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PassPACES

Our Lecturers

Profiles of some of our outstanding team of PACES lecturers.

Dr. Rupa Bessant, Course Director
Formerly Consultant Rheumatologist, Guy's & St. Thomas' Hospitals

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Dr. Rupa Bessant has extensive experience in Medical Education and has been an MRCP Clinical Course Director for nearly 15 years.

Dr Bessant qualified from the University of Manchester Medical School. She trained in Rheumatology at University College London Hospitals, the Hammersmith Hospital and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital before taking up a Consultant post at Guys & St Thomas’ Hospitals. She left this post to devote her time to her passion for Medical Education. Dr Bessant was awarded an MSc in Rheumatology with Distinction from the University of London. Her clinical research interests include Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Ankylosing Spondylitis and she has authored a number of scientific papers in these fields.  

Dr Bessant has demonstrated an enduring commitment to both postgraduate and undergraduate medical education over a number of years. In 1997 she designed an MRCP Part II clinical course for ‘PasTest’ and became their Course Director, a position she held until 2008. During this time Dr Bessant adapted the course to accommodate the requirements of the new PACES examination.

Dr. Bessant was also involved in restructuring the University College London Hospitals PACES course and held the post of Course Director from 2002 to 2004. More recently, she was the Course Director for the Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust PACES course until 2010.

She has utilised the experience gained from directing these courses to ensure that the PassPACES courses provide the best possible preparation for candidates sitting the PACES examination.

Dr. Bessant has also been a facilitator on the ‘Teaching TIPS for Clinical Teachers’ courses organised by the Academic Centre for Medical Education at the Royal Free and University College Medical School

In addition to her extensive ‘hands on’ experience in medical education Dr Bessant has a keen interest in research in this field. In 2006, in collaboration with Dr Gerald Coakley, she published a paper on predictors of outcome in the PACES examination. (Analysis of predictors of success in the MRCP (UK) PACES examination in candidates attending a revision course. Postgrad Med J.2006; 82: 145-149)

Dr. Bessant has recently Edited the Pocketbook for PACES, which will be published by the Oxford University Press in early 2012. She and the chapter authors have combined their extensive clinical knowledge and practical teaching experience to create a book that aims to provide prospective candidates with a comprehensive, yet concise and convenient guide to the PACES examination.



Dr. Robert Adam

Specialty Registrar in Neurology, Eastern Deanery.

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Dr. Adam trained in Neurology at Queen Square, Addenbrooke's and New York University Medical Center. Prior to this he gained broad general medical experience in a number of specialities. He is currently completing his PhD thesis in the Institute of Neurology at UCL.

Thoughout his medical career, Dr. Adam has enjoyed teaching and has received positive feedback from observers and students. He has taught on PACES courses since 2007 and also teaches medical students in their penultimate and final years at Cambridge University. He is also a regular course lecturer on the London International Youth Science Forum.







Dr. Ben Afzali

MRC Clinical Research Fellow in Nephrology, King's College London.

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Dr. Afzali trained at Guy’s and St Thomas’s Hospitals. His research interests include cardiovascular disease in renal patients, transplantation immunology and T cell biology.


He has been teaching PACES for several years now and considers it an honour to have the privilege of teaching those brighter than himself.














Mr. Owen Anderson
Senior Clinical Research Associate, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London

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Owen Anderson graduated from Edinburgh Medical School with a First Class
Honours Intercalated BSc in Pharmacology. He trained in General Medicine at
Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, passing his MRCP exam in 2001.
Following this he specialised in Ophthalmology and is a Specialist Registrar
on the North Thames/Moorfields SpR rotation. He is currently undertaking a
PhD in Ocular Drug Delivery at University College London Institute of
Ophthalmology.












Mr. David Bessant

Consultant Ophthalmologist, Moorfields Eye Hospital

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Mr. Bessant graduated with First Class Honours from the University of St. Andrews before transferring to Manchester Medical School, where his MBChB was also awarded with Honours. He won the Brian Harcourt Medal for the highest mark in the Fellowship of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (FRCOphth) 1992-3 examinations. He undertook a Medical Research Council Fellowship, studying inherited eye disorders, from 1995-1998, discovered an novel gene for retinitis pigmentosa (published in Nature Genetics) and was subsequently awarded an M.D. from the University of London.

