Programme

Professor Tom Solomon

Academic vice president, Royal College of Physicians

Professor Tom Solomon CBE is director of The Pandemic Institute, academic vice president of the Royal College of Physicians, vice president (international) of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences, and chair of neurological science at the University of Liverpool and Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, where he is also consultant neurologist. Tom studied medicine at Oxford, investigates emerging pathogens, particularly those affecting the brain, and heads the multi-disciplinary Liverpool Brain Infections Group which works to reduce the global burden of neurological infections. He was at the forefront of the UK response to Ebola, Zika and COVID-19. Tom is an adviser to the UK government and WHO, appears regularly on BBC television and radio, and is a passionate science communicator, wining a Guinness World Record for his Sci-Art ‘World’s Biggest Brain’ project, and another for running the fastest marathon dressed as a doctor.

Dr Nick Murch

Consultant physician, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and president, Society for Acute Medicine

Dr Nick Murch is a consultant physician at the Royal Free Hospital in London, as well as honorary clinical associate professor at University College London (UCL). Privately, he also works as a consultant at the new Cleveland Clinic London. Nick studied medicine at the University of Wales College of Medicine before going on to train in acute and general medicine in the north London rotation. He moved to the Royal Free Hospital as a consultant in 2011 and has previously spent time as the clinical lead, as well as training programme director and regional specialty adviser for acute medicine. Currently, Nick is the trust lead for simulation training and has helped to rewrite the curriculum for training in acute medicine. He has a keen interest in managing acutely unwell medical patients including those with sepsis, pulmonary embolism, and toxicological problems, as well as the use of ultrasound. He sits on the editorial board of the Acute Medicine Journal and has over 20 published articles, as well as having authored a medical textbook and numerous book chapters.

Dr Barbara Lachana Onen

Acute and general internal medicine consultant, Royal London Hospital and medical SDEC lead, Barts Health NHS Trust

Dr Barbara Lachana Onen is an acute and general internal medicine consultant and medical same day emergency care (SDEC) lead at the Royal London Hospital. She has a keen interest in improvement of service delivery in same day emergency care. Barbara holds a masters in tropical medicine and international health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Her thesis focused on ambulatory care in low- and middle-income countries and won the Oxford Sir Richard Peto prize. She served as RCP chief registrar at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, carrying out quality improvement work in SDEC, and was part of the Oxford Emerging Leaders Programme and the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) Emerging Women Leaders Programme.

Dr Ragit Varia

Consultant acute medicine, Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Dr Ragit Varia is a consultant in acute medicine at Whiston Hospital, Mersey and West Lancashire NHS Trust. He is the trust lead for same day emergency care (SDEC), as well as medical lead for the Urgent Cancer Care Programme with the Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance, leading on their cancer SDEC and virtual ward. Ragit is also on the Society for Acute Medicine (SAM) Council, with whom he has developed and been course director for the 'Acute medics as improvers - improving SDEC' course. His is also a content lead for the RCP Medical Care – Driving Change Programme.

Dr Latif Rahman

Consultant, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

Dr Latif Rahman is currently working as a consultant in acute medicine at University Hospitals of Leicester where he was previously working as an RCP chief registrar. Besides this, he is currently working as the POCUS teaching programme co-lead for acute internal medicine at the East Midlands Deanery and at Leicester Royal Infirmary. Latif is a FAMUS supervisor and FUSIC heart mentor. He has represented East Midlands at the RCP Trainee Committee and is also the current trainee representative at the Society for Acute Medicine Council. Latif is finishing his MSc in medical education from the University of Nottingham and also holds the FHEA accreditation, as well as a PG Cert degree in critical care. He is working voluntarily as the secretary for international affairs at the Acute and Critical Care Physicians' Foundation, Bangladesh with the purpose of improving the state of acute medicine and medical education in Bangladesh. He has authored a book called Acute Medicine in Ward for the doctors in Bangladesh, four editions of which have been published so far.

Dr Sarah Logan

Consultant in infectious diseases and general medicine, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, University College London Hospitals Trust

Dr Sarah Logan is a consultant in infectious diseases and general medicine, as well as clinical lead for the HTD at UCLH and medical workforce director at the RCP. She runs the outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) service at UCLH and spends a lot of time thinking about how to improve the care of patients with infections across the UK

Dr Tom Samuels

Imported fever service registrar, rare imported pathogens laboratory, UKHSA

Dr Tom Samuels is a specialist registrar in infectious diseases and general internal medicine, and an NIHR academic clinical fellow in infectious diseases at University College London. His research interests incorporate data science and epidemiological approaches to answer research questions concerning infection diagnostics.

