In this week’s coffee with consultants feature, I interviewed Dr Alicia Porter from the Child and Family unit in the department of Psychiatry at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, about her path in medicine and her choice to specialise in Psychiatry. Dr Porter is passionate about all things mental health; she's a mental health advocate, and she is also one of the founding members of the Healthworkers Care Network, that was established as a mental health support and training network during the Covid-19 pandemic. Because of this, the mental health of junior doctors and medical students became an important topic during our conversation.
If you are concerned about your own mental health and want to reach out for help, please access one of the resources available below:

Healthcare Workers Care Network - https://www.healthcareworkerscarenetwork.org.za/
South African Depression and Anxiety Group - https://www.sadag.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11&Itemid=114
Discovery helpline for medical students - https://www.discovery.co.za/corporate/young-doctors

Thank you to our special guest, Dr Alicia Porter. I hope you enjoyed it and feel motivated, encouraged and inspired. If you have feedback on what you thought of this episode or anything else on your mind, please get in touch. The podcast’s email address is drcoffeeza@gmail.com. We’re also on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube.
If haven’t listened to episode 24 of the podcast yet, do it now! Remember to send us your stories of medical procedures you’ve performed on yourself or your loved ones, for a chance to be featured on Episode 26! Simply submit your story as a voice message here: https://anchor.fm/simon-fraser8/message
While you’re here, please leave a rating or review of the podcast! Consider sharing this episode with fellow junior doctors and medical students in your world who you think would benefit from the content and enjoy it. Thank you so much for your support!