9:15am - 10:15am
Session 1: Opening plenary
Our opening plenary session aims to debunk the myth that you should be superheroes and leave you with a refreshed confidence that your med reg years are simply the start of your learning journey. The talk will be followed by a panel discussion where physicians at varying stages of their careers share their thoughts.
London: Council chamber
Liverpool: Space 8
Dr Mariyam Adam
Dr Mariyam Adam is a renal registrar working in the Mersey deanery and currently represents the resident doctors on the RCP Resident Doctors Committee.
Dr Mariyam Adam
ST7 renal registrar, Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Dr Zack Ferguson
Dr Zack Ferguson is a newly appointed consultant acute physician at Frimley Health NHS Trust and an honorary clinical lecturer at University College London. Zack has a long-standing interest in improving the quality of postgraduate training and completed his MSc research on the transition from medical senior house officer to medical registrar.
Dr Zack Ferguson
Consultant acute physician, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
Superhero fatigue: debunking the myth of the medical registrar
Dr (Janita) Yee Tin Lit
Dr Janita Lit is a resident doctor in internal medicine training year 3 in the Kent, Surrey and Sussex deanery, currently working at Frimley Park Hospital. She completed her medical degree at the University of Southampton in 2021. Outside clinical medicine, her interests lie in medical education, fostering meaningful mentorships and widening access. This year, she has stepped up as a medical registrar at a very busy district general hospital and has been learning a lot.
Dr (Janita) Yee Tin Lit
IMT3 Resident doctor, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
Dr Revati Naran
Dr Revati Naran is a specialty registrar in respiratory / general internal medicine in London with a long-standing commitment to medical education. Revati undertook an out-of-programme experience during registrar training as a clinical teaching fellow in respiratory medicine at the Royal Free Hospital, and she holds a master’s in medical education, for which her thesis explored resident doctors’ perspectives on the role of the medical registrar. She remains actively involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, curriculum development and mentorship alongside her clinical training.
Dr Revati Naran
Speciality registrar in respiratory medicine, Barts Health NHS Trust
Dr Graeme Burt
Dr Graeme Burt is on the acute care common stem (ACCS) internal medicine training programme, currently in CT3, which is equivalent to IMT2. Graeme completed his pre-clinical training at the University of St Andrews before graduating in medicine from the University of Manchester. He moved to Edinburgh in 2021 to begin foundation training and subsequently progressed directly into ACCS internal medicine training. He has developed broad experience across acute and general medicine, with particular interests in intensive care and renal medicine. He is now approaching an exciting stage in his career as he prepares to transition into the role of medical registrar and take on greater clinical responsibility.
Dr Graeme Burt
CT3 (ACCS-internal medicine), NHS Lothian
10:15am
- Comfort break - please choose your next session
10:35am - 12:15pm
Session 2: Older patients presenting acutely
This session will focus on the acute presenting older patient, including talks on medical decision-making in frail surgical patients, an overview of common stroke presentations encountered on the acute medical take and deprescribing in the acute setting.
This session will run in parallel with session 3. We recommend you choose which session you’d like to watch live, and which session you will watch on-demand at a later date.
London: Council chamber
Liverpool: Space 8
Dr Hannah Parker
Dr Hannah Parker is a locally employed geriatric medicine registrar pursuing the portfolio pathway route, currently working as RCP chief registrar at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. Hannah has been an RCP associate college tutor for the past 4 years and has a keen interest in medical education, especially simulation.
Dr Hannah Parker
RCP chief registrar in geriatrics / general internal medicine, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Dr Guy Slabbert
Dr Guy Slabbert is a consultant geriatrician at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, working across acute frailty (OPAL) and perioperative medicine. He has a specialist interest in the care of frail older adults undergoing surgery and is leading the development of a perioperative medicine for older people undergoing surgery (POPS) service within the trust. Guy completed a senior clinical fellowship in perioperative medicine at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, with experience in established multidisciplinary pathways for high-risk surgical patients. His wider interests include orthogeriatrics, frailty syndromes and point-of-care ultrasound.
He is actively involved in education, quality improvement and service development, with a focus on improving outcomes and supporting clinical decision-making in complex older patients.
