1. 23/04/2014 Taking the lead 5 th Annual NIHR Trainee Meeting Leeds, 2001 Hywel Williams Director of Centre of Evidence-based Dermatology and Chair of the NIHR HTA Commissioning Board

2. I did it my way

4. Briefly – my career path Medicine and dermatolology in London Wellcome Trust Clinical Epidemiology Fellowship MSc and PhD Senior lecturer 1994 at Nottingham, Professor in 1998 Started Centre of Evidence-Based Dermatology – Cochrane Skin group, UK Dematology Clinical Trials Network, NHS Evidence 300+ papers and grant income £1million per year plus 1998 Director of R&D for the Trust Then Trent Institute for Health Services Research Started Nottingham Clinical Trials Unit in 2005 2006 – Chaired RfPB East Midlands 2010 chair HTA Commissioning Board

5. Story 1: the birth of dermato-epidemiology

6. European Dermato-Epidemiology Network, Venice, 1999.

7. Tip one Beat your own paths (and learn leadership along the way)

8. Story 2: Hywel and the horrible statistician

9. Tip two: Turn your demons into your strengths

10. Story 3: One day they will find me out

11. Tip three: Do you realise why you are successful?

12. Story 4: Your other interests I really wanted to do art and music

15. Tip four: Find a way of bringing your true self into your work

16. Story 5: Hywel and the helpful professor

17. Tip five: Find a good mentor

18. Story 6: Getting the balance right between pushing and pulling

19. Tip six: Let go (for a while)

20. Story seven: the Empire strikes back

21. Tip seven: Invest in people – different people

22. Story eight: The loneliness of good science

23. Tip eight: Eschew fashion - Good science will prevail

24. Story 9: the failed application

25. Tip nine: Pick yourself up and learn from your mistakes

26. Story 10: how green was my valley

27. Tip 10: Know who you are, and where you come from

29. Final thoughts All of you are good, but do you know why? Know when to compete and when to collaborate Never underestimate your own ability to forge your own career path The most important: Be true to yourself