Dr. Rupa Bessant, Course Director
Dr. Rupa Bessant has extensive experience in Postgraduate Medical Education and has been an MRCP Clinical Course Director for over 20 years.
Dr Bessant qualified from the University of Manchester Medical School and was awarded an MSc in Rheumatology with Distinction from the University of London. 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.
Dr Bessant has demonstrated an enduring commitment to postgraduate medical education throughout her career. Having provided regular clinical teaching to both undergraduate students and to junior colleagues in the hospitals where she worked for several years, 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 restructured the University College London Hospitals PACES course and was their Course Director from 2002 to 2004. Subsequently, she was the Course Director for the Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust PACES course until 2010.
Dr Bessant utilised her extensive experience to found the PassPACES Medical Education courses, with the aim of not only providing the best preparation for candidates sitting the MRCP PACES examination, but also optimising their clinical examination skills to provide better care for their future patients.
Since 2007, Dr Bessant has been responsible for organising and personally teaching at over 200 four day PassPACES courses, which have provided ‘hands on’, PACES oriented, clinical teaching for more than 10,000 junior doctors.
Dr Bessant has carried out research in the field of Medical Education. 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 edited two MRCP oriented textbooks published by the Oxford University Press:
The Pocketbook for PACES. Dr. Bessant and the other chapter authors combined their extensive clinical knowledge and practical teaching experience to create a book that provides prospective candidates with a concise and convenient guide to the PACES examination.
Medicine for MRCP. This textbook provides comprehensive coverage of both the basic science and clinical knowledge required for all three parts of the MRCP examination. The twenty-seven chapters cover all areas from molecular medicine and genetics, through to medical law and ethics.
Dr. Bessant was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in recognition of her contribution to Postgraduate Medical Education.
Dr. Reza Abdullah
Consultant in Respiratory Medicine, University College London HospitalsDr Abdullah graduated from Guys’, King’s & St Thomas’ Medical School. He was awarded an intercalated BSc in Anatomy. He completed his respiratory and general internal medicine training in North West London Deanery, rotating through the Royal Brompton Hospital and Imperial College NHS Trusts.
He has undertaken a clinical fellowship in pulmonary intervention and pleural disease at St Mary’s Hospital, and has been appointed as a respiratory consultant in pleural disease and lung cancer at UCLH.
Dr Abdullah has been committed to providing medical education, and has organised and delivered regular undergraduate and postgraduate teaching throughout his training.
Dr. Kerala Adams-Carr
Specialist Registrar, North-Central London
Dr Adams-Carr is a neurology registrar at the Royal Free Hospital in London. She completed her medical training at Cambridge and UCL, graduating with a first-class BA in physiology development and neuroscience, and a distinction in her MBBS. She has contributed to research projects including PREDICT-PD, which aims to identify individuals at high risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
She is a keen teacher, having spent a year working as a clinical teaching fellow at Charing Cross Hospital. She completed a postgraduate certificate in medical education at the Royal College of Physicians and UCL.
Dr. Elizabeth Adeyeye
Specialist Registrar in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics and General Internal Medicine, Barts Health NHS Trust, London
Dr Adeyeye studied Biomedical Science, with a specialist interest in Pharmacology, as an undergraduate at Kings College London, before graduating in Medicine from the University of Warwick in 2011. She underwent foundation and core medical training in the East of England Deanery, gaining a broad clinical experience across a variety of specialities. She has worked in clinical research, and as an investigator on a number of clinical trials, particular in cardiovascular medicine. She now works at the Royal London and St Bartholomew’s hospitals as an acute medical and clinical pharmacology registrar, with a sub-specialism in hypertension.
From early on in her training she has been enthusiastic about teaching. As a medical student, she organised and delivered an HIV/AIDS education project in rural Ghana, as well as teaching health promotion to her peers through the charity Medsin. Following core medical training, she was appointed as a clinical teaching and research fellow and an honorary clinical lecturer at Imperial College London, which further fuelled her passion for medical education. She was an emergency scenario trainer whilst at the NIHR Clinical Research Facility at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals. She has been involved in both undergraduate and postgraduate education, medical school examinations and delivering PACES teaching, which she is keen to continue through lecturing on this course.
Dr. Amit Adlakha
Consultant in Intensive Care and Respiratory Medicine, Royal Free Hospital.
Dr Adlakha graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2005. He carried out his foundation training in Glasgow and core medical training at University College Hospital, London.
He undertook Specialist Registrar training in Respiratory and Intensive Care Medicine in the London Deanery, including at the Hammersmith, Charing Cross and the Royal Brompton Hospitals, with additional registrar-level training in transplant medicine (Harefield), HIV medicine (Royal Free) and Infectious Diseases (UCLH), and completed his training in Intensive Care Medicine in the Oxford Deanery (at the John Radcliffe and Churchill Hospitals). He was awarded a PhD in 2020 from Imperial College, London for his research into dendritic cell gene regulation in post-transplant fungal disease, as part of an MRC-funded Chain-Florey Clinical Research Fellowship. He was appointed as a Consultant in Intensive Care and Respiratory Medicine in 2018.
As well as teaching on Part 1, Part 2 and PACES courses across London, he has served as faculty on practical skills courses for bronchoscopy, pleural ultrasound and pleural procedures. In addition, Dr Adlakha is a qualified BASIC (ICU) and ALS instructor.
Dr. Giulia Argentesi
Specialist Registrar in Diabetes and Endocrinology and General Internal Medicine, North Central London Deanery and Clinical Research Fellow, Queen Mary University of London
Dr Giulia Argentesi graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2010. She commenced specialist training in Diabetes and Endocrinology and General Internal Medicine in 2016. She is currently out of programme on a British Heart Foundation funded PhD fellowship researching Primary Aldosteronism at Queen Mary University of London.
She has always been extremely passionate about teaching and has regularly helped juniors prepare for their PACES exam. She has been teaching on the PassPACES course since 2017.
Dr. Satpal Arri
Satpal Arri, Post CCT interventional fellow, Kings College Hospital
Dr Arri graduated from Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ Medical School in 2006, with an honours BSc in Neuroscience and MBBS with distinction in Clinical Sciences. He was awarded his MRCP with the help of PassPACES in 2009 and subsequently commenced registrar training on the South Thames rotation. In 2013, he was awarded a Clinical Research Training Fellowship by the British Heart Foundation. His research focused on coronary physiology and cardiac MRI perfusion. Having attained his PhD in 2019, he is currently a post CCT interventional fellow based at Kings College Hospital.
