Dr Mecky McNeil MBBS MRCGP ACC qualified from University College London Medical School and initially pursued a career in General Medicine, spending several years at St Mary’s Hospital, London, working in specialities including cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, respiratory medicine and rheumatology. Changing speciality to General Practice, Mecky is a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners and worked in a busy family practice, caring for patients of all ages. Alongside regular clinics, she was a Specialist GP in Cardiology, covered the local Minor Injuries Unit, and ran the practice Mother and Baby and Menopause clinics.
Since moving to Switzerland, Mecky has transferred her medical skills to health and well-being coaching, offering a person-centred, holistic approach. She gained her coaching certificate with the University of Cape Town Post Graduate Business School in 2017 and in 2022 trained with Hintsa Performance to become a certified Performance Coach.
Mecky is passionate about improving education and knowledge around health and well-being and has a particular interest in mental health and the menopause. Having recently completed the Newson Health Confidence in Menopause training, she is motivated to change the narrative around menopause, empowering women to understand what is happening to their hormones, make personalised choices on how best to manage this, and to lead healthier happier lives.
As HealthFirst’s Mental Health and Well-being Director, Mecky is responsible for our range of related workshops and trainings. She also works with Pro Mente Sana and continues to develop their Mental Health First Aid courses in English in Switzerland. In addition, Mecky is working with UNICEF and Z Zurich Foundation on a joint global project aimed at supporting young people’s mental health and consults as an expert on mental health with Hintsa Performance.
Dr Michelle Wright MBChB MRCGP DRCOG DCH graduated from the University of Bristol in 1997. A member of the Royal College of General Practitioners, before moving to Switzerland in 2004, Michelle worked in a busy practice in South East London, seeing patients of all ages with physical and mental health problems.
Having an interest in paediatrics and women’s health, she has postgraduate qualifications in both specialities with a Diploma in Child Health and a Diploma of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. A lifelong learner, recognising the importance of health promotion and disease prevention and understanding the impact that lifestyle can have on overall health and well-being, Michelle has a Diploma in Lifestyle Medicine from the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine.
She continues her patient contact today, working part-time in the Staff Medical Service of the International Labour Organization, Geneva, looking after the physical and psychological health of staff members.
Utilising her skill of making health information easy to understand and accessible for all, for over 15 years, Michelle has had a weekly radio show, Health Matters, on World Radio Switzerland. Based on her passion around health education, Michelle was one of the founders of HealthFirst in 2012 and became Company Director in 2018. Since its creation, she has ensured that all trainings and services offered are backed by science, meeting international and Swiss standards and guidelines.
These skills and special interests make Michelle excited about how she and the HealthFirst team can support women through the important life stage of perimenopause and menopause.