Dr Ankur Gupta-Wright

Consultant in infectious diseases, North Bristol NHS Trust

Dr Ankur Gupta-Wright is a postdoctoral clinician scientist in the Department of Infectious Diseases at Imperial College London, and an NHS consultant in infectious diseases at North Bristol NHS Trust. He has extensive clinical experience in TB, HIV, tropical medicine and general infectious diseases, including in the UK and in Southern Africa. Ankur’s research interests span the following areas, linked by a particular focus on developing and evaluating biomarkers, diagnostic tests and interventions to improve diagnosis, management and patient outcomes in infection: 1. Tuberculosis 2. Respiratory viral infections 3. Antimicrobial resistance 4. Pragmatic clinical trials in infection 5. Global health His work utilises a range of methodologies, including quantitative (epidemiology, modelling, systematic reviews and meta-analysis), clinical trials (early and late diagnostic accuracy studies, RCTs), and mixed qualitative methods (patient pathway analysis, implementation science). Ankur’s research has directly led to changes in national and international (WHO) guidelines and policy. He led large, multi-country clinical trials of diagnotic interventions (Gupta-Wright et al, Lancet 2018, Gupta-Wright et al, Lancet Global Health 2023). Ankur holds honorary positions at the University of Heidelberg (Germany) and University of Bristol, and collaborates widely across institutions such as LSHTM and UCSF. His global health research is mainly in countries of high-tuberculosis burden, including South Africa, Malawi, Georgia (drug resistant TB), Philippines, Zambia and Uganda. He has held research funding from NIHR, Wellcome, MRC and EU Horizon.

Dr Geraldine O’Hara

Consultant in infectious diseases and general, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Geraldine O’Hara has been employed as a consultant in infectious diseases and general medicine since 2019. She is the clinical lead for high consequence infections at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and led the trust response to mpox in 2022. She also works as a consultant in emerging infections and zoonoses at UKHSA. Geraldine is a contributing author to the British Infection Association eosinophilia guidelines and member of the ESCMID study group for clinical parasitology. She teaches on the diploma of tropical medicine and hygiene for both doctors and nurses.

Dr Min Ke

ST3 infectious diseases and medical microbiology, NHS Lothian

Dr Tarek Matar

Specialist registrar in neurology and general internal medicine, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Tarek Matar is a specialist registrar in neurology.

Dr Uchechika Iroegbu

Infectious diseases and medical microbiology registrar, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Dr Uchechika Iroegbu is a specialty registrar in infectious diseases and medical microbiology at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, with an interest in all things infection and medical education. She delivers part of the infection curriculum lectures with the University of Leeds. Uchechika is currently on a year out of programme, carrying out a leadership fellowship with NHS England. She is also completing an MSc in medical education with the University of Cardiff.

Dr Olivia Lucey

Infectious diseases and microbiology SpR, Royal Free Hospital

Dr Olivia Lucey is an infectious diseases and microbiology registrar currently working at the Royal Free Hospital, London.

Dr Roisin Bevan

Consultant gastroenterologist, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Roisin Bevan has been a consultant gastroenterologist at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust since 2016, with an interest in luminal disease (IBD, functional disorders), endoscopy (BCSP screener) and endoscopy training (NETA immersion site lead, and North Tees and Hartlepool endoscopy training lead). Roisin is the deputy chair of the British Society of Gastroenterology Education Committee.

Dr Ricia Gwenter

ST5 gastroenterology registrar, University Hospital Southampton

Dr Ricia Gwenter graduated from Swansea University in 2016 and completed foundation and core medical training in North Wales before moving to Wessex for gastroenterology specialist registrar training in 2022. Her clinical interests are in hepatology and medical leadership. Ricia is currently out of programme and seconded to the Care Quality Commission as part of the National Medical Directors Clinical Fellowship Scheme. She is the British Society of Gastroenterology Trainee section chair for 2024/2025 and has been a member of the RCP Trainee Committee since 2022.