Dr Arri has been committed to medical education, both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels throughout his career and was awarded the William Harvey Teacher of the Year award in 2011. He has been involved in teaching PACES candidates at various trusts within the London deanery. He has found this incredibly rewarding as he is helping in the development of others whilst allowing him to concrete his own knowledge and understanding.
Outside of medicine he is a senior blackbelt instructor in the art of Shaolin Nam Pai Chuan Kung Fu and teaches practical skills to junior members on a weekly basis.
Dr. Aravindhan Baheerathan
Post-CCT fellow in Neurocritical care and Neuromuscular diseases, at National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery
Dr Baheerathan graduated from the University of Leicester with honours in 2013, in addition to obtaining a first class intercalated BSc in translational medicine from King’s College London. He completed his training in Neurology, Stroke Medicine and General Internal Medicine within the Imperial College rotation and the National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery in 2024. He is currently undertaking a post-CCT fellowship at NHNN in neurocritical care and neuromuscular diseases.
He has a significant interest in medical education, completing a post-graduate certificate in this area and is actively involved in both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching.
Dr. Chitrabhanu Ballav
Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.
Dr Chitrabhanu Ballav graduated with distinction from the University of Calcutta. He trained in medicine at Cambridge, London and Leeds, and completed his specialty training in Oxford. He undertook a transplant fellowship at the University of Oxford, investigating beta cell function in islet transplant recipients, and has been the recipient of several prestigious national and international fellowships. He has been the principal investigator in multiple drug trials. His research interests include modulation of pancreatic islet function and diabetes technology.
In 2016, Dr Ballav was appointed as a Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, where he is the lead for research, technology, and type 1 diabetes mellitus. He is co-ordinating the transformation program for diabetes in Thames Valley as part of the NHS integrated care system. Dr Ballav is the Royal College Tutor for Internal Medicine Training at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust and has been on the panel for IMT and higher specialty training interviews.
He has extensive experience and is actively involved in teaching both medical undergraduates and postgraduates, including PACES candidates and primary care physicians, and regularly lectures at the universities of Oxford, Buckingham and Leicester.
Dr. Deborah Bertfield
Consultant in General Medicine and Geriatrics, Barnet Hospital
Dr Bertfield has been a Consultant in General Medicine and Geriatrics at Barnet Hospital since 2013.
She qualified from UCL medical school in 2002, having obtained an intercalated pharmacology BSc. After SHO jobs in Manchester and London she gained a geriatrics training number in 2007. She achieved a distinction in her MSc in geriatric medicine.
Dr Bertfield has always been passionate about medical teaching. She has been involved in the organisation of the PACES exam at local Trusts and is currently the undergraduate lead for medicine at Barnet Hospital.
Mr. David Bessant
Consultant Ophthalmologist and Clinical Director, Moorfields Eye HospitalMr. 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 a 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.
Dr. Anish Bhuva
Academic Clinical Fellow in Cardiology, North Central Thames rotation.
Dr Bhuva qualified from St John's College, Cambridge and University College London. He graduated with a first class degree from Cambridge University in all three preclinical years, with a BA in Part II Italian.
He was awarded over a dozen prizes including the University of London Gold Medal, awarded to the top medical student from all London Universities.
He is currently an academic cardiology registrar and has a research interest in cardiac MRI.
He enjoys teaching both at an undergraduate and postgraduate level and sees it as a rewarding way to refresh and expand his own knowledge. He teaches PACES candidates regularly and is a Core Medical Training Lead at University College London Hospital.
Dr Jonathan Birns
Consultant in Stroke Medicine, Geriatrics and General Medicine, Guy's & St Thomas' HospitalsDr Jonathan Birns is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at King's College London, Training Programme Director for Geriatrics in South East London and Deputy Head of the London School of Medicine.
He has developed award-winning, innovative, multi-modal, postgraduate educational courses, presenting the results at national and international conferences and in peer-reviewed journals. He has completed formal training in the provision of clinical education. Dr Birns’ high-quality teaching in a number of arenas has been evidenced by excellent feedback and his training programmes being awarded regional and national honours. He has also undertaken research, with the award of a PhD, and published widely in the field of cerebrovascular disease.
Dr. Laura Blackmore
Gastroenterology Specialist Registrar, South London Deanery
Dr Blackmore completed her pre-clinical training at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, where she graduated with Double First Class Honours, winning numerous prizes and captaining the college women's boat club along the way. She undertook her clinical studies at Jesus College, Oxford, being awarded further prizes before graduating in Medicine in 2005. She worked in Oxford before moving to King's College Hospital in 2007 for SHO training and commenced Gastroenterology Specialist Registrar training on the South-East London rotation in 2009.
Dr Blackmore was awarded a Wellcome Trust Research Training Fellowship in 2013 and explored the role of cellular immunity, in particular autoimmune T cell responses and disordered immune regulation in severe alcohol-related liver disease at the Institute of Liver Studies and Transplantation at King's College Hospital. She completed her PhD and her Gastroenterology and Hepatology training in 2021.
She is passionate about medical education, and actively participates in teaching at an undergraduate and postgraduate level. She has been teaching PACES candidates since 2008 with successful results and, since 2015, she has continued to help the next generation of candidates on the PassPACES course.
Dr. James Brown
Senior Respiratory Research Fellow, Lungs for Living Research Centre, University College London.
Dr. Brown qualified from St Bartholomew's and The Royal London School of Medicine in 2000. He is currently undertaking a PhD at UCL developing novel technologies to detect individuals at high risk of developing lung cancer and investigating the biology of pre-invasive airway disease.He has a subspecialist interest in interventional bronchoscopy.
He has recently run-swam-cycled his way from London to Paris to raise funds to set up the Lungs for Living Charity with his PhD supervisor Dr. Sam Janes with the aim of building a dedicated lung cancer research centre at UCL/ UCLH.
Dr Brown is a co-founder of ‘EBUSlive’, a course teaching endobronchial ultrasound techniques to chest physicians. He is regularly involved in clinical teaching at UCLH.
