Celebrating Excellence - An Interview with Doctor Mario Lepore
Celebrating excellence: an interview with Dr Mario Lepore
Dr Mario Lepore was recently awarded SLaM’s Higher Resident Doctor of the Year award at the SLaM Training Programme awards in recognition of his dedication, compassion and contribution to colleagues across the Trust.
Mario was nominated by a range of staff including consultants, medical colleagues and nursing teams, making the award all the more meaningful.
“It was a really lovely surprise,” he said. “Hearing the reasons for the nomination on the day was incredibly touching. Especially as they came from my peers from across the Trust.”
Mario was nominated for his commitment to helping resident doctors prepare for their membership exams. He created and runs an exam preparation programme in his own time, guided by his own memories of exam pressure.
“I remember the stress of exams when I was at that stage, so I thought I’d do something to make it a bit easier for them,” he explained.
And he has had remarkable success so far. “The programme has a 100% pass rate - but that’s more down to them than to me,” he said modestly. Mario joined SLaM three years ago and has worked across a wide range of services — from Southwark Home Treatment Team and CASCAID HIV liaison to inpatient work on Luther King Ward, as well as community and addiction services.
Looking to the future, Mario hopes to continue his career within SLaM. Alongside his clinical work he is completing a Master’s in Addiction at the IoPPN and his passion lies in improving how addiction care is embedded across general mental health services, to better address the physical health inequalities faced by many service users.
Mario describes SLaM as “an exciting and innovative place” that has shaped his development. “It challenges me in a positive way, and I find it rewarding.”
And he credits the “amazing mentors and supervisors” he has worked with. “I couldn’t have done it alone. There have genuinely been some amazing people to guide me.”