He specialises in Medical Retinal disorders (including Diabetic Retinopathy and Macular Degeneration) and inherited disorders such as Retinitis pigmentosa. He has published over 30 scientific papers, review articles and book chapters. He is the Lead Clinician for the Moorfields Community Eye Clinic at Northwick Park Hospital.

Mr. Bessant has been a committed MRCP Clinical lecturer for over 10 years.





Dr Jonathan Birns
Consultant in Stroke Medicine, Geriatrics and General Medicine, Guy's & St Thomas' Hospitals

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Dr Jonathan Birns is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at King's College London. He has undertaken research, with the award of a PhD, and published widely in the field of cerebrovascular disease.

He has been a Clinical Tutor on MRCP PACES courses for 6 years and has taught on training programmes for health professionals from a variety of different disciplines. He has also completed formal training in the provision of clinical teaching.












Dr Gabriella Captur

Cardiology Specialist Registrar, The Heart Hospital, UCLH Foundation Trust, London

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Dr Captur graduated in Medicine from the University of Malta. During her subsequent training she developed a keen interest in Cardiology and was awarded the Texas Heart Institute award for writing in Cardiovascular Medicine. She was awarded an EU-funded scholarship to pursue a Masters degree in Cardiology at the University of Brighton obtaining distinctions across all modules. She is currently continuing her cardiology training as a Specialist Registrar at The Heart Hospital London and has commenced her PhD in Cardiac Magnetic Resonance and Cardiomyopathy through UCL.

She has a keen interest in clinical cardiology teaching and has been a PACES lecturer since 2007.









Dr. Gerald Coakley
Consultant Rheumatologist, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Greenwich, London

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Dr Coakley has been a Consultant Rheumatologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in London since 2000, and is dually accredited in general internal medicine. His PhD was in molecular immunogenetics relating to rheumatoid arthritis and Felty's syndrome. More recently he has developed research interests in septic arthritis. 

He has been involved in medical education for many years, and has been Director of Medical Education at his Trust since 2003, and Programme Director for South Thames Rheumatology Specialty Training Committee since 2006.  With Rupa Bessant, he published a paper on predictors of outcome in the PACES exam in 2006 (see above).  

Dr Coakley has been Director of Medical Education at South London Healthcare Trust, responsible for 440 trainees across three sites, since February 2010.


He remains a firm believer in PACES as a valid and reliable means of assessing the key skills of a physician, and is enthusiastic in coaching candidates through the exam.





Dr. David Connell

MRC Clinical Research Fellow, National Heart and Lung Institute

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Dr. David Connell is an MRC-funded clinical research training fellow in the Tuberculosis Research Unit at the National Heart and Lung Institute, and an Honorary Specialist Registrar in Respiratory and General Internal Medicine at St. Mary’s Hospital, London.

David gained a First class Honours degree in Physiology from the University of Cambridge before qualifying in Medicine from the University of Oxford in 2004.

He has been a PassPACES lecturer for 3 years.












Dr. Allyson Egan

Wellcome Clinical Research Fellow, Hammersmith Hospital.

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After graduating from University College Dublin with a BSc(Hons) degree in Chemistry, Dr Egan graduated in Medicine from the University of London / St George’s Hospital.  During her subsequent training at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospitals she developed a keen interest in nephrology, critical care medicine & lupus. She is a Specialist Registrar in Renal medicine on the London South Thames rotation. Currently Dr Egan is a Wellcome Clinical Research Fellow undertaking a PhD at the Hammersmith Hospital.  Her field of interest is the genetic and immunological basis of lupus.

 

She has a strong commitment to clinical teaching and has been preparing graduates for PACES since 2004.









Dr. Michael Fisher

Consultant Cardiologist, Liverpool University Hospitals

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Dr. Fisher qualified in 1988, having studied medicine at St. Andrews in Scotland and at Manchester Universities. He moved to Cardiff in 1995 to undertake research on the role of nitric oxide in the vascular response to injury, culminating in the award of a PhD in 2001. He was then appointed as a consultant cardiologist with a interest in coronary intervention in 2002, where he has been since. Dr. Fisher was recently made a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and maintains an active interest in research in the field of vascular inflammatory response and the relevance of this to acute and chronic coronary disease.

He is a committed MRCP Clinical Lecturer whose teaching is rated very highly by his juniors.









Dr Charlotte Ford

Specialist Registrar Gastroenterology, North East Thames rotation, London

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Dr Ford graduated from Liverpool University Medical School in 2004 having previously gained a first class honours degree in Genetics from the University of Leeds in 1999.