Dr Gabriella Captur
Cardiology Specialist Registrar, The Heart Hospital, UCLH Foundation Trust, London
Dr Captur graduated in Medicine from the University of Malta in 2004. She was awarded the Texas Heart Institute Award for undergraduate writing in Cardiovascular Medicine. She completed a postgraduate Masters degree in Cardiology with distinction at the University of Brighton and Sussex in 2010. She is currently pursing a PhD through UCL, looking into the application of mathematical fractal algorithms to cardiac imaging analysis, particularly cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging. Her project is based at The Heart Hospital Imaging Centre and at the National Institute of Medical Research. She was awarded a fellowship for conducting additional work within the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, US in 2013.
She has a keen interest in teaching which spans multiple clinical specialities including cardiology. She regularly participates in teaching medical graduates on the wards and has been a PACES lecturer since 2007.
Dr. Gavin Charlesworth
Consultant Neurologist, Charing Cross Hospital, London
Dr Charlesworth graduated from King's College London with honours in Medicine and an intercalated degree in Neuroscience. He completed his specialist training in Neurology in London. Along the way, he obtained his PhD in Molecular Neuroscience from the Institute of Neurology at University College London, identifying two novel genes for dystonia and expanded the recognised clinical phenotype of disease resulting from mutations in several other known genes. He also obtained a first in a BA Honours in History from the Open University whilst completing his PhD and is currently studying for an MBA in his spare time. He was appointed as a Consultant Neurologist at Charing Cross Hospital in 2017. He specialises in movement disorders, deep brain stimulation and botulinum toxin therapy.
Dr Charlesworth was a clinical and an educational supervisor for trainees passing through the neurology department at Charing Cross Hospital for a number of years. He continues to provide regular teaching sessions for the medical students at Imperial College London. He has lectured for PassPACES since 2014.
Dr. Teresa Christopherson
Consultant Respiratory Physician, East Sussex Healthcare Trust
Dr Christopherson qualified from University College London Medical School with a BSc in Neuroscience. She completed specialist training in both Respiratory and General medicine with additional training in Anaesthesia at Imperial College London. She was awarded a distinction for her MSc dissertation in respiratory medicine. She completed a two-year fellowship in the management of complex sleep and ventilatory disorders at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospitals, London and at Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, and has received both national and international training in endobronchial ultrasound, bronchoscopy and thoracoscopy. Dr Christopherson’s research work has been published in multiple journals, including the American Journal Respiratory Medicine and Critical Care Medicine, the Journal of Neurocytology and Hospital Medicine. She was appointed as a Consultant in Respiratory and General Medicine in 2014.
Dr Christopherson was awarded a merit for her Medical educator accreditation by the Royal College of Physicians. She is the course director for an endobronchial ultrasound course facilitated by international experts. She has designed and taught non-invasive ventilation simulation courses for health care providers, worked with the local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to provide training in Respiratory training for General Practitioners, and with her patients to design health promotion courses for young people in Sussex. In addition to teaching on the PassPACES course since 2011, she participates in PACES tuition for her Trust.
Dr. Kristina Clark
Specialist Registrar in Rheumatology and General Internal Medicine, North Central & North East London Deanery
Dr Clark undertook her preclinical training at Downing College, Cambridge, before transferring to University College London for her clinical years where she graduated with distinction. Her clinical training has been in the South-East of England and London. She is currently undertaking a PhD at the Centre of Rheumatology and Connective Tissue Diseases, at the Royal Free Hospital, focusing on systemic sclerosis.
Dr Clark has a longstanding interest in teaching, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level. She ran a teaching programme for UCL medical students, as well as a hospital wide PACES course.
Dr. Sophie Clarke
Consultant Endocrinologist, University College London HospitalDr Clarke qualified from Guy's, King's and St Thomas' Hospitals and undertook her general medical training in London, prior to commencing a Diabetes and Endocrine training number. She completed a PhD in 2018 at Imperial College London in Reproductive Endocrinology, before undertaking further research as an NIHR Clinical Lecturer investigating the neuroendocrine mechanisms that regulate fertility. She now works as a Consultant Endocrinologist with a Specialist Interest in Reproductive Endocrinology at University College London Hospital.
Dr Clarke has experience preparing candidates for the PACES examination and is committed to providing excellent teaching; she very much enjoys the opportunity that the PassPACES course provides to do this.
Dr. Clare Coyle
British Heart Foundation Clinical Research Fellow, Academic Specialist Registrar in Cardiology, North-West Thames rotation.
Dr Coyle studied medicine at both Magdalen College and Worcester College, Oxford, graduating in 2012 after intercalating with a BA in Neuroscience.
She has worked in London and Australia, and is now an academic cardiology registrar in North-West London. Currently, she is working on a PhD in cardiac electrophysiology, having been awarded a British Heart Foundation Clinical Research Fellowship. She is also a section Editor for the journal Heart.
She very much enjoys teaching, particularly at the PACES level, and finds it a pleasure to learn from expert patients and to see the candidate's confidence and skills grow.
Dr. Robert Davidson
Honorary Consultant & Honorary Senior Lecturer, Imperial College and University of Cape Town
Dr Davidson trained in General Medicine and Infectious Diseases in South Africa and the UK.
He was for 27 years a Consultant Physician at Northwick Park Hospital and remains an Honorary Consultant as well as an Honorary Senior Lecturer at Imperial College and at the University of Cape Town, where he continues to teach clinical medicine. He has published extensively on tuberculosis, leishmaniasis and other clinical research topics.
Dr. Angharad Davis
Wellcome Trust Clinical PhD fellow at University College LondonDr Davis is a Wellcome Trust Clinical PhD fellow at University College London and honorary research associate at The University of Cape Town and The Francis Crick Institute, University College London. Prior to stepping out of clinical training to undertake her PhD, she had completed 4 years of specialist neurology training as an NIHR academic clinical fellow and specialist registrar at Barts Health NHS Trust and the National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery. Her academic interests include neuroinflammation in the context of neuro-infectious diseases, in particular tuberculous meningitis.
Dr Davis has always sought opportunities to teach undergraduate and postgraduate students, both in the UK and, more recently, in South Africa. She has been a PassPACES lecturer since 2014 and enjoys the challenge of teaching on complex neurology cases as well as keeping up her general medical examination skills.