Dr Guy Slabbert
Consultant geriatrician, The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust
Beyond the knife: medical decision making in frail surgical patients
Dr Ella Sherman
Dr Ella Sherman graduated from Brighton and Sussex Medical School. She completed her stroke and geriatric medicine training in the Severn Deanery. Ella is a stroke consultant at Southmead Hospital in Bristol and is course director for the UK and ROI acute stroke simulation course.
Dr Ella Sherman
Consultant stroke physician, North Bristol NHS Trust
Mimics, misses and middle cerebral arteries
Dr Lucy Pollock FRCP
Dr Lucy Pollock is a geriatrician interested in communication, teaching and how we can shift power to patients while ensuring they remain supported. She’s interested in complexity, frailty, waste, uncertainty and how we can add value by focusing on what really matters. Alongside academic publications, she’s written two books for and about older people, their families and friends, and those who look after them.
Dr Lucy Pollock FRCP
Consultant geriatrician, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Deprescribing for older adults
10:35am - 12:15pm
Session 3: Mixed specialty session
This session covers a range of acute presenting scenarios across the specialties including acute asthma, congenital heart disease for the medical registrar and acute kidney injury.
This session will run in parallel with session 2. We recommend you choose which session you’d like to watch live, and which session you will watch on-demand at a later date.
London: Linacre and Sloane
Liverpool: Space 9
Dr Alice Cole
Dr Alice Cole is a resident in rheumatology and general internal medicine based in north-east and north central London. She is interested in improving residents’ satisfaction across training and curriculum development, having previously represented resident doctors at a regional level on the specialty training committee. She is currently an education fellow at the RCP and an observer on the Resident Doctor Committee.
Dr Alice Cole
Clinical education fellow, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Dr Stephen Joseph
Dr Stephen Joseph is a respiratory registrar in north, central and east London. He is one of the co-chairs of the RCP’s Resident Doctor Committee, and has a particular focus on trying to improve the quality of medical training. He hopes that you find the talk useful, and would be very happy to hear directly from any doctor who has questions, suggestions or concerns about medical training in the UK.
Dr Stephen Joseph
ST6 respiratory registrar, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
Acute asthma and the acute take
Dr Samantha Fitzsimmons
Dr Sam Fitzsimmons is a consultant cardiologist in adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) at the University Hospital Southampton. Sam also subspecialises in pulmonary hypertension and maternal cardiology. Working within a tertiary surgical ACHD centre, she delivers an ACHD on-call service for emergency admissions, inpatient care, routine outpatient follow-up, intra-operative imaging and post-surgical care, as well as specialist clinics in pulmonary hypertension and maternal cardiology. She holds an honorary senior clinical lecturer post with the University of Southampton. She is passionate about teaching and, in particular, is enthusiastic about helping to demystify congenital heart disease for non-specialists to improve patient care. Dr Fitzsimmons is well published in peer-reviewed journals, cardiology textbooks and specialist guidelines.
Dr Samantha Fitzsimmons
Consultant cardiologist in adult congenital heart disease, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Congenital heart disease for the medical registrar
Dr Mohamed Elsadig
Dr Mohamed Elsadig is a renal and GiM final year specialty training doctor at the West Midlands Deanery. Mohamed recently took an acting up nephrologist role at Walsall Manor Hospital and led an effective and enthusiastic team of three acute kidney injury nurses. He completed a PhD on the proteomics of treatment-resistant hypertension at the University of Warwick. Previously, he held the associate RCP tutor role for Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust (2016–17).
Dr Mohamed Elsadig
ST7 renal registrar, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
Acute kidney injury on the front line: treating the physiology, not the creatinine
12:15pm
- Lunch break (45 minutes)
12:30pm - 1.00pm
Sponsored symposium: Understanding the NHS Pension Scheme
Understanding the NHS Pension Scheme is critical to making informed decisions about your career, retirement timing, and long-term financial security as a doctor. This session will cut through the complexity of the scheme and explain, in practical terms, how your benefits are built up and how recent or future changes may affect you. We will focus on the issues most relevant to doctors, including retirement options, pension taxation, and how your scheme benefits fit into your wider financial planning. The aim is to leave you with greater clarity, more confidence, and a better sense of the decisions worth considering next.
