Pupils in our junior and senior schools were recently treated to a visit from former pupil, Dr Rajith de Silva (Class of '82), Consultant Neurologist at Queen’s Hospital, Romford (in Essex) and the National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery, London. Dr de Silva spent his early career training and building experience in Scotland prior to moving to Essex in 1998 to take up the role of a Consultant Neurologist. He has built up a busy clinical practice and is a leading UK Consultant in the field of Neurology. 

Dr de Silva is an inspiring role model to pupils interested in a medical pathway beyond school, and is committed to the training of young doctors in the UK and abroad. He is Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary and Westfield University in London, and is involved in teaching neuroscience to medical undergraduates. He specialises in the fields of headache, ataxia, neuro-genetics, and neuro-obstetrics, and is developing more 'interventional' approaches for the treatment of headaches, including using Botox in chronic migraine management. His research interests in neuro-genetics and neurodegeneration have led him into the field of ataxia- where he is involved in a number of projects to improve the diagnosis and management of patients with this rare disorder.  Dr de Silva is a Medical Advisor for Ataxia (UK) (a support group for patients with ataxia and their carers) and is on their Clinical Guidelines Development Group.

Rajith had not had the opportunity of returning to the school for more than four decades, so this was a nostalgic and memorable day for him. From a distance, however, Rajith has been a dedicated supporter of the College and during the C-19 pandemic, Rajith participated in the RGC Gordon's Together series to kindly share his honest experience of working on the front line as a key worker within the NHS. 

During this recent visit back to school, Rajith was filled with joy to see the progressive developments in science and technology and how the College has evolved since his time at school. He was impressed by his interactions with staff and pupils in The Craig Centre for Performing Arts, and The Wood Foundation Centre for Science and Technology, the UK's largest school interdisciplinary teaching facility for STEAM programmes which opened in 2016. He was impressed to see first hand, the dedicated science learning lab in the Junior School where he met Primary 4 pupils with Mrs Jappy, RGC's Head of Science. The junior pupils were curious and eager to learn about Rajith's role as a neurologist and how he helps patients on a day to day basis. They had lots of interesting questions about neurology and how the brain works, but also his life living and working in England.