Dr. James Day
Haematology Academic Fellow at University College LondonDr James Day graduated with distinction from Jesus College, Cambridge in 2014, winning the Roger Morris Prize in Medicine and Surgery for finishing 1st in the final clinical examinations. He was also awarded six Blues in football, captaining the university first team in 2011. He completed his core medical training in central London, working in a range of specialties including cardiology, respiratory and haematology. He passed his Paces examination in 2018 on his first attempt with a score of 98%.
He is currently a Haematology academic fellow at UCL, where he is researching gene editing in primary immunodeficiency disease as well as the long-term effects of bone marrow transplantation in childhood.
Dr. Jeremy Dwight
Formerly Consultant Cardiologist, John Radcliffe Hospital, OxfordDr. Dwight trained at St Thomas’s Hospital and graduated with a first-class honours degree in physiology and distinction in medicine, and was awarded the Wainwright Prize in Medicine and Lord Riddell Prize in Surgery. He was awarded a British Heart Foundation Fellowship and obtained an MD for research at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford in membrane physiology.
His career includes appointments as a consultant cardiologist in Bristol and, subsequently, at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford where he was clinical lead for heart failure, adult congenital heart disease and pulmonary hypertension. He maintained a commitment to acute general medicine throughout the majority of this period. He was appointed as a Clinical Lecturer at Keble College, Oxford, and an examiner for medicine finals for Oxford University and for the graduate entry course. During his tenure he was awarded the Oxford University medical sciences division excellence award for teaching. Other appointments include Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, hospital governor, and Chairman of the Thames Valley Heart Failure Network.
He continues to publish research articles on heart failure and was guest editor for the recent edition of the Oxford Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. Of these areas of interest, he considers teaching to be the most important and enjoyable, and is delighted to be a member of the PassPACES team.
Dr. Alex Everitt
Consultant Neurologist, St Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Dr Everitt qualified from the University of Newcastle Medical School before completing his general medical training in London and Bristol. He trained in Neurology at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Guy’s and St Thomas’s Hospitals, King’s College Hospital and St Mary’s Hospital. He completed his PhD in The Structural Basis of the Epilepsies at the Institute of Neurology, University of London. He was appointed a consultant at St Mary’s in 2003. His sub-speciality interests include epilepsy, CNS TB and HIV neurology. Dr Everitt was recently made a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians.
He has been actively involved in undergraduate and post-graduate teaching since being a research fellow and is a regular undergraduate OSCE and PACES examiner at Imperial College.
Dr. Redwan Farooq
Specialist Registrar in Neurology, North West London and Clinical Research Fellow, University of Oxford
Dr Farooq graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2014, with numerous prizes and scholarships, distinction in the Final MB examination and an intercalated BA in Neuroscience. He completed his Foundation and Core Medical Training in North Central London before commencing speciality training in Neurology in North West London in 2018, rotating through St Mary’s Hospital, Charing Cross Hospital and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (Queen Square). He is currently undertaking a Clinical Research Fellowship at the University of Oxford to complete a DPhil in Clinical Neurosciences, studying the basis of immune dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Dr Farooq is passionate about teaching and has been actively involved in medical education throughout his undergraduate and postgraduate medical training. He has delivered clinical teaching for MRCP PACES candidates since 2019 and joined the PassPACES lecturing team in 2021.
Dr. Douglas Fink
Academic Clinical Fellow in Infectious Diseases, University College London Hospital.
Dr. Fink graduated from University College London medical school with distinction. He was also awarded an intercalated BSc in physiology with first class honours from UCL, for which research he was given a national Health Foundation Research Fellowship Award.
He is currently an Academic Clinical Fellow in Infectious Diseases, affiliated with University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
He has organised clinical teaching across the London Deanery and founded the Royal Free Hospital PACES Teaching Course. He has also taught in Uganda at Mbarara National Referral Hospital.
Prior to clinical practice he played and recorded with the band Noah and the Whale.
Professor Michael Fisher
Consultant Cardiologist, Liverpool University HospitalsProf. 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. Prof. 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
Consultant Gastroenterologist, Worthing Hospital
Charlotte is a Consultant Gastroenterologist at Worthing Hospital where her specialist interests include Inflammatory bowel disease and Clinical Nutrition.
Charlotte completed her undergraduate training at University of Leeds (BSc Hons Genetics) and University of Liverpool. She undertook her postgraduate Gastroenterology training in London (North-east and South Thames).
She has an interest in postgraduate medical education, in particular to support trainees during career transitions. She has completed an Educational fellowship at London School of Medicine, Health Education England (HEE), and has undertaken a post graduate diploma in Medical Education (University of Wales).
Dr. Matthew Frise
Consultant in Acute Medicine and Intensive Care, Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading
Dr Frise began his medical training at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, graduating with a First Class degree in 2001. He then moved to Oxford for his clinical studies where he won the George Pickering Prize for best overall performance in the final examinations in 2004. Dr Frise holds a DPhil in Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, having completed a thesis examining the role of iron deficiency in human hypoxia physiology.
Dr Frise has always been very involved in teaching; he has held formal roles in medical student teaching at a number of Oxford Colleges and regularly lectures in physiology to the undergraduates at the University. He has been involved in PACES teaching in the Thames Valley since he himself gained his MRCP in 2007, and also supports trainees preparing for the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine examinations. His teaching is consistently rated very highly. He has published in a number of peer-reviewed journals, contributed to a broad range of textbooks, and maintains a heavy involvement in clinical research.
Dr. Harry Gibson
Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology with a specialist interest in Maternal Medicine, Whittington Hospital, London
Dr Gibson graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2006 with a BA in Medical Sciences and from UCL Medical School in 2009 with a Distinction in final MBBS. He undertook the MRCP examinations whilst simultaneously training in O&G and furthered his experience of medical complications in pregnancy by working with the team of obstetric physicians at St Thomas’ Hospital. Dr Gibson is now a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology with a specialist interest in maternal medicine, working at the Whittington Hospital, London.
Dr Gibson has a postgraduate certificate in medical education from King’s College London. He has been actively involved for many years in preparing trainees for their postgraduate exams (both MRCP and MRCOG) and has received a commendation for his teaching from his regional trainees’ committee. He has organised the St Thomas’ MRCP PACES examinations. He is a regular module tutor for UCL medical students and contributes as faculty for several London courses, including medical emergencies in obstetrics simulation, as well as multidisciplinary obstetric skills and drills.