Dr Kamal Patel

Consultant gastroenterologist, St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Kamal Patel has been a consultant gastroenterologist at St George’s Hospital since September 2016. His clinical practice includes the assessment and management of a range of luminal gastroenterology conditions, including Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, microscopic colitis, coeliac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, dyspepsia, anaemia, unexplained weight loss and intestinal failure. Kamal graduated from Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ Medical School in 2003, having undertaken an intercalated degree in Physiology in 2000. He undertook specialist training in gastroenterology and hepatology in the south-east London deanery, and an advanced inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)/endoscopy fellowship at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, prior to taking up a consultant post at St George’s Hospital in 2016. He has also completed a diploma in medical education in 2016. Kamal is involved in all aspects of gastroenterological care, running weekly gastroenterology clinics at St George's and Nelson Health Centre, along with specialist inflammatory bowel disease clinics. He carries out regular upper and lower gastrointestinal endoscopy lists, with a special interest in more complex endoscopic procedures relating to IBD strictures, IBD dysplasia and intestinal failure. He has been the Co-IBD lead since 2017 and continues to maintain a major research interest in IBD. Kamal’s work has been presented at the American Gastroenterology Association, United European Gastroenterology Association and the British Society of Gastroenterology. He is involved with the clinical research facility at St George’s, and is currently principal investigator and chief investigator for numerous NHS adopted IBD clinical trials.

Dr Andrew Rochford

Chair of patient safety committee, Royal College of Physicians

Dr Andrew Rochford is a consultant gastroenterologist at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. He has a strong background in clinical leadership, patient safety, quality improvement and education and training. He is currently chair of the Patient Safety Committee and Medicines Safety Joint Working Group and provides clinical leadership to the Patient and Carer Network, accreditation services and national audit programmes hosted by the RCP, as well as the Chief Registrar Programme.

Professor Debbie Shawcross

Professor of hepatology and chronic liver failure, King's College London

Debbie Shawcross is a clinician scientist and professor of hepatology and chronic liver failure at the Institute of Liver Studies and James Black Centre, King’s College London. She works as a consultant hepatologist on the King’s Liver Unit with a specialist interest in hepatic encephalopathy, liver failure syndromes and the complications of cirrhosis. She joined the EASL (European Association for the Study of the Liver) Scientific Committee and Governing Board in October 2022 and was elected vice secretary general of EASL in June 2023. She is an advocate for high-quality education and training in gastroenterology and hepatology, having been a Health Education England London gastroenterology training programme director for 10 years, British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) mentor and an active member of the BSG Supporting Women in Gastroenterology Committee. She is chair of the BSG Research Committee. Debbie’s research programme characterises the immunobiology of chronic liver failure, focusing specifically on the gut–liver–brain axis in the context of the gut microbiome as a driver of immune dysfunction, inflammation and encephalopathy. She is leading the field in clinical trials of faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in Europe, and is chief investigator of the NIHR-funded EME UK multicentre randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial of FMT (capsules) (PROMISE Trial) in patients with metabolic-associated and alcohol-related cirrhosis.

Dr Adie Viljoen

Consultant metabolic physician, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust and honorary consultant, Cambridge Universities NHS Trust

Dr Viljoen has worked as a consultant in the NHS for more than 18 years and runs CV risk clinics in several counties. He is program director for Metabolic Medicine training in the East of England and Senior Lecturer in Medicine at the University of Hertfordshire. He conducts numerous clinical phase 2, 3 and 4 trials in lipids, diabetes and obesity and has been the UK Chief Investigator and key signatory for several of these studies. He conducts weekly cardiovascular risk and preventative cardiology outpatient clinics. Dr Viljoen has authored more than 150 papers in peer reviewed medical journals including The Lancet, Diabetes Care, and Lancet Diabetes Endocrinology. He is the author of several chapters in medical textbooks. He has also co-authored a book on Cardiovascular Risk He has served as a topic expert for various reviews by NICE such as the Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Quality Standards (QS41) and Technology Appraisals for PCSK9 inhibitors. He received several awards for clinical excellence from the UK National Health Service.

Professor Kausik Ray

Professor of public heath, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Imperial College London and honorary consultant cardiologist, Imperial College NHS Trust

Professor Ray is currently president of the European Atherosclerosis Society, chair of the World Heart Federation Cholesterol Roadmap, lead for CVD NIHR Academic research Collaboration, NIHR ARC National lead for CVD, director of ICTU-Global which is an academic ARO. He received his medical education (MB ChB, 1991) at the University of Birmingham Medical School, his MD (2004) at the University of Sheffield, a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School and finally an MPhil in epidemiology (2007) from the University of Cambridge. His research involves lipids, diabetes and population health serving as global lead for trials and registries. He has >178,000 citations and since 2018 has been recognised by Clarivate Analytics as among the top 0.1% of authors in global medicine. In 2023 he was inducted as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, which is UK’s highest honour for clinician scientists.

