Peter Turnpenny

Peter Turnpenny

Wow! Where did the time go?

Within days of the reunion Alison and I celebrate 30 years of marriage. We also celebrated my mother’s 90th birthday in April – hence a clinical geneticist’s photograph of three generations! My mother should be relatively easy to spot and the other young ladies, left to right, are: Alison (age – similar to the rest of us), Jenny (25, primary school teacher in South Wales, married to Paul on her left – a sports coach and big time surfer), Pippa (19, speech therapy student, Sheffield), Theresa (21, English literature student, Southampton), and Beth (27, junior doctor in general medicine, Bolton – she survived MTAS). In case you are wondering who I am, the beard came off 4 years ago (grown at 20 to look older, discarded at 50 to look younger).

We have lived in Exeter for 14 years, during which time the Clinical Genetics Department has grown from a staff of 3 to more than 20, and the Peninsula Medical School saw its first cohort of students graduate this July. Most of my work is still NHS but research interests in spinal segmentation abnormalities, fetal anticonvulsant syndromes, hypermobility syndrome, and a motley assortment of other rare genetic conditions continues.

Thanks for sorting out the blogging Carol. I was feeling just like a houseman (? houseperson, O yes – F1) again – trying to find my registrar (not so easy these days) for help!