Dr. Ian Giles
Senior Lecturer/Honorary Consultant in Rheumatology, University College LondonDr 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. Beena Hameed
Consultant rheumatologist, Al Zahra Private Hospital, Dubai, UAE
Dr Hameed graduated from the Khyber Medical College Pakistan. She completed specialist training in Rheumatology and General Medicine from Guys and St Thomas’, St George’s, Kings College and Kingston Hospitals in London. She undertook a Masters in Rheumatology from KCL, which was awarded with distinction. She has carried out research looking into the application of musculoskeletal ultrasound in rheumatoid arthritis disease activity assessment. Her research work has been presented at both local and international meetings, as well as being published in leading international peer-reviewed journals. She was appointed as a Consultant Rheumatologist and Physician at the Homerton Hospital, London in 2009, where she worked until moving to Dubai, UAE in 2015.
Dr Hameed has been actively involved in the training and assessment of both undergraduates and postgraduates throughout her career, and lectures as an invited speaker at local and international meetings. She regularly participates in PACES teaching and has been a lecturer at PassPACES since 2009.
Dr Dipa Jayaseelan
Consultant Neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and at West Herts NHS Trust
Dr Dipa Jayaseelan is a Consultant Neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and at West Herts NHS Trust. She is a specialist in Neuromuscular diseases, and undertook an MRC-funded PhD in muscle channelopathies at University College London.
She has an extensive teaching background, having taught on the PassPACES course for over 12 years. She sits on the Royal College of Physicians' question writing group for the specialist neurology exams and is a regular examiner for the Royal Free and UCL medical school.
Her undergraduate training was at Cambridge University where she won a scholarship. She did her Bachelors degree in Neuroscience and went on to qualify with a distinction in Clinical Medicine from University College London.
Ms Ambreen Kalhoro
Consultant Ophthalmologist, Stoke Mandeville
Ms Kalhoro studied Medicine at the University of Cambridge. She completed Ophthalmology specialty training in the Yorkshire Deanery. More recently, she has worked as a locum Consultant at the Bristol Eye Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital. She specialises in medical retinal disorders (including retinal vascular disease, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration).
Ms Kalhoro thoroughly enjoys teaching in every setting. She has experience of developing teaching courses, examining for undergraduate OSCE's and has been a member of the PassPACES faculty since 2018.
Dr. Moses Kapembwa
Formerly Senior Lecturer in Communicable & Infectious Diseases at Imperial College of Medicine and Consultant Physician, Northwick Park Hospital
Dr Kapembwa is a clinician scientist with more than 30 years experience in medical practice and clinical research at several renowned Medical Institutions in the U.K., including Hospital for Tropical Medicine, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, St George’s Medical School and Imperial College of Medicine. He trained in Internal Medicine in London and Scotland. He was formerly Lecturer in Internal Medicine and Therapeutics at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary before taking up a Medical Research Council (MRC) Fellowship in Infectious and Communicable Diseases at St George’s Hospital Medical School, London in 1987. He was appointed Senior Lecturer in Communicable & Infectious Diseases at Imperial College of Medicine and Consultant Physician, based at Northwick Park Hospital in 1991.
Apart from undergraduate teaching, he has supervised several PhD students and was also a part-time Postgraduate Tutor in Internal Medicine at Buckingham University Postgraduate Medical School. He is a Foundation Fellow of the East, Central and Southern Africa College of Physicians (ECSACOP).Dr Kapembwa is a strong advocate of good scientific training in clinical medicine. He is founding editor of Continued Medical education (CME) in STI & HIV/AIDS. His major field of research interest is mucosal immunology in HIV disease and he has published extensively on HIV enteropathy.
Miss Maeve Lagan
Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, Altnaglevin Hospital, Londonderry.
Miss Maeve Lagan graduated from King's College Cambridge with a distinction in Medicine and O&G.
She was also awarded the Professor Kermode prize for O&G.
After working in acute medicine, paediatrics and AE and sitting the PACES exam she entered the ophthalmology training programme.
She was awarded the Harcourt medal for the highest mark in the FRCOphth exam.
Her interest in teaching and lecturing both undergraduates and postgraduates led to a postgraduate diploma in medical education and a clinical teaching fellow post with UCL.
She has participated in OSCE examination and development for undergraduate and postgraduates.
Dr. Christopher Lane
Clinical Research Associate, Institute of Neurology, UCL
Dr Lane undertook his undergraduate training at Cambridge University and University College London. He graduated with distinction, and won the University of London Gold Medal, awarded to the top medical student from all London Universities. He completed his core medical training and a year as a Neurology Registrar in London teaching hospitals, prior to undertaking research at the Institute of Neurology.
He has always been a keen teacher and has regularly participated in both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching at the Whittington Hospital and St Thomas’ Hospital, with favorable results. Having successfully put himself through his PACES with the help of PassPACES, he looks forward to continuing with the next generation of PACES students on this course.
Dr. Richard Lee
Consultant Respiratory Physician, Royal Marsden Hospital
Dr Richard Lee is a Consultant Physician in Respiratory Medicine and Champion for Early Cancer Diagnosis at the Royal Marsden Hospital. He has a clinical interest in respiratory medicine and early diagnosis of lung cancer and leads for early diagnosis research and innovation across all cancer types. His work in this area is funded by the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
He studied undergraduate medical sciences at Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge, and completed his medical training at Guy's, King's and St Thomas's medical school in 2005. He undertook respiratory medicine training in the South Thames region and was awarded a PhD in lung cancer by Kings College London, for study of EGFR TKI resistance in lung adenocarcinoma and its relevance for MET targeted therapy, funded by NIHR and MRC Clinical Research Training Fellowships.
Dr Lee has a research interest in Early diagnosis of all cancer types with a focus on lung cancer. He leads on biomarker development for the RM Partners Low-Dose CT Lung cancer case-finding study and has a research portfolio that includes translation of artificial intelligence research to early cancer detection and screening. This includes use of data science and informatics based approaches.