Alistair Gordon

Market Access Director, Daiichi Sankyo UK

Alistair is the Market Access Director at Daiichi Sankyo UK, in its Specialty Business Division. Alistair leads a team of market access managers which support implementation of NICE/SMC guidance in practice, including NHS pathway adaptation, medical education, and NHS payor engagement. He is a health economist by training and has studied at the University of York, Birkbeck, and Keele University.

Dr Duncan Street

Specialty registrar, University Hospitals Birmingham

Dr Duncan Street was elected to represent the West Midlands on the Royal College of Physicians Trainee’s Committee in 2022, having worked in the region since 2017. He is a neurology registrar and took time out of full-time clinical training to complete a PhD in clinical neurosciences at the University of Cambridge. Duncan’s PhD focused on clinical, cognitive and neuroimaging biomarkers of progressive supranuclear palsy and related disorders, drawn from national multicentre cohorts. His patient-centred research was complemented by experience in cognitive disorders clinics, movement disorders clinics, general neurology and clinical trials assessments. Duncan has a strong interest in improving trainee involvement in research and is a member of the NIHR Clinical Research Network Neurodegeneration National Specialty Group, the European Academy of Neurology Scientific Panel on ALS and frontotemporal dementia, and the Association of British Neurologists Cognitive Disorders Advisory Group.

Dr Ruford Sequeira

Specialist doctor, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board

Dr Ruford Sequeira is a specialist in Parkinson's disease and related movement disorders at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board in South Wales. With a career spanning over 14 years in the movement disorders specialisation, he has led some innovative ideas in managing the complexities of patients with Parkinson's disease (PwP). Ruford has also led research in fragility fractures in PwP which was presented at the International Movement Disorders Congress in Berlin in 2016. He is passionate about gait disorders and its effect on falls, and is currently working on inpatients falls prevention with an emphasis on detection and treatment of osteoporosis in older adults.

Professor Adrian Parry Jones

Professor of vascular neurology, The University of Manchester

Adrian Parry-Jones is professor of vascular neurology at the University of Manchester and an honorary consultant neurologist at Salford Royal Hospital. His research and clinical work are focused on improving outcomes after intracerebral haemorrhage, a devastating form of stroke with poor outcomes and few treatments.

Dr Matthew Jones

Consultant neurologist, Northern Care Alliance

Dr Matt Jones is a consultant neurologist at the Manchester Centre for Clinical Neurosciences. He is an honorary senior lecturer at the University of Manchester. His clinical interests are general and acute neurology with subspecialisation in cognitive neurology; he runs a tertiary clinic for early onset and atypical dementia, taking referrals from throughout the north-west of the UK and beyond.

Dr Anna Cohen

Consultant neurologist, Luton and Dunstable University Hospital"

Dr Anna Cohen qualified from Oxford University and obtained her PhD from UCL under the supervision of Professor Peter Goadsby at the Institute of Neurology Queen Square. She is a consultant neurologist at Luton and Dunstable Hospital and the Royal Free Hospital London. Anna leads the Bedfordshire Headache Service, developing an integrated headache pathway for primary and secondary care. Her research interests include the TACs and SUNCT/SUNA, and she has authored numerous original research papers, as well as many review papers, peer reviews, book chapters and online learning resources. Anna teaches at all levels from pre-medical school, medical students, and postgraduate both nationally and internationally. She is a founder member of the ABN Environmental Sustainability SIG, and firmly believes that caring for the planet is paramount in order to be able to care for our patients in the future.

Professor Jonathan Bennett

Consultant respiratory physician, Glenfield Hospital UHL NHS Trust

Professor Jonathan Bennett is recent past president of the British Thoracic Society (BTS) (2023–24) and previous chair of the BTS (2018–21). He is a consultant respiratory and general medicine physician at Glenfield Hospital and an honorary professor of respiratory medicine in the University of Leicester Medical School, as well as deputy medical director of invited reviews at the RCP (2019–24). From a non-medical background, Jon trained as a medical student and junior doctor in Leeds. He undertook his research in Nottingham and completed registrar training in the East Midlands and Auckland, New Zealand. Jon was a consultant in Derby prior to moving to Leicester and has had many roles during his career, including in clinical leadership, education and training.

