I have enjoyed being a teacher and trainer for numerous trainees and am very interested in the process of surgical training. I still continue to teach, although this has entailed a new approach during the pandemic. I have, with limited success, tried to emulate some of the inspirational teaching of my mentors.

As a protege/mentee, my mentors all listened extremely well, unfailingly encouraged me, and strongly supported my training and to achieve realistic goals. They showed a genuine interest in me and my aspirations and career. They were selfless with their time, went the extra distance and enriched my life.