Her research interest is inflammatory bowel disease for which she has completed a number of research papers and most recently co-authored the BMJ clinical evidence update on Crohn’s disease.

She has a keen interest in medical education and has been active in course organisation and bedside PACES teaching at the Royal Free, North Middlesex and most recently Queen’s Hospital Romford. She has also taught as an instructor on ALS and IMPACT acute medicine courses.








Dr Charlotte Frise

Specialty Registrar in Acute and General Internal Medicine, Oxford Deanery

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Dr Frise undertook her preclinical training at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where she won numerous prizes and achieved First class honours in each successive year. Subsequently she went to Green College, Oxford for her clinical training.  She has remained in Oxford as a junior doctor but in addition to her training in Acute and General Internal Medicine has also worked at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital as a Specialist Registrar in Obstetric Medicine, the subspecialty she is pursuing in the future.

She has always been keen to be involved in PACES teaching, running a PACES teaching programme for trainees at the John Radcliffe Hospital not long after passing the exam herself and more recently taking part in the teaching programme at the Hammersmith Hospital.  She was also an RCP Associate Tutor and organising registrar for the PACES examinations held in Oxford in 2010.








Dr Matthew Frise

Specialty Registrar in Acute Medicine and Intensive Care, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford

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Dr Frise began his medical training at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he won prizes and achieved Firsts in all three years. He then moved to Oxford for his clinical studies and his training culminated in winning the George Pickering Prize for best overall performance in the final examinations in 2004.

He has always been very involved in teaching, including medical students, local Foundation trainees and physicians in other specialties. He has been involved in PACES teaching in the Oxford Deanery for a number of years and recently set up a formal PACES teaching programme for trainees at Wexham Park Hospital. His teaching is consistently rated very highly. He is currently a Clinical Teaching Associate at Wadham College, Oxford and has previously taught for a number of other Oxford Colleges.









Dr Nicholas Gall

Consultant Cardiologist, King's College Hospital

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Dr Gall is a Consultant cardiologist with particular interests in the invasive treatment of heart rhythm disorders and cardiac autonomics. He is based at King's College Hospital, part of King's Health Partners, and is also an Honorary Senior Lecturer for King's College London.

His teaching experience includes acting as a medical student firm head and a clinical tutor in the University. He regularly teaches all grades of postgraduate physicians particularly on heart rhythm disorders and has also lectured nationally and internationally on similar subjects. He has written and reviewed educational modules for doctors.org and BMJlearning.










Dr.
Ian Giles

Senior Lecturer/Honorary Consultant in Rheumatology, University College London

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Dr Giles qualified from the Royal London Hospital in 1992. His scientific career began at University College London (UCL) in 2000 where he carried out an Arthritis Research Campaign (arc) Clinical Research (PhD) Fellowship examining the molecular properties that distinguish pathogenic from non-pathogenic antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL). He was awarded an arc Clinical Scientist Fellowship in 2004. Since 2007 he has held a HEFCE clinical senior lectureship at UCL and continues to develop his scientific and clinical interests in the study of autoimmune rheumatic diseases, particularly Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and the Antiphospholipid syndrome as well as the management of these conditions during pregnancy.


He remains committed to medical education and provides more than four hours of undergraduate as well as postgraduate teaching each week at UCL.  He has regularly taught candidates for the MRCP since 1995.
  





Dr Refik Gökmen

NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Renal Medicine, Guy's Hospital, King's College London

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Refik studied medicine at Cambridge and UCL, and completed a PhD in transplantation immunology at KCL in 2010. He divides his time between ongoing research in the MRC Centre for Transplantation, clinical duties in the Guy's Renal Unit, and undergraduate and postgraduate teaching. He is currently also studying towards an MSc in Medical Education.

 

He has a keen interest in clinical teaching, and has been teaching for the MRCP since 2005. In 2007 he was awarded a Top Teacher Award by UCL.












Dr. Chris Harvey

Consultant Radiologist, Hammersmith Hospital

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Dr. Harvey qualified from Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School and is a consultant at Hammersmith Hospital.

He is a highly experienced MRCP Clinical teacher, having lectured regularly on MRCP Clinical courses for over 15 years. He has coauthored a self assessment imaging book for MRCP.












