Jason Gill is a FLIER participant and Professor of Cardiometabolic Health at the University of Glasgow. We asked him what he has learned on the FLIER programme and how it’s helping him to tackle obesity.
Q: What issue in health research do you want to take on and why?
A: Obesity and related lifestyle factors now account for a quarter of all life-years lost in the UK. That’s more than the mortality burden of smoking. Tackling obesity will require collaboration and coordination across academia, the health service, industry, the third sector and government. I would like to play a role in facilitating these interactions. Working together we can develop realistic and scalable interventions that could improve health tangibly and sustainably.
Q: What have you learnt on the FLIER programme?
A: Being on the FLIER programme has changed me a lot. When you get to my age you can sometimes think that you are fully formed. However, FLIER has helped me to realise that this is not necessarily the case. A key learning is that hard work doesn’t scale. To get big things done you need to work through others, so the role of the leader is to set a vision and help others to enact this.
Q: Has there been anything surprising about the programme?
A: One of the most surprising aspects of the FLIER programme is that it changed my perspective of what a leader is. I had a mental picture of a leader being a stereotypical hero figure, which, as a natural introvert, does not match my outlook or personality. FLIER reinforced the idea of a leader as someone who sets a vision then facilitates its enactment by empowering others – acting as a playmaker, rather than a striker. This is something that really hit home with me and I now use as a framework in everything that I do.
Q: What have you done differently as a result of FLIER?
A: I am thinking bigger about what is possible and becoming less worried about failing. This has led to me to take bigger risks and try new approaches. For example, I am part of a team applying for a large grant about tackling climate change, which may or may not be successful. We have planned a trial of how individual, community and infrastructure interventions interact to promote cycling and walking. This goes beyond anything that has been attempted before.
Professor Jason Gill is a participant in Round 2 of the Academy of Medical Sciences’ FLIER programme, a unique programme that will develop leaders of the future who can create collaborations across academia, industry, the NHS and government to drive innovation.
The FLIER programme is generously supported by the Dennis and Mireille Gillings Foundation and the Government Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy ‘Investment in Research Talent’ fund. You can find out more about our funding model and explore our donors here, or visit our Support Us webpage to explore ways to help our work.
