The 50/50 band with Aggrey Irons on drums at the Upliftment Jamaica Gala, held at the old Goodyear factory in St. Thomas in 2005. - file

Ha! No such thing. A gifted psychiatrist, Irons' exemplary service to the Bellevue Hospital and the field of mental health in Jamaica has been well documented.

One learns that he is a man who devotes two days per week to volunteer work, such as caring for terminally ill patients at the Consie Walters Cancer Care Hospice, and working with some of Jamaica's finest athletes.

All that is in addition to running a very successful medical practice, being a part of the popular 50/50 band, a member of several associations and having time for family.

First grandchild

His family is also a growing one, with the birth of his first grandchild.

"Here is a picture," says the proud grandfather, while quickly clicking on his desktop to bring up a photo of a newborn. At the same time, he also shows his inbox folder in his email.

"I keep up to date with my email - I check every day, so it is almost always up on my desk. Right now, there is only one unanswered mail," he says, indeed highlighting that he is a man of efficiency.

"Time and energy are what makes all the difference and both are inversely proportional. If you have limited time, you will apply more energy to what you do," he says, while explaining that if time and energy are used wisely, one could end up with more time for varying activities than most people.

He says, for example, that he has had very little problems juggling his medical career and his passion for music.

"From early, I knew that music would be second - in those days, music was not thought of seriously as a career, so I knew I had to focus on medicine first," says Irons, who is the percussionist and vocalist in the 50/50 band. Nonetheless, most Tuesday evenings will find him rehearsing with the band, which usually performs on a Friday and Saturday night.

"We are very busy," he says.

But not so busy that he has not added another activity to his plate. Tonight at 7 o'clock, he takes part in Forever Young's Celebrity Design-A-Drink Challenge. Forever Young is a two-day Health, Nutrition and Rejuvenation Expo held at the Hilton hotel, the Celebrity Design-A-Drink Challenge being a highlight.

For the challenge, Dr. Irons will be one of three celebrities required to formulate and name an original mixed drink using orange juice as the base ingredient.

"I am going to use local ingredients to produce my drink. The main ingredient will be rum and that is all I will say about the matter," says Irons with a deep-throated chuckle.

Another passion of his is his volunteer work at the Consie Walters Cancer Care Hospice in Kingston. Coincidentally, the Celebrity Design-A-Drink Challenge feeds into this passion, since the person judged to be the winner of the challenge will earn $20,000 for his or her favourite charity.

Cancer hospice

"I have been associated with it for many years ... I am also chairman at the hospice, which deals with cancer. It is one of the places that I also choose to support as a charity. Many persons don't think of a hospice as a charity. For many, it is just somewhere you go when there is no cure for your illness," says Irons.

The 21-year-old, eight-bed hospice is located on the compound of the St. Joseph's Hospital, but is not a part of the hospital. It provides palliative care for terminally ill patients and their families.

"There is an interdisciplinary approach to patient care - a team of persons care for the patient. The team is physician-directed but there is also a psychiatrist, social worker and grief counsellor. The psychiatrist angle is one of the areas where Dr. Irons fits in," says Sister Mary Andrew, the administrator at the hospice.

Indeed, apart from his psychiatric responsibilities and chairmanship of the hospice, Irons will also go the extra mile for 'his charity'. He is determined that he will win the Forever Young's Celebrity Design-a-Drink Challenge. The participants will be judged on taste,presentation, creativity/originality and showmanship in mixing. This does not seem to faze Irons, as drink mixing is another area that he 'sometimes dabbles in.'

While he might 'dabble' in some things, his practice is not one of those areas. He sees his first patient at about 9:00 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The rest of those days are dedicated to seeing patients, and his only break is his 15-minute lunchtime. He dedicates Mondays and Fridays to volunteer work.

Short lunch

"I take 15 minutes for lunch and then it is straight until about 5:00 p.m.," he says. When he goes home in the evenings, he exercises, listens to music and goes to meetings for the various associations of which he is a part.

"I also normally speak to my kids before I go to sleep and also try to catch up with my friends in the evenings," he explains. Sometimes, too, he watches television or reads before going to sleep. But at about 5:00 a.m. each day, he starts out with prayer. By about 6:00 a.m., the phone calls starts coming so he takes calls while getting ready to go to work by 9:00 a.m.

Social commentator, musician, volunteer, father, grandfather, doctor, husband and friend - Irons is all that, and more.