Please note this session is not CPD accredited. This sponsor has had no input into the content of the agenda or the choice/briefing of any speakers (other than the clearly marked sponsored symposium).
Wilf Moralee
With over a decade of experience in addressing the financial planning needs of doctors, Wilf Moralee is a recognised subject matter expert at Wesleyan. He plays a pivotal role in shaping the company's strategy to tackle the unique challenges faced by doctors. As a regional manager, Wilf collaborates closely with his team of specialist financial advisers, guiding them in helping clients develop and execute successful plans to achieve their personal and professional goals, including the crucial goal of retirement.
Wilf Moralee
Chartered financial planner
1pm - 2:10pm
Session 4: Mixed specialty session
This session explores the management of glycaemic emergencies on the acute take alongside an exploration of how to support the acutely breathless pregnant patient.
This session will run in parallel with session 5. We recommend you choose which session you’d like to watch live, and which session you will watch on-demand at a later date.
London: Council chamber
Liverpool: Space 8
Dr Max Thoburn
Dr Max Thoburn is a registrar in infectious diseases and general internal medicine, based in the West Midlands. His interests are focused on health policy and its effect on both working conditions and healthcare inequalities at a local and national level.
Dr Max Thoburn
ST7 infectious diseases and general internal medicine specialist registrar, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Dr Dominic Oduro-Donkor
Dr Dominic Oduro-Donkor is a specialist registrar (ST6) in diabetes, endocrinology and general internal medicine at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, where he also serves as chief registrar. He works closely with senior leaders and resident doctors to enhance clinical training, workforce engagement and service delivery across the trust. His academic and clinical interests include diabetes care and diabetes technology, and he is actively involved in teaching, mentoring and supporting resident doctors as they progress into more senior roles. Alongside his clinical and leadership responsibilities, he has contributed to research and quality improvement initiatives across diabetes, endocrinology and general medicine. He is passionate about integrating bedside practice, education and innovation to improve patient care and develop the future medical workforce.
Dr Dominic Oduro-Donkor
ST6 diabetes and endocrinology specialist registrar, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
Management of glycaemic emergencies on the acute take
Dr Ailie Young
Dr Ailie Young is a newly appointed consultant acute physician in Victoria Hospital, NHS Fife with a special interest in obstetric medicine, and a trainee representative for the Society for Acute Medicine.
Dr Ailie Young
Consultant acute physician, NHS Fife
The acutely breathless pregnant patient
1pm - 2:10pm
Session 5: Mixed specialty session
This is a multi-specialty session covering haematology and oncology. Speakers will explore the investigation and management of coagulopathy, alongside an overview of the related complications with systemic anti-cancer therapy.
This session will run in parallel with session 4. We recommend you choose which session you’d like to watch live, and which session you will watch on-demand at a later date.
London: Linacre and Sloane
Liverpool: Space 9
Dr Aimée Leadbetter
Dr Aimée Leadbetter has worked in the Severn region since graduating from Cardiff University in 2015 (with an 18 month spell working in Northern Queensland, Australia). She is currently a registrar (st5) in respiratory and general internal medicine, having gained MRCP in 2020. She enjoyed her role as associate college tutor for the RCP for two years during Internal Medicine Training, where she had a keen interest in improving trainee procedural and SIM experience.She is excited to work with the RDC to advocate for her peers and to help improve training experience.
Dr Aimée Leadbetter
ST5 respiratory and general internal medicine registrar
Dr Cathy Farrelly
Dr Cathy Farrelly has been a consultant haematologist since 2019, trained in the Mersey region, with undergraduate degrees from the University of Liverpool and the University of Durham. Cathy holds MRCP(UK) and FRCPath qualifications and serves as an examiner for both the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Pathologists. She is centre director for the Liverpool Adults Haemophilia Comprehensive Care Centre and a co-author of the British Society for Haematology guidelines on the management of von Willebrand disease. In addition, she is the training programme director for haematology in Mersey, with a strong commitment to clinical excellence, education and advancing patient care in haemostasis and thrombosis.
