Dr Benjamin Pons

MBBS 2014
Recipient of the 2022 Dr Andrew Couch Memorial Award.

How did your time at Notre Dame help shape who you are today?

I believe Notre Dame has shaped me into a community-minded person. I think this stems from the school itself being a small community, made up of professionals in various fields, mentors, administrators, teachers, and friends. My experiences have taught me that solving problems is best approached from a perspective of collaboration that comes from a small community sharing a common goal.

Congratulations on being awarded the 2022 Andrew Couch Memorial Award. What does this recognition mean to you?

For me it meant recognition for a lot of time and hard work. Anyone that has undertaken clinical research knows that it is no easy feat. There are numerous challenges including creating research protocols, writing ethics, applying for funding/grants and establishing data management systems and all of this before collecting a single piece of data! The path is long, but it was such a rewarding feeling to have finally collated, analysed, written up my thesis and clicked the submit button. So, receiving the Andrew Couch Memorial Award means that my team and I have been recognised for overcoming many challenges, and it has spurred me on to continue my path as an early career clinical researcher.

How do you remain resilient in your line of work?

I try to be kind to myself. Some days my motivation will wane, and I try not to get upset about it. I regularly take time out in the ocean to surf or swim. I find the absence of technology and being amongst nature helps me to reset. My partner and I welcomed our little boy into the world this year, and he has a remarkable ability to refocus my priorities. His cheeky grin always reminds me of the important things in life.

8 years ago

2022

What is your most memorable experience from your time at Notre Dame?

For me it was moving to Melbourne in my final year of study. Up until that point I had not moved out of home and found the experience of juggling work and study in a new city to be such an adventure. I lived with my friends from Notre Dame, and we had such a fun final last year together. The clinical experiences I had at hospitals such as Werribee Mercy, Footscray, and St Vincent’s Hospital were second to none and rounded out my clinical skillset ready for internship.

What recent habit has improved or changed your life?

Being a new father, I needed to study more efficiently. My son really determines the study schedule now. The habit I have got into recently is the 'text-to-speak' function for most of my notes and flashcards. This gives me more flexibility with my study schedule. For example, if he wakes up at 5am, I’ll take him after his feed and put some EarPods in, I can then select my notes either from my computer or phone. This way I can still hold him and get through my study material handsfree. If I need to write, I’ll put him in the baby-carrier and we’re both happy campers.

What are you currently reading/listening to?

My reading list now is not too exciting, mainly textbooks and articles. The podcast I’m currently listening to is “Against the Rules” by Michael Lewis. As an author, his work has been behind some big-name Hollywood films such as “Moneyball” and “The Big Short”. This podcast focused on people with unique ways of tackling problems, such as producing a winning baseball team by applying statistics; knowing where to look for stranded castaways in the ocean based on experimental data on how different objects travel in tide and winds, or how to recoup funds from insurers by coding the knowledge of an expert medical biller into a computer program.

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