Dr Catherine Rowan

Respiratory registrar, Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust

Dr Catherine Rowan is a registrar in respiratory medicine based in Yorkshire. She graduated from Bristol medical school in 2012 with honours and a first-class BSc in physiology. Since graduating, Catherine has worked in West Yorkshire and spent a year working as a medical registrar in Christchurch, New Zealand. She currently works in Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield. In 2022, Catherine joined the RCP Trainees Committee as a Yorkshire representative. She was elected as deputy chair in 2023 and has recently been made co-chair of the RCP Resident Doctor Committee.

Dr Michael Davies

Consultant physician, Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Michael Davies is a consultant respiratory physician at the Respiratory Support and Sleep Centre, Royal Papworth Hospital. He specialises in the management of respiratory failure, including weaning from prolonged mechanical ventilation. Michael is the lead clinician for the British Thoracic Society's National Respiratory Support Audit Programme.

Dr Michelle Ramsay

Consultant respiratory physician, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Michelle Ramsay graduated from Kings College London in 2004 and continued her medical training in south-west London, Surrey and Sussex. She spent 4 years completing a PhD at the Lane Fox Unit, St Thomas’ Hospital working with the London respiratory muscle group on respiratory muscle physiology and non-invasive ventilation. Michelle has worked as a consultant at the Lane Fox Unit since 2016. The focus of her research is on patient ventilator interaction and non-invasive ventilation. She has presented her work at both national and international conferences, being awarded both the ERS non-invasive ventilation grant and the British Lung Foundation travel award in 2013. Michelle’s clinical interest is in ventilatory failure, non-invasive ventilation, ventilation during sleep and neuromuscular disease. She is the clinical lead for acute non-invasive ventilation at GSTT and the lead for the ventilatory Motor Neurone Disease Service.

Dr Mark Juniper

Consultant physician, Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Mark Juniper has been a consultant physician in Swindon since 2000 and has held various management roles within Great Western Hospital. He is currently medical director at Health Innovation West of England and lead clinical co-ordinator at the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD), where he has led reviews of acute NIV and pneumonia. Mark is also chair of the Quality Improvement Committee for the British Thoracic Society (BTS). The BTS has started a process to learn from patient safety incidents, which will be the focus of his presentation.

Dr Mitesh Patel

Dermatology registrar, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Mitesh Patel is a dermatology registrar at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital and the current British Association of Dermatology national trainee representative. During his training, Mitesh completed a PhD looking at the diagnosis of cellulitis. He has 25 publications and attained 30 grants/prizes during his undergraduate and postgraduate training. Mitesh is also a qualified GP and has completed a postgraduate certificate in medical education. He is a trustee and membership secretary for the hereditary spastic paraplegia UK support group.

Dr Mary Sommerlad

Consultant dermatologist, Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Mary Sommerlad is a consultant dermatologist specialising in paediatric dermatology, skin of colour dermatology, inflammatory dermatoses, photoaging, and laser dermatology. She studied medicine at UCL, where she obtained a first class intercalated BSc in immunology and was awarded the British Society of Immunology undergraduate prize. Mary undertook her dermatology training in London at the Royal London and Royal Free Hospital, affording her a wealth of experience in managing dermatology in all skin types. She has been awarded a number of prizes, including the Hugh Wallace junior registrar prize and the Royal Society of Medicine monthly registrar prize in 2013 and 2014. Mary’s interests include facial inflammatory dermatoses such as eczema, rosacea and acne; pigmentary disorders such as melasma and skin rejuvenation. She is passionate in promoting healthy skin at every age in every skin colour through teaching and has she has spoken at academic meetings including at the British Association of Dermatologists annual meeting, primary care Dermatology Society and the skin of colour workshop. Due to her enthusiasm in promoting healthy skin for all, she is an ambassador for the British Skin Foundation, and she has also contributed to a number of features in highly respected publications such as Vogue, Elle, The Black Skin Directory and The Sunday Times. Mary has clinical research interests in medical dermatology and contributes to the UK Dermatology Clinical Trials Network, as well as working as a reviewer for academic journals. Her work has been published in scientific peer reviewed journals such as the British Journal of Dermatology and she is frequently invited to speak at academic meetings.