Dr Cathy Farrelly
Consultant haematologist, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Investigation and management of coagulopathy
Dr Tom Wells MBE FRCP
Dr Tom Wells is a consultant medical oncologist with site specialisations in breast cancer and cancer of unknown primary. He is currently oncology lead and chemotherapy lead at UHBW, having previously been acute oncology service consultant lead in which he had a key role in establishing the acute oncology service. In addition to his oncology work, Tom works as a medical tribunal member for the Ministry of Justice, where he hears ESA and PIP appeals, and he has been involved in several disability initiatives including co-founding the disability course at Bristol University Medical School. Tom himself is disabled, being permanently paralysed from the chest down due to spinal cord injury. He has published several articles in communication, disability and oncology and in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours he was awarded MBE for service to medicine and people with disabilities in the medical profession.
Dr Tom Wells MBE FRCP
Consultant medical oncolgist, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
Related complications with systemic anti-cancer therapy
2:10pm
- Comfort break - please choose your next session
2:30pm - 3:40pm
Session 6: Gastroenterology
This gastroenterology session covers top tips to feel confident managing the first critical hours of acute liver injury, alongside the assessment and practical management of iron deficiency and anaemia on the acute take.
This session will run in parallel with session 7. We recommend you choose which session you’d like to watch live, and which session you will watch on-demand at a later date.
London: Council chamber
Liverpool: Space 8
Dr Samuel Hey
Dr Samuel Hey is a registrar in infectious diseases and general medicine working in north-east England. He is also the RCP Resident Doctor Committee representative for the Northern region.
Dr Samuel Hey
ST5 infectious diseases and general medicine, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Dr Sarah-Jane Harris
Dr Sarah-Jane Harris is an ST6 hepatology registrar currently working in Southampton General Hospital in the Wessex deanery. She is completing her advanced hepatology training, during which time she has worked in the Transplant Unit of Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge. Her experience of acute liver failure, referrals for consideration of transplant and post-transplant care from both the referring and receiving hospitals provides a unique perspective that has inspired her talk today.
Dr Sarah-Jane Harris
Specialty registrar in hepatology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Management of acute liver failure on the medical take
Dr Gaurav Nigam
Dr Gaurav Nigam is an advanced endoscopy fellow at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, a gastroenterology specialty registrar in the Thames Valley Deanery, and an incoming NIHR academic clinical lecturer at the University of Oxford’s Translational Gastroenterology and Liver Unit. Gaurav’s clinical and research interests lie at the intersection of therapeutic endoscopy, inflammatory bowel disease and acute gastrointestinal bleeding. He recently completed a DPhil at Oxford and was the clinical lead for the 2022 UK National Audit of Acute Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding. He has also contributed as a co-author to British Society of Gastroenterology guidelines on colorectal cancer surveillance in inflammatory bowel disease and European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy guidelines on peptic ulcer bleeding.
Dr Gaurav Nigam
ST6 advanced endoscopy fellow, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Iron deficiency anaemia on the medical take
2:30pm - 3:40pm
Session 7: Neurology
This neurology session will give you a clear, practical approach to recognising and managing seizures on the acute take, alongside a neurological approach to the acutely confused patient.
This session will run in parallel with session 6. We recommend you choose which session you’d like to watch live, and which session you will watch on-demand at a later date.
London: Linacre and Sloane
Liverpool: Space 9
Dr Rizwan Khan
Dr Rizwan Hanif Khan graduated from Khyber Medical College, Pakistan in 2018. He completed foundation training at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, followed by internal medicine training in Northern Ireland. He is currently an ST4 in neurology in the West Midlands.
Rizwan has been an active trainee representative, serving as IMT2 (2023) and IMT3 (2024) representative in Northern Ireland, as well as contributing to the BMA Junior Doctors Committee and Annual Representative Meeting. He is also on the Royal College of Physicians Resident Doctor Committee.
Rizwan has a strong interest in medical education. He is an honorary clinical tutor at Queen’s University Belfast, an undergraduate teaching fellow in the Southern Trust and faculty for the IMPACT course. He has developed and delivered structured teaching programmes for both undergraduate and postgraduate trainees.
Dr Rizwan Khan
ST4 neurology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
Dr Guleed Adan
Dr Guleed Adan is a senior neurology specialist ST6 at the Mersey Deanery, based at The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust. Guleed is currently undertaking a peri-CCT fellowship in electroencephalogram and advanced epilepsy at the Manchester Centre for Clinical Neurosciences, focusing on complex and refractory epilepsy.
