My part in the “brain drain”

I am a Colombian family doctor and a clinical epidemiologist. Four months ago I left my country and migrated to the United Kingdom. This is my experience of what it is like to be part of the so called “brain drain” of doctors from developing countries to rich countries in the north.

As a researcher in Colombia I was based in a private university and supported by one of the international clinical epidemiology network's units. My work was well valued and as a group we were able to sort out many of the difficulties that researchers have to solve, such as finding funding while the American government imposed sanctions as part of its drug fighting policies. We were able to …