Dr. David Holdsworth

Cardiology Registrar, Oxford Deanery

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After taking a Double First Class degree in Natural Sciences (Physiology) at Cambridge, Dr Holdsworth graduated from Oxford University Medical School, winning the University Gibb’s Prize for Medicine.

He is currently working as a cardiology registrar in the Oxford deanery, at Northampton General Hospital. He has a particular interest in peri-arrest echocardiography. Dr Holdsworth is a regular faculty member and sits on the steering committee for the new UK-based peri-arrest echocardiography system FEEL-UK©.

 

Dr Holdsworth has a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and recently worked as a physician at the UK Field Hospital in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan


He is passionate about clinical training and teaches on a variety of courses. He has tutored in pre-clinical and clinical medicine at Oxford since 2003 and currently has a non-stipendiary lectureship as a clinical tutor in medicine.




Dr Matthew Huggett

Clinical Research Fellow, UCL Institute of Hepatology, London

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Dr Huggett qualified from Southampton University in 2003 and moved to London in 2006 to join the NE Thames rotation in Gastroenterology. In 2009 he became a Clinical Research Fellow in Pancreaticobiliary Medicine at UCL where he is studying for a PhD. His main research interests are DNA replication licensing in pancreatic cancer and biliary interventional endoscopy.

He enjoys teaching and as well as teaching for PassPACES he also participates in the PACES course at UCH.












Dr John Ioannou

Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist at University College London Hospital.

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Dr Ioannou qualified at the Royal London Hospital in 1994 and undertook his specialist registrar training within the North Thames Deanery, during which time he also attained a PhD. His clinical and research specialist interests lie in the field of autoimmunity, notably lupus and the antiphospholipid syndrome and also in the emerging field of adolescent / young adult rheumatology.

He has wealth of experience as a regular lecturer on clinical MRCP courses, having commenced lecturing shortly after attaining his MRCP in 1997.












Dr Tevfik Ismail
Specialist Registrar in Cardiology and Internal Medicine, Northwest Thames rotation

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Dr Ismail graduated from Imperial College School of Medicine at St Mary’s with numerous honours, academic prizes and distinctions, and proxime accessit to the University of London Medal.  Following SHO training at the Royal Brompton Hospital, he became a Specialist Registrar in Cardiology and General Internal Medicine on the Northwest Thames rotation.

He has a keen interest in medical education and has successfully tutored hundreds of medical students and SHOs for undergraduate exams and the MRCP PACES. He has also devised and run the Undergraduate final year cardiology teaching programme at Northwick Park Hospital as well as teaching on numerous courses for PACES and revision courses for Undergraduate finals. In addition to contributing to the in-house lecture and seminar programmes in the hospitals he has worked in, he has devoted a great deal of time to organising and delivering bedside PACES teaching. His experience, competence and boundless enthusiasm for teaching are conveyed on our courses and have been acknowledged by repeated positive feedback from candidates.





Dr. Alamgir Kabir

Consultant Cardiologist, Essex Cardiothoracic Centre, Basildon

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Dr. Kabir is a Consultant Cardiologist and has specialised in interventional cardiology, pacing and adult congenital heart disease at the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre. His has an interest in structural intervention. He is dually accredited in cardiology and general internal medicine. He was awarded a PhD in cardiology for his work on ischaemic preconditioning in 2006.

He enjoys and has a strong commitment to clinical teaching. He has been teaching for MRCP since 1999.













Dr. Arvind Kaul

Consultant in Rheumatology and Acute Medicine, The Royal Free Hospital, London

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Dr Kaul qualified from Bart’s and The Royal London Hospital Medical School in 1997 having previously completed his Ph.D. at The London Hospital Medical College. 
He completed his SpR training in Rheumatology in the South Thames region, working at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ and St. George’s Hospitals. 
He was appointed as a Consultant in Rheumatology and Acute Medicine at The Royal Free Hospital in 2007. His special clinical interests are Connective Tissue Diseases and Psoriatic Arthritis. His research interest is cardiovascular risk and vascular biology in rheumatic diseases.










Dr. Richard Lee

NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow in Respiratory Medicine, South East Thames rotation

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Dr. Lee graduated from Cambridge University and the Guy's, King's and St Thomas' School of Medicine and is now an NIHR academic clinical fellow training in Respiratory medicine on a South East Thames rotation.

He is an enthusiastic lecturer, adept at engaging the candidates' focus to that required to pass PACES.















