Where is Durham University?

It all started spring semester 2010.  I was teaching my Researching methods course and I was discussing with students the key methodological frame in which I work, called case-based computational modeling--don't worry, i won't explain it.  Anyway, I told them about my friend and colleague, David Byrne, who is a major international figure in case-based method. 

"David is a sociology professor at Durham University," I said.  "You have got to see the place where he works; it's Durham University, in Northern England." I brought up a few pictures on the internet.  "Could you imagine," one of my students said, "getting to teach there, Dr. C?"  I said, "Yes, I could."



Cut to Spring Semester 2011.  I am on my way to a roundtable on Advancing Professionalism in Practice, care of the Mayo Clinic and the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation.  I was asked to be the "complexity expert" for the roundtable by one of my best friends and co-author, Frederic Hafferty, who is at Mayo in the Program for Professionalism and Ethics.  The other expert was my colleague David Byrne.  While at the roundtable, David said, "Brian, you should consider applying for one of the sabbatical fellowships at Durham, as I think you would have a good chance.  We could do some great work together through the School of Applied Social Sciences."

I tucked the idea in my back pocket and went back to Ohio, where I shared the idea with Maggie, my wife.  Eleven weeks in Durham and Maggie and Ruby would come to visit for a month, spending the last two weeks in Scotland and Paris.  Paris for Christmas! 

My idea, you can imagine, was not too hard to sell to Maggie or me.  Besides, I never thought I would actually get the fellowship.  Being pragmatists at heart, Maggie and I thought, what the heck apply and take it from there.  And so I did.  I applied for the Leonard Slater Fellowship University College--Slater was Master of Castle from 1953-1973.  And, as this blog indicates, I actually got it!  Wow!  And so, Autumn 2012 I was off to jolly old England.