Dr Lee is also the lung pathway chair at the Royal Marsden Partners Cancer Alliance (North and South West London) and Joint Clinical Lead for the NHS England National Targeted Lung Health Check pilot, which will bring lung cancer screening in a population of ~600,000 people across the UK. He serves on the British Thoracic Society Lung Cancer Committee, the NIHR Health Informatics Collaborative for lung cancer and The European Respiratory Society's college of experts. He has also contributed to the development of Rapid Diagnosis Centres with NHS England and served as Clinical Lead for Step Down in the NHS Nightingale Hospital, London.
Dr Wenhao Li
Specialist Registrar in Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Barts Health NHS TrustDr Li qualified from King’s College London School of Medicine in 2012. He obtained an intercalated BSc in Clinical Pharmacology in 2010. Thereafter he completed his foundation training and core medical training in South Thames Deanery before undertaking NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship and specialist registrar training in Gastroenterology & Hepatology at Barts Health NHS Trust. Dr Li’s PhD investigated innate receptor signalling pathways in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease at the Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London.
Dr Li is a clinical tutor at Barts and the London School of Medicine, with experience in bed-side, lecture- and tutorial-based teaching, and as an OSCE examiner at Barts and the London School of Medicine.
Dr. Kate Maresh
Specialist Registrar in Neurology, London Deanery.Dr Maresh qualified from University College London in 2006. She previously studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, carrying out research in Neuroscience, and obtaining a First Class Honours degree in Physiology.
She completed her general medical training in London, prior to commencing Neurology registrar training in the North East London rotation in 2010. Dr Maresh has a specialist interest in Peripheral Nerve Disease.
She finds teaching very rewarding and has been committed to medical education throughout her career. Since passing PACES herself in 2009, she has conducted regular bedside teaching for both medical students and PACES candidates, at the Royal London Hospital and on the PassPACES courses.
Dr. Charles Marshall
Clinical Senior Lecturer in the Preventive Neurology Unit, QMUL, and Honorary Consultant Neurologist, Barts Health NHS Trust.Dr Marshall studied medicine at Brasenose College Oxford and UCL. He carried out his specialist registrar training in Neurology on the East London rotation, before being appointed as a Clinical Senior Lecturer in the Preventive Neurology Unit, QMUL, and an Honorary Consultant Neurologist at Barts Health NHS Trust in 2019.
He is Education Lead for the Royal London Hospital Neurology Department, where he works in acute, general and cognitive neurology. His research is focused on prevention and early detection of dementia. As well as teaching for PassPACES since 2010, Dr Marshall has been a PACES tutor at Imperial and Barts and the London.
Dr. Shameer Mehta
Consultant Gastroenterologist, University College London Hospital
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 exceptional and varied 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. He completed a period of basic science research at the Blizard Institute examining the role of microRNAs in the development of intestinal fibrosis in Crohn’s disease and was subsequently appointed as a Gastroenterologist with a special interest in Nutrition and Intestinal Failure at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
His commitment to teaching throughout his career has been unwavering. He has been a teaching fellow at Barts & The London School of Medicine and Dentistry for over 2 years, preparing and delivering comprehensive clinical teaching programmes for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. His interest in medical education has led to the award of formal postgraduate teaching qualifications, culminating in fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. He has prepared candidates for the PACES examination over a number of years, has regularly taught on a variety of formal courses and is an undergraduate OSCE examiner. His enthusiastic and inclusive approach to teaching has led to excellent structured feedback from candidates and students, and he hopes to continue to gain as much from them as they do from him.
His commitment to teaching throughout his career has been unwavering. He has been a teaching fellow at Barts & The London School of Medicine and Dentistry for over 2 years, preparing and delivering comprehensive clinical teaching programmes for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. His interest in medical education has led to the award of formal postgraduate teaching qualifications, culminating in fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. He has prepared candidates for the PACES examination over a number of years, has regularly taught on a variety of formal courses and is an undergraduate OSCE examiner. His enthusiastic and inclusive approach to teaching has led to excellent structured feedback from candidates and students, and he hopes to continue to gain as much from them as they do from him.
Dr Oliver Mitchell
Specialist Registrar gastroenterology, Betsy Cadwaldadr University Health Board, WalesDr Mitchell graduated with first class honours in both undergraduate and intercalation degrees from the University of Nottingham.
He undertook his Internal Medical Training in South London and has completed fellowships and postgraduate qualification in both medical education and simulation.
Having ranked first nationally in speciality applications he is working as a gastroenterology Specialist Registrar in Betsy Cadwaldadr University Health Board, Wales.
Dr. Elena Nikiphorou
Clinical Researcher, Department of Inflammation Biology, King’s College London and Consultant Rheumatologist, Whittington Hospital, London.
Elena Nikiphorou, MBBS/BSc, FRCP, MD (Res), PGCME, FHEA, is a Clinical Researcher within the Department of Inflammation Biology, King’s College London and a Consultant Rheumatologist at the Whittington Hospital, London, UK. She graduated from University College London (UCL) in 2004 with 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. Her main interests focus on inflammatory arthritis, comorbidities and long-term disease outcomes. She has undertaken her MD Research on structural outcomes in Rheumatoid Arthritis at University College London, where she also completed her medical studies and BSc in Physiology (First Class Hons). She is also currently undertaking a further research degree with a focus on Spondyloarthritis outcomes, a PhD at the Leiden University Medical Centre, The Netherlands. Elena has held a number of national and international positions, including the Chair of the Emerging EULAR Network (EMEUNET), the largest European network of young clinicians and academics in rheumatology.
She has been actively involved in the teaching and organising of revision courses for Imperial College and University College London medical students and has been an examiner on the Final MBBS at Queen Mary’s School of Medicine. She has years of experience in PACES teaching. She holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Dr. Anna Nuttall
Consultant Rheumatologist, Whittington Hospital, London.
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. Stefano Palazzo
Specialist Registrar in Respiratory Medicine, South London Deanery.
Dr Palazzo trained at Oxford University, obtaining a First Class degree and receiving the Gibbs Prize for outstanding performance. He completed Academic Foundation and Core Medical Training in London and Cambridge, gaining broad general medical experience and publishing extensively in respiratory and intensive care medicine. He subsequently worked as a National Medical Director’s Clinical Fellow with NHS Improvement, and as a Principal Consultant at 2020 Delivery - the UK’s leading public sector management consultancy. He returned to frontline clinical medicine in 2020, and is currently a Respiratory Specialist Registrar in South London.
