Dr Reid graduated in Medicine from Sydney University in 1983 after completing an earlier degree in Pharmacy at the same institution.
After 4 years of hospital and GP training, he moved to Nelson Bay and joined a four-man general rural practice. In 2000, Dr Reid opened his own dedicated skin cancer practice in Nelson Bay until he semi-retired in 2023.
Dr Reid also worked at the Newcastle Melanoma Unit at the Calvary Mater Hospital from 2007 to 2023, conducting outpatient services and surgical excision of smaller melanomas (which did not require formal hospital admission). At the NMU, Dr Reid assisted in the formal teaching of students from Newcastle University
He is a member of the Skin Cancer College of Australasia and holds a Graduate Certificate in Skin Cancer Medicine.