Dr Christopher Bower

Consultant dermatologist, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Christopher Bower has been a consultant in Exeter since 2001. His key clinical interests lie in skin cancer, including Mohs micrographic surgery. Christopher’s national roles include ex-clinical vice president for the British Association of Dermatologists, membership of the Dermatology Specialist Advisory Committee, UK lead for dermatology specialty trainee recruitment, and membership of the British Society of Dermatological Surgery Executive Committee. Medical education is a key interest, and Christopher is co-organiser of the annual dermatology specialty certificate examination revision course, having previously co-organised the annual UK dermatology clinical assistants meeting for 8 years. He has given over 200 regional, national, and international lectures, and has been made an honorary lifetime member of the Primary Care Dermatology Society. Christopher is also a facilitator for training in advanced communication for medical practitioners at the University of Exeter Medical School.

Dr Beibei Du-Harpur

NIHR academic clinical lecturer in dermatology, King's College London

Dr Beibei Du-Harpur is an NIHR academic clinical lecturer in dermatology at St John's Institute of Dermatology, King's College London. She completed her PhD in molecular medicine on the Francis Crick Institute Doctoral Clinical Fellow Scheme, working between a skin biology lab at the Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, King's College London, and a computational biology laboratory at the Crick. Beibei currently researches inflammation and the skin, with a focus on the skin conditions acne vulgaris and hidradenitis suppurativa.

Dr Ganesh Subramanian

Consultant stroke physician, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

Rebecca Kuruvilla

Clinical education fellow, Royal College of Physicians

Dr Kailash Krishnan

Consultant in stroke medicine, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

Dr Kailash Krishnan is triple accredited, with expertise in general medicine, geriatrics and stroke medicine. He is a stroke consultant at Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, as well as clinical lead for mechanical thrombectomy and patent foramen closure in cryptogenic stroke, which is also a regional service. Kailash is the National Optimal Stroke Imaging Pathway (NOSIP) lead for the East Midlands. He is an invited member of the Royal College of Physicians Joint Stroke Medicine Committee and group chair of the intercollegiate working party which developed the National Clinical Guideline for Stroke, 2023. Kailash is the auditor for the European Stroke Organisation and an invited member of the Guideline Writing Committee for guidelines on blood pressure management in acute stroke. Hi time in the committee included work on the management of stroke in women during pregnancy and the post-partum period. Kailash is a recipient of a National Institute for Health and Care Research UK award and is the chief investigator of a multicentre trial testing mannitol for cerebral oedema after acute intracerebral haemorrhage. He also received another research award as chief investigator to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms of how treatment could affect the blood-brain barrier and cerebral oedema after acute intracerebral haemorrhage. Kailash’s other interests include developing simple clinical tools such as HINTS, as well as applying cost-effective imaging tools in acute stroke. This includes measuring intracranial compartments and published results to show that these affect prognosis. His work is published widely in world-leading medical journals including the Lancet and he is regularly invited to write expert medical reviews on acute stroke and complications, treatment and secondary prevention.

Dr Soma Banerjee

Professor of practice (stroke medicine), Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

Dr Soma Banerjee is a consultant physician and professor of practice in stroke medicine at Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, where she is also clinical director for stroke and neurosciences. Her clinical practice involves hyperacute treatment of stroke through to early rehabilitation. Soma obtained her MD research degree in 2013 and her research involved a first-in-human clinical trial of intra-arterial stem cell therapy for the treatment of acute stroke. She is currently the joint chair of the Imperial Thrombectomy Board, responsible for the implementation of thrombectomy services at her trust. Soma is also the London thrombectomy lead in the London Integrated Stroke Delivery Network (ISDN), which has actively developed collaborations across London to allow full implementation of 24/7 services. At a national level, she sits on the executive team for the British and Irish Association of Stroke Physicians (BIASP), in the role of equality, diversity and inclusion lead.

Dr David Brooks

Macmillan consultant in palliative medicine, Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Dr David Brooks has been Macmillan consultant in palliative medicine in Chesterfield Royal Hospital for 25 years. He is the chair of the Joint Specialty Committee for palliative medicine of the Royal College of Physicians and a past president of the Association for Palliative Medicine. David is also a member of the Palliative Medicine Specialty Certificate Examination Standard Setting Group.