Throughout his training he has gained considerable teaching experience. Roles have included tutoring undergraduates at Oxford University and creating a clinical teaching programme for Imperial College students, for which he received a ‘Teaching Hero’ award. He particularly enjoys bedside clinical teaching, and is enthusiastic about coaching candidates for the PACES examination.
Dr. Robert Pitceathly
MRC Clinician Scientist Fellow and Honorary Consultant at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
Dr Pitceathly completed his preclinical and clinical medical degree at St Andrews’ and Manchester Universities before commencing postgraduate neurology specialist training in Manchester. He subsequently undertook a PhD in Mitochondrial Diseases at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology before obtaining an NIHR academic clinical lecturer post in London. From March 2019 he started an MRC Clinician Scientist Fellowship with Honorary Consultant status at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, where he co-leads the NHS England nationally commissioned Rare Mitochondrial Disorders Service.
He has previously been a PACES tutor on the Queen Square Neurology PACES course and has lectured on the PassPACES courses since 2013.
Dr. Nick Powell
Wellcome Trust Intermediate Clinical Fellow (King’s College London) and Honorary Consultant in Gastroenterology (Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust)Wellcome Trust Intermediate Clinical Fellow (King’s College London) and Honorary Consultant in Gastroenterology (Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust)
Dr Powell graduated from Birmingham University (MBChB with honours in Medicine), Imperial College (MSc, Immunology) and King’s College London (PhD, Immunology). He trained in Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine in North West Thames between 2005-2013. He is currently a Wellcome Trust Intermediate Clinical Fellow at King’s College London. His chief academic interests concern the regulation of mucosal immunity and the molecular mechanisms responsible for controlling intestinal inflammation. His major clinical interests are in inflammatory bowel disease, functional gastrointestinal disorders and eosinophilic inflammation.
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 Richardson
Honorary Consultant, Addenbooke’s Hospital, Cambridge
Dr Richardson undertook his preclinical training at Downing College, Cambridge where he graduated with a double first class degree in medical sciences and pharmacology. He moved to Oxford University Clinical School where he was awarded the George Pickering prize for best overall performance in final examinations in 2005. He undertook junior doctor training in Edinburgh and Oxford before entering the academic haematology specialist training scheme at UCL.
He is currently a Senior Clinical Research Associate at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, with a research interest in exploring and targeting the epigenetic dysregulation and leukaemia stem cell biology of B-ALL, and practices as an Honorary Consultant Haematologist on the Bone Marrow Transplant and Immunotherapy service at Addenbooke’s Hospital.
He has a longstanding interest in undergraduate, postgraduate and clinical teaching at Oxford, UCL and Cambridge, and is an Official Fellow in Medical Sciences, supervising Biochemistry and Genetics, at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge.
Dr. Fergus Rugg-Gunn
Consultant Neurologist, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London.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 2007, and Clinical Director for Neurology at Queen Square in 2019.
He has been actively involved in MRCP Clinical teaching for over 15 years.
Dr. Sujit Saha
Consultant Nephrologist at King's College Hospital
Dr Saha graduated from Guy's, King's & St Thomas' Medical School in 2003 with MBBS, having also gained a 1st Class intercalated BSc (Hons) in Molecular Medicine in 2000. Having trained in the London Teaching Hospitals, Dr Saha undertook a PhD in Nephrology, investigating the prevention of renal fibrosis in models of renal failure, as well a Masters in Medical Education. He achieved CCT in 2015 and now works full time at King's College Hospital, principally looking after satellite haemodialysis patients. He runs the home therapies unit that provides both peritoneal dialysis and home haemodialysis, and undertakes the vasculitis/lupus renal clinic at King's College Hospital.
He has enjoyed teaching on the PassPACES MRCP course since 2009 and continues to derive great pleasure in helping candidates achieve their full potential towards gaining membership.
Dr. Brintha Selvarajah
Crick Clinical Research Fellow, University College London
Dr Selvarajah qualified from New College, Oxford and University College London. She is a Respiratory Specialist Registrar in the London deanery. Her specialist research interest is Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and she is currently undertaking a Crick funded PhD fellowship at the Centre for Respiratory Research, UCL.
She has been actively involved in MRCP clinical teaching since 2009
Dr. Rachelle Shafei
Specialist Registrar in Neurology, North-East Thames and Clinical Research Fellow, Institute of Neurology, UCLDr Shafei trained at University College London, during which time she undertook an intercalated BSc in Physiology.
She is a Neurology Registrar on the North East Thames rotation and is currently undertaking a period of research as a Clinical Research Fellow at the Institute of Neurology, UCL, looking into Biomarker development in the field of frontotemporal dementia.
She is an experienced teacher at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Having passed PACES first time with the help of PassPACES, she looks forward to teaching the next generation of PACES students on this course.
Dr. Amit Shah
GP Trainee, London DeaneryDr Shah graduated from Pembroke College, University of Cambridge. As an undergraduate he won college prizes for achieving first class results and a distinction in Final MB.
He went onto complete the Academic Neuroscience Foundation program at Addenbrookes and core medical training as part of a NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship at Guys and St Thomas's Hospital. Subsequently he became an Academic Cardiology registrar on the Imperial rotation at St Mary's and Hammersmith Hospitals. During his cardiology registrar training his interest in risk factor modification and health promotion increased, and he is now undertaking GP training in the London deanery to pursue this further.
He has a keen interest in teaching which spans multiple specialties. He has been a clinical supervisor for Cambridge undergraduates and helped examine in undergraduate OSCEs at Cambridge and King's College London. He has regularly been involved in teaching SHOs preparing for the PACES exam.
Dr. Catriona Shaw
Consultant Nephrologist Kings College Hospital
Dr Shaw graduated from the University of Glasgow in 2002. During her subsequent early postgraduate years she developed a keen interest in nephrology and epidemiology. While a Specialist Registrar in Renal Medicine on the South Thames rotation she became part of the first cohort of Darzi fellows, during which time she focused on quality improvement strategies in the NHS including opportunities in medical education. Having undertaken an MSc in Epidemiology and achieving her CCST she is currently undertaking a PhD in renal and cardiovascular epidemiology at the UK Renal Registry.
She has a strong commitment to medical education having been involved in PACES teaching since 2005 in addition to involvement in educational projects in simulation and human factors.