Dr Guy Leschziner

Consultant Neurologist, Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals

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Having qualified from Oxford and St Mary’s in 1998, Dr Leschziner completed a medical rotation at Guy’s and St Thomas’. Following a year as a medical registrar, he undertook a PhD in epilepsy genetics and pharmacogenetics at Imperial College and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge. He trained in neurology at Imperial, Guy's and St Thomas' and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, with neuro-ophthalmology experience at both St Thomas’ and Moorfields hospitals. He is now a consultant neurologist at Guy's and St Thomas', with specialist clinics in sleep neurology and epilepsy and a nationally commissioned complex neurocutaneous service.

He is heavily involved in teaching both undergraduates and graduates, with extensive experience in bed-side, lecture-, seminar-based teaching and as an examiner, at UCLH, Imperial, Guy’s, King’s, St Thomas’ medical schools. He has been teaching on MRCP courses for a number of years.






Dr. Myles Lewis

Specialist Registrar in Rheumatology, Hammersmith Hospital.

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After graduating with first-degree honours in pre-clinical medicine at Cambridge University, Dr Lewis trained at Oxford University. Since that time he has trained at several central London teaching hospitals, particularly at St Thomas' where his interest in Lupus and Rheumatology was initiated. He is currently completing a PhD at the Hammersmith Hospital.


He has extensive teaching experience on PACES courses at Guy's, Hammersmith and Lewisham hospitals, as well as lecturing undergraduates in both clinical rheumatology and scientific fields. Having been Examining registrar for the PACES examination at Lewisham, he has first hand experience of how an actual PACES exam is set up, examined and marked.








Dr. Shameer Mehta

Specialist Registrar in Gastroenterology and General Medicine, North East Thames Rotation

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Dr. Mehta qualified from Guy’s King’s and St. Thomas’ School of Medicine in 2003. He obtained an intercalated BSc in Molecular Medicine in 2000. After gaining excellent clinical experience on the Barts and The London Medical SHO Rotation, he entered specialist training in Gastroenterology and General Medicine in 2007 on the North East Thames Rotation and has developed a special interest in the inflammatory bowel diseases and medical education.

His commitment to teaching throughout his career has been unwavering: he has prepared candidates for the PACES examination for over 5 years, has regularly taught on a variety of formal courses and is an undergraduate OSCE examiner. He has been responsible for the set up and delivery of teaching programmes for both PACES candidates and medical students. His lively, enthusiastic and inclusive approach to teaching has led to excellent structured feedback from candidates and he hopes to continue to gain as much from them as they do from him.





Dr Michael Nandakumar 

General Practitioner

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Dr Nandakumar graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2003.

He gained experience in a variety of medical specialties including haematology, cardiology and genitourinary medicine before qualifying as a GP in 2008. He has special interests in dermatology and acute medicine and is currently undertaking the Cardiff Postgraduate Diploma in Practical Dermatology.

He has been teaching candidates for PACES since 2006. His diverse educational experience also includes a senior editor position for InnovAiT, the monthly journal from the Royal College of General Practitioners, and role as a GP trainer.

The combination of his MRCP and general practice experience has particularly helped an ever increasing number of GP specialty registrars who choose to sit the PACES examination.

With Rupa Bessant, he has recently written the Communication Skills and Ethics chapter of a popular PACES revision book. 


Dr. Julian Nash
Consultant Rheumatologist,
University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff.

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Dr. Nash qualified from the University Hospital of Wales College of Medicine in 1990.  He obtained a PhD in the immunology of SLE from Imperial College of Medicine and Technology, Royal Postgraduate Medical School Hammersmith Hospital.  He trained in North Thames deanery and was dually accredited in Rheumatology and General medicine in 2002.  He was a consultant at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore for 3 years before moving to his current post as a Consultant Rheumatologist at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff in 2006.

           
As well as lecturing for PassPACES Julian has previously taught extensively on other MRCP courses, at both part I and part II level, for companies including 123Doc, Onexamination.com and Pastest, as well as on courses locally in Wales. He previously ran the CliniPass MRCP clinical course in London with two colleagues. Dr Nash has also edited a book for the basic sciences in MRCP part I.






