Patrick Cullinane, MB BCh BAO, MSc, MRCPI
University College London London, United Kingdom
A Late Application That Changed Everything From early on, I was drawn to understanding how complex systems work and why things break down, even if I didn’ t yet know where that interest would take me. Medicine offered a way to pursue those questions in a meaningful, real-world context.
My interest in movement disorders developed gradually, shaped by mentorship and deepened through research. After starting specialist training, I pursued a PhD and later came to Queen Square( part of UCL’ s Institute of Neurology), where the research environment, particularly around how movements are generated and disrupted, deepened my focus.
Over time, that curiosity eventually led me toward neurology. A turning point came during a university research project. I applied late for a summer position and assumed I’ d missed my chance, but was connected with a neurologist who had funding available. The project focused on patients with tremor— bringing them into the hospital, examining them, and trying to understand what we were seeing. It seemed simple at first. But it wasn’ t. It turned out to be genuinely interesting and led to opportunities to present the work internationally. More than anything, it introduced me to a mentor and a field that drew me in.
Order From Chaos What I’ ve always liked about neurology is that it requires working without clear answers. There isn’ t always a single test that explains everything. Instead, you piece things together through observation, clinical judgment and experience. I found that process of bringing order to complexity appealing early on, even as it has become more challenging with increasing responsibility.
My work now centers on clinical-pathological studies, analyzing patient records alongside brain tissue to better understand how disease processes relate to symptoms, progression and survival. More recently, I’ ve used artificial intelligence to analyze these data at greater depth, with the goal of capturing a more complete picture of a patient’ s history— not just when Parkinson’ s begins, but what comes before it.
What Comes Next One of the most meaningful aspects of my fellowship has been becoming part of a broader movement disorders community. Having dedicated time to think, research and explore has been invaluable.
That experience has clarified what I want going forward: a clinical-academic career that combines patient care with research. Contributing to progress in a field that still lacks disease-modifying treatments feels important and motivating.
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