Dr Rachel Clingan

ST6 palliative medicine, Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Rachel Clingan is a ST6 in palliative medicine in the London and KSS deanery. She is also a member of the RCP Trainees Committee.

Dr Emily Holdsworth

Palliative and internal medicine SpR, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Dr Emily Holdsworth is an ST6 dual specialist registrar in palliative and internal medicine working in West Yorkshire. She is interested in the interface between palliative medicine and other clinical specialties, and equality of palliative care delivery for all. She is currently undertaking an out of programme training period working as a clinical fellow within the Marie Curie REACT service in Bradford, which aims to identify and support people with unmet palliative care needs in the emergency department.

Dr Sarah Foot

Palliative medicine trainee, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Sarah Foot is an ST6 palliative and general medical registrar working in the east of England. She is completing a master’s in bioethics and medical law and utilising her unique position as a palliative medical registrar working on the acute take to undertake her dissertation on the topic of palliative care in the emergency department. Sarah is an enthusiastic educator, having recently completed a fellowship teaching generalism to foundation doctors, and is co-chair of the Association of Palliative Medicine trainees committee.

Professor Jason Boland

Professor and honorary consultant in palliative medicine, Hull York Medical School

Professor Jason Boland is an academic consultant in palliative medicine at Hull York Medical School. He is half-time in clinical practice in north-east Lincolnshire, leading the hospital and community specialist palliative care teams. At Hull York Medical School, Jason has both research and education leadership roles, including leading the final year of the medical course. His research focuses on opioids and their toxicity, and the clinical implications of this.

Dr Mumtaz Patel

President, Royal College of Physicians

Dr Mumtaz Patel is Consultant Nephrologist based in Manchester, UK. She is a Postgraduate Associate Dean for NHS England and is currently acting as President for the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), London. She was elected as Senior Censor Vice President for Education and Training for the RCP in 2023 having completed her successful 3-year term as Global Vice President (2020-2023). She graduated with Honours in 1996, from the University of Manchester. She obtained MRCP (UK) in 2000 and a PhD in 2006 exploring the genetics of Lupus Nephritis. She was appointed Consultant Nephrologist at Manchester University Hospitals in 2007. She has held various educational roles including Renal Training Programme Director, RCP Regional Advisor, Clinical Lead for Quality, JRCPTB. She attained FRCP in 2011 and was awarded MSc in Medical Education with Distinction in 2014. Her educational research interests include Assessment, Doctors in Difficulty, Differential Attainment and Fairness in Medical Education. She has published widely in Medical Education and presented at national/international conferences.

Professor Amitava Banerjee

Professor of clinical data science and honorary consultant cardiologist, University College London and Barts Health NHS Trust

Professor Amitava Banerjee is a professor in clinical data science at University College London, and honorary consultant cardiologist at University College London Hospitals and Barts Health NHS Trust. He is a researcher, educator and clinician with interests spanning data science, cardiovascular disease, global health, training and evidence-based healthcare, and more recently the risk associated with underlying chronic diseases and long COVID during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is also national specialty lead for cardiovascular at the NIHR Research Development Network. After qualifying from Oxford Medical School, Amitava trained as a junior doctor in Oxford, Newcastle, Hull and London. His interest in preventive cardiology and evidence-based medicine led to a master’s in public health at Harvard (2004–5), an internship at the World Health Organisation (2005) and DPhil in epidemiology from Oxford (2010). He was clinical lecturer in cardiovascular medicine at the University of Birmingham, before moving to UCL in 2015. Amitava works across two busy tertiary care settings with both inpatient and outpatient commitments. Although he is subspecialised in heart failure, he has ongoing practice in acute general cardiology and a keen interest in the diagnosis and management of atrial fibrillation. His clinical work very much informs his research and vice versa, whether in the evaluation of medical technology, study of cardiovascular disease in under-served populations, disease phenotypes in electronic health records, or COVID-19.

Dr Niall Elliott

Head of sports medicine, sportscotland Institute of Sport

Dr Niall Elliott is a sports and exercise medicine physician based in Dundee, Scotland. He is the head of sports medicine for the sportscotland Institute of Sport and chief medical officer for the British Olympic Association. Niall has worked in sport, exercise medicine and musculoskeletal medicine for 25 years – as a team doctor, a MSK clinician in the NHS, and as part of a senior clinical team involved in developing concussion in sport guidelines. He has worked at all levels of sport, from school rugby and professional ice hockey to Olympic and Commonwealth Games.