Dr Elena Nikiphorou

Rheumatology Specialist Registrar, Eastern Deanery

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Dr Nikiphorou graduated from University College London (UCL) in 2004 and is currently a Rheumatology Research Registrar, undertaking her MD at UCL. She obtained a First Class Honours for her Intercalated BSc in Physiology in 2002, as well as a British Pharmacological Society Award and a Wellcome Trust Vacation Scholarship for her BSc Research on Mineralocorticoid Receptors.  Having completed a diverse medical rotation as an SHO, including Cardiology at The Royal Brompton Hospital, Renal medicine at The Hammersmith and The Royal London Hospitals, Rheumatology, Endocrinology, Infectious diseases and Acute Medicine at Charing Cross Hospital, she has been well-equipped with the credentials necessary for delivering teaching for MRCP examinations. 

She has been actively involved in the teaching and organising of revision courses for Imperial College and University College London medical students, and participates as an examiner on the Final MBBS at Queen Mary’s School of Medicine.  She delivers regular bedside PACES teaching to SHOs at various London and Eastern Deanery hospitals. 

Her enthusiasm and commitment to medical education has led her to undertake a Medical Education Training Program in association with the University of Dundee, and has successfully completed the Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education.

Dr Anna Nuttall

Rheumatology Specialist Registrar, North London Rotation

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Dr Anna Nuttall qualified from Jesus College Oxford with an MA in Physiological Sciences (and a half blue in Ballroom Dancing); followed by an Honours MBBS from Imperial College London.

She completed an MD (Res) thesis 'The Role of the Epidermis in Pathogenesis of Systemic Sclerosis' at UCL in 2010.

She has several years of experience teaching PACES.













Dr Bill Oldfield

Consultant in Respiratory Medicine, St. Mary’s and Royal Brompton Hospitals

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Dr Bill Oldfield had a miss-spent youth training initially in Pharmacology and subsequently in Human and Applied Physiology at King’s College whilst climbing whenever possible.  He then trained in Medicine at St. George’s Hospital, London and was later appointed to the North-West Thames Rotation in Respiratory Medicine.  During this time he completed a PhD at the National Heart and Lung Institute and trained in General Respiratory Medicine with sub-specialty interests in initially Allergy and subsequently Critical Care.  He was appointed as Consultant in Respiratory Medicine in 2003 to St. Mary’s Hospital and Royal Brompton Hospital and currently works at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust as Consultant in Respiratory Medicine and Lead Clinician for High Dependency Medicine. 

He continues to teach; he is responsible for Foundation Years teaching in Respiratory Failure and Critical Care and also undertakes regular small group PACES Teaching.  He personally failed Membership numerous times and, due to this experience, has, so far, prevented any of his tutees suffering the same fate with a near 100% pass rate from his candidates.




Dr Marlies Ostermann
Consultant in Critical Care and Nephrology at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital, London.

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Dr Ostermann is very interested in teaching and holds a postgraduate degree in Medical Education.


In her role as Royal College Tutor she teaches on a regular basis and also organises the Core Medical Training program at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital.











Dr. Andrew Pink

Academic Registrar in Dermatology, St. John's Institute of Dermatology in London.

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Dr. Pink trained at Nottingham Medical School and graduated with a BMedSci(Hons) and BMBS. He continued his training at the Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guy's Hospital and St. Thomas' Hospital.


He is currently an Academic Registrar in Dermatology at the prestigious St. John's Institute of Dermatology in London.


Dr. Pink intends to pursue an academic career in Dermatology and maintain his interest in research and teaching.











Dr. Katharine Pink

Specialist Registrar in Neurology, Atkinson Morley (St George's Hospital), London

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After traversing the Irish Sea to study at Nottingham Medical School Dr. Pink developed an early interest in Neurology and elected to spend six months doing research in Neuro-anaesthesia. She presented this work at three national conferences, published in peer reviewed journals and was awarded a National Prize. She has completed a competitive, varied medical rotation, which provided her with a thorough grounding in general medicine, and equipped her with the knowledge and experience necessary to teach for the MRCP examinations. The highlights included Intensive Care at St Thomas' Hospital and Neurology/Stroke Medicine, which further fuelled her desire to pursue a career in Neurology.


She is an enthusiastic educationalist and is actively involved in lecturing/examining at Guy's, King's and St Thomas' Medical School. She is an Associate Royal College of Physicians Tutor.






Dr. Nick Powell

Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Fellow at King’s College London

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Dr Powell graduated from Birmingham University Medical School in 2001, before moving to London to train in internal medicine. He joined the North West Thames specialist registrar program in gastroenterology in 2005. He is currently a Wellcome Trust clinical research fellow at King’s College London and also holds an honorary clinical lectureship at Bart’s and the London School of Medicine, and continues to hold a clinical contract at Imperial College NHS Trust where he has worked for the past 5 years.