He studied medicine at King’s College London and developed an early interest in academia and education as an academic foundation doctor, later becoming an NIHR academic clinical fellow. He went on to complete an MSc in Medical Education at University College London and a PhD at the University of Liverpool exploring predictors of seizure recurrence following a first unprovoked seizure.
His work spans both research and clinical practice, with interests in epilepsy surgery, presurgical evaluation, and addressing healthcare inequalities in epilepsy. He is particularly passionate about teaching pragmatic, structured approaches to seizure recognition and management, helping reduce the ‘neurophobia’ often encountered in acute care settings.
Dr Guleed Adan
Epilepsy fellow, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust
Management of seizures on the acute medical take: epileptic vs dissociative seizures
Dr Viraj Bharambe
Dr Viraj Bharambe is a consultant neurologist at The Walton Centre with specialist interests in cerebrovascular medicine and epilepsy. Viraj’s clinical work includes general neurology and stroke clinics as well as neurology outreach at Aintree University Hospital. His specialist clinics at The Walton Centre include first seizure, complex epilepsy and complex cerebrovascular clinics. He is also the clinical dean of neurology at Edge Hill University and delivers undergraduate and postgraduate neurology teaching at Universidade Católica de Moçambique.
Dr Viraj Bharambe
Consultant neurologist, The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust
Acute confusion: a neurological approach
3:40pm
- Comfort break (10 minutes)
3:50pm - 5:10pm
Session 8: Professional skills
Worried about transitioning into the med reg role? The final session aims to support your decision making and clinical reasoning, provide you with some top tips for how to adapt to challenges of the role, and leave you thinking about the importance of civility for your wellbeing and your patient outcomes.
London: Linacre and Sloane
Liverpool: Space 8
Dr Muha Hassan
Dr Muha Hassan is an IMT3 doctor, RCP associate college tutor and regional trainee representative for the West Midlands Deanery. In these roles, she has actively supported resident doctors and contributed to initiatives aimed at improving postgraduate training. Her professional interests include endocrinology and global health policy, particularly in relation to non-communicable diseases.
Dr Muha Hassan
IMT3, South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust
Professor Nicola Cooper
Nicola Cooper is a professor of medical education and an honorary consultant physician at the University of Nottingham. Nicola’s clinical work is in acute internal medicine at Royal Derby Hospital. She is editor of the ABC of clinical reasoning (2023) and chair of a not-for-profit, the UK Clinical Reasoning in Medical Education group (www.creme.org.uk).
Professor Nicola Cooper
Professor of medical education and honorary consultant physician, University of Nottingham; University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust
Clinical reasoning: an introduction to heuristics and biases
Dr Anna Baverstock
Dr Anna Baverstock is a consultant community paediatrician from Somerset. She is also an associate medical director for wellbeing and leadership, a coach, mediator and Schwartz facilitator. Her most recent work has looked at how we can restructure our medical leadership teams to enable kind, compassionate, safe, innovative care by design and system changes. The best way to support individual wellbeing, alongside individual strategies, is to support leaders to lead in a kind, compassionate, inclusive way to enable all to thrive. Anna works with Doctors Training on teaching workshops and is a member of Civility Saves Lives.
Dr Anna Baverstock
Paediatrician and associate medical director for leadership and wellbeing, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Civility in the workplace
Dr Hussain Basheer
Dr Hussain Basheer is a consultant physician at Barts Health, former Royal College of Physicians education fellow, and passionate medical educator. Having experienced the challenges of training from both the resident doctor and educator perspectives, Hussain has a particular interest in helping doctors navigate the transition into senior clinical roles.
His work has spanned respiratory medicine, general internal medicine, medical leadership and national educational projects with the RCP. Today, he combines frontline clinical practice with teaching and mentorship, focusing on the realities of leadership, decision making and maintaining perspective when the bleeps, referrals and competing priorities all arrive at once.
Dr Hussain Basheer
Consultant physician, Barts Health NHS Trust
How to adapt to challenges of the role
5:10pm
- Closing comments - Dr Ben Chadwick FRCP, RCP deputy registrar
Please note that any presentations shown at this
event have been produced by the individual speakers. As such they are not owned by,
and do not necessarily represent the views of, the RCP.
