Dr Philip D Welsby qualified in 1970 from the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine for Women (it had been decided that the predominantly male-accepting medical schools had to start accepting women and the corollary of this was that exclusively female accepting medical schools had to admit men).

He spent a brief time in general practice, subsequently returned to hospital practice and gained MRCP.  Dr Welsby then joined a rotating registrar scheme in Aberdeen where he discovered Infectious Diseases. As a Senior Registrar in Infectious Disease in London he gained further experience of general medicine and Infectious diseases, both adult and paediatric. He was then appointed Consultant in Edinburgh where he continued his interests in medical education and, medical writing (both serious and humorous). He was one of the front line clinicians dealing with the AIDS problems in Edinburgh and retired in 2006 but continues to teach general Medicine for the University of Edinburgh medical students.

Dr Welsby has a total of 106 publications 64 of which were peer reviewed, and has been an examiner for MRCP for 21 years.

He continues to publish scientific articles (the latest being the Neurophysiology of Failed Perception, which explores reasons why examination candidates do not see things that are there to be seen) and teaches general medicine on clinical wards.