His research interests concern immune regulation of intestinal inflammation. He also continues to pursue research interests in clinical gastroenterology and endoscopy. Most of his time in the lab is spent trying to avoid nephrologists (with whom he shares the immunology lab) who still think the abdomen only exists to house the kidneys, ignorant to the infinite complexity of the liver and elegance of small bowel motility.

Dr Powell has been teaching PACES since 2005, where he cynically shares his gift of conveying competence in the face of incontrovertible evidence to the contrary!



Dr Simon Quantrill

Consultant in Respiratory and General Medicine, Whipps Cross University Hospital, London.

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Dr Quantrill qualified from Manchester Medical School in 1989 and has been a consultant since 2001. He later obtained a Master´s Degree in Medical Education, studying whilst running a course for overseas doctors at The Royal Brompton Hospital, Imperial College.

He was Director of Medical Education and Foundation Training Programme Director at Whipps Cross for 3 years, and is currently Training Programme Director for the North East Thames Respiratory Specialist Registrar Rotation.












Dr. Jonathan Rohrer

Clinical Research Fellow in Neurology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.

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Dr. Rohrer studied at Cambridge, Oxford and University College London before his junior doctor training in London. He has a PhD from the UCL Institute of Neurology in the field of neuroimaging in dementia and has published over 50 papers in the field.

He was the Chairman of the Young Fellows Committee of the Royal Society of Medicine and has been involved in organizing many educational meetings for junior doctors including running a teaching skills course. 

He has been teaching MRCP for a number of years and has lectured on Part 1, Part 2 and PACES.

He is the lead author of "Neurology for MRCP" published by Imperial College Press. 









Dr. Fergus Rugg-Gunn

Consultant Neurologist, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London.

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Dr. Rugg-Gunn trained at Guys and St Thomas's Hospital Medical schools.

He undertook his Neurology training in Oxford and at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square. He was awarded a PhD for his research in Advanced MRI techniques in epilepsy, carried out at the Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, in 2002.

He became a Consultant Neurologist at Queen Square in 2006.


He has been actively involved in MRCP Clinical teaching for 7 years.











Dr Kate Shiell

Consultant Nephrologist at St Helier Hospital, South London

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Dr Shiell graduated from Sheffield Medical School in 1994 and has worked in most medical specialities, including a six-month stint as a GP Registrar before finally discovering her passion for Renal Medicine. She is a Consultant Nephrologist at St Helier Hospital, South London and has a specialist interest in dialysis and CKD management.

She is currently undertaking the Royal College of Physicians 'Physicians as Educators' course and has always enjoyed clinical teaching, seeing students develop skills and knowledge needed not only for the MRCP exam but also for their longer term future as doctors.











Mr Alex Shortt

NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Ophthalmology, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Ophthalmology, Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London.

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Dr Shortt graduated MB BCh (1st Class Honours) from University College Dublin Medical School in 1999. He immediately studied for an MSc in Physiology (1st Class Honours) and then began his postgraduate training in ophthalmology at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London. He passed his MRCOphth examinations in 2003 being awarded the Crombie and Harcourt medals for the highest mark in the examinations.

He studied for a PhD in Ophthalmology at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields between 2004 and 2007. He investigated novel cell therapy for corneal limbal stem cell deficiency and tested the hypothesis that the limbal epithelial stem cell niche has a specialised structure and that an understanding of this may lead to improvements in outcomes and understanding of this therapy.  Dr Shortt is continuing his training as a clinician scientist and is currently undertaking postdoctoral research in the field of cellular therapy of corneal disease.








Dr Penelope Smith

Consultant in Acute Medicine & Infectious Diseases, Royal Free Hospital, London

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Dr Smith graduated from University of Queensland, Australia, in 1992 since which time she has worked and travelled widely. She completed MRCP in London in 1996, followed by FRACP examinations in Australia in 2000. She has completed an MSc in Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, and laboratory research interests include innate immunity of viral infections.

After completing her SpR rotation in North Thames in G(I)M and Infectious Diseases, she was appointed to a Consultant post at the Royal Free Hospital in 1997. In her current post she plays an active role in the development of departmental teaching programmes and is committed to ensuring that junior doctor training programmes incorporate high quality teaching within the acute hospital setting.


