Before we meet, here’s a little about me
— my background, my interests and life outside the clinic.
A short introduction to the clinician and founder behind odNOVA.
I often say that I was brought up by a group of women called librarians. My mother was one of them. I spent much of my childhood in the library where she worked — in Silesia, where, alongside the coal mines and steelworks, I had my own world of bookshelves. Literature came first, although books about biology, the human body and medicine were also within reach.
My father was a carpenter and hoped I would become an electrician. It was a perfectly sensible plan, until you factored me into it. My mother imagined us in the armed forces: my brother in the air force, me in the navy. Meanwhile, I was interested in language, literature and ideas. It would have been difficult to predict that, after studying Polish language and literature, I would return to university to study pharmacy.
I studied Polish language and literature with two specialisations: teaching, and social communication and public relations. My studies taught me to read closely, question interpretations and notice both what is said outright and what lies between the lines. I did not yet know what I wanted to do with my life. Teaching seemed the safest choice, and it also involved something I genuinely enjoyed: helping others learn and sharing knowledge. I had no idea how far my later decisions would take me from that plan.
Completing my first degree did not give me a final answer to the question of what I wanted from life. I valued what studying language and literature had given me, but began looking for a different path. Biology and medicine were becoming more than subjects I enjoyed reading about. I wanted to understand them better and put that knowledge to use in my work.
After moving to the United Kingdom, I returned to university — this time to study pharmacy. After years spent with literature, it was time for chemistry, physiology, pharmacology and clinical practice. Something useful stayed with me from my earlier studies, though: a commitment to precision and a habit of looking for context. In literature, a single word can change the meaning of a sentence. In pharmacy, a single dose can change a life.
I felt at home studying pharmacy. It felt like pursuing a personal passion. When I got home, I would pick up books on pharmacy and pharmacology as I once picked up a novel — out of curiosity and for pleasure. I never had to force myself. Pharmacology had something of a mysterious art about it: behind the substances and mixtures I had once associated with a kind of magic, I was discovering specific mechanisms. The more I understood, the more I wanted to know.
I gained my Master of Pharmacy degree and later qualified as a Pharmacist Independent Prescriber, enabling me to prescribe medicines independently. The pleasure of learning came with a sense that I had found my place in healthcare.
Working directly with patients gave that knowledge a personal dimension. I could help someone understand their treatment, discuss everyday habits and support them in making decisions about their health. I had always enjoyed teaching and sharing knowledge — now I could do so in a way I had not imagined during my earlier degree.
My first encounter with aesthetic medicine was as a patient. I had always taken care of myself. I believed then, and still believe, that life is easier for people who look good.
I was already curious about the skin during my pharmacy studies. My fellow students were drawn to other fields of medicine, such as cardiology or oncology. Dermatology appealed to me. To this day, I feel it received the least attention in the pharmacy curriculum. So I would go home, pick up books and explore the subject for myself.
Over time, these interests began to come together. As a patient, I had my own expectations of treatment; as a pharmacist, I understood what was being used, how it worked and what influenced the result. I was interested in both the visible effect and everything that led to it.
I did not want to run my own aesthetic practice on the strength of a series of short courses. I wanted a solid academic foundation and a broader understanding of the field, so I undertook a master’s degree in Cosmetic and Aesthetic Medicine. It was exactly the right choice. Whatever topic we covered, I was interested. I was also a little surprised to discover how much I already knew from studying independently at home.
At the same time, I was becoming increasingly aware that understanding facial anatomy, ageing and aesthetic procedures also meant developing a deeper knowledge of the skin itself. I wanted to take that further — because, clearly, three master’s degrees were not enough.
I was one of the top students on the Cosmetic and Aesthetic Medicine programme. I received a scholarship for my academic results, which enabled me to continue studying Dermatology in Clinical Practice. More years of study lay ahead.
I have now completed the postgraduate diploma stage of this programme (PGDip Dermatology in Clinical Practice) and am continuing at master’s level. I plan to finish in March 2027 — with my fourth master’s degree. I keep promising myself it will be the last.
I created odNOVA because I wanted to work in my own way. I wanted to focus on what I know best, give honest advice and have time to make considered decisions. I wanted the freedom to recommend treatments because they made sense for the individual. Without the pressure of sales targets.
I built the practice while I was still studying. odNOVA grew alongside me, but the original intention remained the same: to create a place where patients could feel at ease, speak openly and trust the person they chose to care for them.
I complement my university education with advanced practical training in facial anatomy, aesthetic medicine and the management of complications. At the University of Glasgow, I attended training in facial anatomy through cadaveric dissection. This allowed me to study the structures of the face directly, rather than only through diagrams and textbooks.
Select a qualification to understand what each means
Outside work, I divide my time between playing the piano, plants and CrossFit. At home, I have two cats who seem to think that everything requires their supervision. Dressage belongs to an earlier, though still important, chapter of my life.
Five interests · one at a time
Learning to play the piano was a childhood dream. I returned to it almost thirty years later, when I finally had the time and the means to make it happen. Playing gave me as much pleasure as I had imagined. I am still learning and know how much lies ahead.
My home is filled with plants — close to a hundred, depending on how honestly I count new cuttings and rooting shoots. It started innocently enough, but over time an interest became a passion. I enjoy learning about different species and discovering what they need to thrive, rather than simply survive. I can spend an unreasonable amount of time adjusting the lighting, checking roots or moving the same plant from one place to another because something still does not feel quite right. Some people would call this excessive. They would probably be right.
CrossFit gives me a break from thinking — though it can hardly be called a rest. I enjoy the discipline, the challenge and the fact that it requires my full attention. It also reminds me that I cannot be very good at everything.
For several years, dressage was not part of my life. It was my life. I was drawn to its combination of technique, beauty of movement and balance, but also to spending time with horses — beautiful, remarkably intelligent animals.
I remember competitions, the joy of winning and the tears after losing. But I also remember the daily training. Three hundred and sixty-five days a year. Christmas, New Year’s Day — without exception.
I no longer ride, but that time meant too much to me to reduce it to a hobby I once tried.
I share my home with Neela, a Tonkinese, and Moka, a Maine Coon. There was also Ivo, an Abyssinian, whom we sadly lost. I love cats for their individuality. There is no other animal I understand so instinctively.
I rarely take only a passing interest in something. When it matters to me, I tend to take it seriously.
