Waj Mehal: Memories and medicine

Waj Mehal:

Memories and medicine

Former School Captain and Captain of the Rugby 1st team, Waj Mehal (OE1976-83) went on to study Medicine at the University of Oxford before undertaking his post-graduate training at Yale School of Medicine in the United States. He is now Professor of Digestive Diseases and Director of the Weight Loss Program at Yale School of Medicine. We caught up with Waj on a visit to London.

“My best memories of Emanuel are of growing up with a group of friends and teachers who cared about our learning and were not shy to throw their personalities into the mix. I am sure I will remember the personalities long after I have forgotten the lessons.

The old buildings and long-term teachers brought a reassuring feeling of permanence. I also remember the lovely grounds, the added value of the House system and the perpetual and simple distractions of sports. Somehow, we were taught that the next rugby match was the most important thing in the world and at the same time that it really did not matter. Much attention was paid to our physical as well as our intellectual development.

A funny moment I recall as School Captain was when I and my fellow Prefects had to make tea for the 100 or so parents on Open Day. We were given a 5-foot-tall electric water boiler, lots of tea bags and no instructions. The water was supposed to go in the boiler and tea bags in the cups. Of course, we put five gallons of water and 100 tea bags in the electric water boiler. The tea bags blocked the pipes and the only way to dislodge them was with a broom handle. The tea still tasted fine!

I recently established a Poetry Prize in honour of former Headmaster, the late Peter Hendry, whose kind, considerate and thoughtful care has really stayed with me. Starting secondary school was a daunting experience for my whole family. We had only been in the UK for two years from Pakistan and there were a lot of differences between myself and my classmates. I was not familiar with the language, the food and customs and I stood out in assembly by the fact that I left after the hymns as I was not Christian. Peter Hendry really took the time to stop and speak to me and cared about how I was coping. I was petrified the first time he spoke to me, but he was obviously a very kind man who took the time to chat and ask how I was.

I wish I had been more aware of how special my surroundings were while I was at Emanuel, but I was just so happy to be doing well in maths and physics, playing rugby and

generally enjoying myself. I was very proud to be appointed first team rugby captain and particularly so when the old boys asked me to play for them on one occasion when they were short of a player. They were in their 30s and I was just 17 so it felt like a real honour. The Portcullis of the time notes that I always gave 100% but was plagued by a knee injury and homework!

As a bright first-generation immigrant, going into medicine seemed like an obvious choice for me but I didn’t get a lot of guidance on alternative careers. I am indebted to the Emanuel masters for suggesting that I apply to Oxford as my family and I had no real concept of the significance of it. I read Physiological Sciences and then went on to complete a D.Phil.

At the time I left, there was a system where you did a series of house jobs for six months in different hospitals. There was no training programme and little oversight on training and development. In the US, a structured training programme existed, so I decided to go there and come back and take my Royal College of Medicine membership exams. As a junior doctor, life revolves around work so it didn’t make much difference where I was, but it was beneficial to be in one place for three years and go through all the training steps rather than moving around. I am still in the US, but it’s not without regrets because I feel much more at home in the UK than I do in the States.

I am currently Director of the Yale Weight Loss Program at Yale School of Medicine, which focuses on trying to understand why so many people who are overweight develop liver disease, among other illnesses. I mostly do medical research and see patients for about one day a week. The pandemic affected my work in that many people put on weight as they spent a lot of time at home dealing with a challenging and uncertain situation.

The best weight loss advice I can give is to change your nutritional environment rather than relying mostly on willpower. At home, you can control and change your food environment to remove items that bring empty calories. If you have the same food at home while trying to lose weight, it won’t happen, or the weight will come back when the focus is taken off it. The best solution is to go through your cupboards, fridge and freezer and change the contents to healthy options.”

Dr. Mehal discussing medications and other options for weight management.

My best memories of Emanuel are of growing up with a group of friends and teachers who cared about our learning and were not shy to throw their personalities into the mix. ”