She has been teaching on Part 1, Part 2 and PACES courses across London for 8 years.







Dr. Ajay Suri

Specialist Registrar in Cardiology, North-East Thames rotation

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Dr. Suri graduated from King’s College Hospital in 2001 and is currently a Cardiology Specialist Registrar in The North-East Thames Training Program. He is currently undertaking his training at The London Heart Hospital. He has a strong commitment to clinical teaching. 


He has undertaken a Masters in Medical Education and has also been responsible for organising MRCP PACES teaching at UCL Hospital.
  










Dr. Daniel Tan

Specialist Registrar in Medical Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore / Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton.

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Dr. Tan qualified from Barts and the Royal London Hospital and obtained First Class Honours for his intercalated B.Sc. in Tumour Biology from UCL.  He commenced his medical training at St. Bartholomew's Hospital and subsequently Singapore General Hospital, and is presently in the midst of oncology specialty training at the National Cancer Centre Singapore and The Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, UK.  His area of interest is in translational early phase oncology clinical trials.


He is an active MRCP tutor both in Singapore and London.











Dr David Tan

Specialist Registrar in Medical Oncology at the Royal Marsden Hospital

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Dr David Tan trained at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals and graduated with a First Class Honours Intercalated BSc in Experimental Pathology and MBBS with Distinction in 2001. He trained in General Medicine at Hammersmith, Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals and was awarded a Cancer Research UK Clinical Research Fellowship for his PhD at the Institute of Cancer Research in 2005.  He is currently a Specialist Registrar in Medical Oncology at the Royal Marsden Hospital with clinical and research interests in breast and gynaecological cancer. 

He has a strong commitment to clinical teaching and has been involved in tutoring candidates for the PACES exam since 2005.










Dr Peter Taylor

Welsh Clinical Academic Trainee, Centre for Endocrine and Diabetes Sciences, Cardiff University School of Medicine

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Dr Taylor graduated from the Universities of St.Andrews and Manchester. He worked in Edinburgh before commencing training in Diabetes and Endocrinology in the Severn Deanery. His main medical interests are Graves Disease, Hypothyroidism, Thyroid Cancer and managing hyperglycaemia in sepsis.


He has carried out research into the prognostic role of Thyroid receptor antibody response to treatment in Graves Disease and is currently undertaking a PhD in combined T3 T4 therapy in hypothyroidism and effect on depression.











Dr. Robert Thomas

Specialist Registrar in Radiology, Guys and St Thomas' University Hospital, London.

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Dr. Thomas qualified from St Bartholomew's and The Royal London School of Medicine in 2003 and completed a general medical rotation with membership to the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP(Lond)) in 2006. Leaving a medical registrar position in 2007 he joined Guys and St Thomas' University Hospital as a specialist registrar in Radiology.

He became a fellow of the Royal College of Radiology (FRCR) in 2010. Working as a general radiologist he has a special interest in oncological interventional radiology. 

He has a strong interest in academic medicine and medical education.











Dr. Jenny Vaughan

Consultant Neurologist, Imperial College Healthcare and Ealing Hospital NHS Trusts

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Dr. Vaughan is a Consultant Neurologist with a particular interest in Movement disorders and Neuro-genetics.

She has an extensive teaching commitment and experience of over 10 years MRCP Clinical Teaching. As well as lecturing for PassPACES she is a Course Director for the Ealing Neuro-ophthalmology course.

She enjoys teaching and personally gains satisfaction from seeing doctors perform well and pass their examinations.

Dr Johan Waktare

Consultant Cardiologist, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital

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Dr Johan Waktare graduated from Manchester Medical School and carried out his SpR Training in Cardiology in Exeter, St George's Hospital London and University Hospital Birmingham.

He is Consultant Cardiologist and Cardiac Electrophysiologist at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, where he is clinical lead for the Electrophysiology Service.

He has a strong commitment to Clinical Education, having taught on multiple courses to all grades of doctor, and has published a book, 6 book chapters, and numerous original and review articles.







Dr. Mahinda Yogarajah

Neurology SpR, London Deanery

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Dr. Yogarajah qualified in 2001 from University College London.  He is currently a neurology SpR on the Atkinson Morley rotation in the London deanery.  His research interest is in epilepsy and imaging, and he completed a PhD in this field at the Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London,

 

He is committed to clinical teaching, and has been teaching on MRCP courses since 2006.

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