My first degree was in physics and chemistry and included a year in the US doing physics and philosophy. Having worked in computing I did the MSc in Medical Statistics at LSHTM and worked in statistics and computing at The London Hospital and Medical College for 25 years, leaving there in 1995 as Prof of Medical Statistics. I was also at the UK Medicines Control Agency and briefly at Quintiles where I mainly worked on the Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry. I joined LSHTM on retirement in 2002. I have been (until June 2018) a European Commission appointed independent Expert member of the Pharmacovigilance (Drug Safety) and Risk Assessment Committee at the European Medicines Agency. I was President of the International Society of Pharmacoepidemiology for 2010/2011.  I am now semi-retired and do not generally act as a supervisor of PhD students.