Episode 19: Dr Albert Koomson - Class Of Corona, Sport & Mental Health and How Building A Successful Football Team Translates To Life Navigation

Dr Albert Koomson is a 26 year old foundation doctor in Harlow, Essex, South East England. He is one the many newly qualified British doctors to be unfortunately  appointed by the medical press in the ‘Class Of Corona’. Personally, I am not entirely sure whether the label was something of legend or more likely imposed by the medical press. Back in spring of 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic had menacingly swept across Western Europe, landing firmly on British shores, something important and monumental was happening at the  University of East Anglia Medical School.  By gratification and granting of pre-registration rights from the General Medical Council, was in essence,  the de-facto appointment as doctors on the spot. This was an unprecedented and earth-shattering decision made in conjunction with many other medical schools across the UK. I first got to know Albert when I read his article and qualitative research in the British Medical Journal Doctor supplement with interest. He wrote candidly and openly about the fear and emotion behind being a doctor by default and taking a front row seat in the ‘Class Of Corona’. Albert  ignites  with emotion during the first part of the episode as we venture into the topic of sport, and just how the impact of team sports, rugby and football specifically,  has positively affected his life. Nevertheless, we also see  glimpses of frustration and fearfulness from moments of a life without organised sport from  successive national lockdowns. Albert talks openly about how that scares him.  Albert touches on some important themes of just how sport engenders not only identity and  purpose in a young man, but also the life-skills and confidence that translate to a fantastic future likely in sports medicine. Albert demonstrates his skill as motivator and inspirational figure to those around him as demonstrated with the success stories of the Norwich University Medical Student football team. Albert talks about enforcing drinking bands, how the fittest teams, not necessarily the most skilful teams, often come out on top. He proposes how many of the  skills from the field of play are translatable to the workplace and so impacting those around him.I had a really fantastic couple of hours speaking with Albert and it was an unmitigated pleasure. We are both London boys and I felt really at home with him talking about mutual overlaps of North London. Albert is a real gentle, lovely and insightful young man and has a beautiful attitude to life.