Dr. Kate Shiell
Consultant Nephrologist at St Helier Hospital, South London
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.
Dr. Afzal Sohaib
Consultant Cardiologist, King George Hospital & St Bartholomew's Hospital, London
Dr Sohaib is a Consultant Cardiologist with an interest in electrophysiology and devices. He completed his registrar training in the North West Thames Programme, rotating through the Hammersmith Hospital and Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals. He completed a PhD investigating the physiological changes seen in biventricular pacing at the National Heart & Lung Institute at Imperial College London funded by a fellowship from the British Heart Foundation.
He graduated from University College London with a First Class Honours BSc in Immunology and Cell Pathology, and won a series of prizes during medical school including the Betuel Prize as runner up in the University of London MBBS Gold Medal Exam.
He is committed to improving the quality of training, previously representing trainees at the Royal College of Physicians on the Specialist Advisory Committee for Cardiology. Dr Sohaib was previously President of the British Junior Cardiologists Association. He is a keen teacher with a strong record of mentoring his junior colleagues to success through their PACES examination.
Dr. Michael Stacey
Specialty Trainee in Diabetes & Endocrinology in South LondonDr Stacey is a Specialty Trainee in Diabetes & Endocrinology in South London.
He attained MRCP, with the help of PassPACES, in 2010.
He developed an interest in cardiovascular research as an undergraduate at the University of Nottingham and has since conducted research into the physiology and endocrinology of high altitude environments. He is presently investigating heat illness and thermotolerance in association with Imperial College.
He has practised medicine in a number of countries, including Kenya, Nepal and Afghanistan, and holds the Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the London School.
He is an instructor in Advanced Life Support and regularly teaches clinical students from a range of backgrounds, including HM Forces.
Dr. Peter Taylor
Clinical Senior Lecturer, University of Cardiff & Consultant Endocrinologist, University Hospital of Wales
Dr Taylor graduated from the Universities of St. Andrews and Manchester. After initial training in Edinburgh, he commenced as a Specialist Registrar in Diabetes and Endocrinology in the Severn Deanery, which he completed in Cardiff, following an MRC funded scholarship to study epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Dr Taylor undertook a PhD on thyroid epidemiology, before being appointed as a Consultant Endocrinologist in 2017. He has published over 50 papers and won numerous awards at national and at international conferences, including the Association of Physicians of Great Britain and Ireland for his work on thyroid replacement in pregnancy.
His research work focusses on thyroid hormone replacement and the management of thyroid eye disease. He recently published the CIRTED trial, one of the largest trials in thyroid eye disease, to date; he is the UK’s national representative for Iodine for the Iodine Global Network. His clinical work focusses on thyroid, pituitary and gender endocrinology.
He is an enthusiastic teacher with a strong record of mentoring his junior colleagues to success through their PACES examination.
Ms Alice Thomas
Specialist registrar in ophthalmology, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London
Dr Alice Thomas graduated from Barts and the London Medical school in 2013 with a distinction and a First in her intercalated BSc degree in Experimental Pathology. After completing her foundation and core medical training in East London, she developed a keen interest in endocrinology, which led her to pursue ophthalmology specialist training with a particular focus on uveitis and medical retina.
Ms. Thomas holds a Master’s degree in Medical Education from the prestigious Karolinska Institute in Sweden and a BSc in Experimental Pathology. She is a Member of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP) and a Fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (FRCOphth), achievements reflecting her commitment to advancing her clinical expertise and teaching skills. Alongside her work in ophthalmology, Ms. Thomas has a specialist interest in longevity and preventative medicine, where she focuses on empowering patients to make proactive lifestyle changes for lasting health benefits.
Outside of her clinical responsibilities, Ms. Thomas enjoys cooking, weightlifting, and spending time with her two young sons.
Dr. Alexander Thompson
Consultant Neurologist, John Radcliffe Hospital.Oxford
Dr Thompson graduated from the University of Oxford and undertook training in London and Oxford. He is currently a Consultant Neurologist at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and MRC Clinician Scientist and Lady Edith Wolfson Fellow at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford. His primary interest is in motor neuron disease.
Dr Thompson has been lecturing on the PassPACES course since 2015.
Dr. Tabitha Turner-Stokes
Clinician Scientist at Imperial College London and Honorary Consultant Nephrologist, Hammersmith Hospital
Dr Turner-Stokes completed her undergraduate medical training at the University of Cambridge and UCL, graduating with a 1st Class BA in Natural Sciences and a distinction in her MBBS.
She pursued an integrated clinical academic training pathway, gaining broad clinical experience across a variety of specialties, before starting her specialist training in nephrology in 2012. She was awarded an MRC Clinical Research Training Fellowship to undertake a PhD at Imperial College London, which she completed in 2021. Her current research programme at Imperial, where she holds a Wellcome Early Career Award, aims to better understand mechanisms of kidney inflammation in autoimmune kidney disease to develop improved treatments for patients.
She has always enjoyed teaching and regularly taught on both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programmes throughout her medical training. She has been teaching candidates how to prepare for PACES since obtaining her MRCP in 2011 and has taught on the PassPACES course since 2016.
Mr Siegfried Wagner
MRC Clinical Research Training Fellow, University College London and Moorfields Eye Hospital
Mr Wagner qualified from New College, University of Oxford in 2012 having intercalated with a first class BA (hons) in Neuroscience. He completed his ophthalmology training in London transitioning into an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship in 2017. After formal training in biostatistics and epidemiology through an MSc at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, he was subsequently awarded an MRC Clinical Research Training Fellowship. He completed his PhD in ophthalmic informatics and artificial intelligence at UCL in 2023. Dr Wagner’s research focusses on understanding, predicting and monitoring non-communicable disease, especially cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disease, using retinal imaging.
Mr Wagner is actively involved in postgraduate teaching at Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL. In addition to acting as a personal tutor and student supervisor, he is module lead for Telemedicine & Digital Health, a UCL postgraduate certificate programme, and an examiner for the Royal College of Ophthalmologists.
Mr Wagner completed a postgraduate certificate in medical education in 2013. He was awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in 2017, Membership of the Royal College of Physicians in 2018 and Fellowship of the European Board of Ophthalmology in 2019.
He has been a lecturer at PassPACES since 2018.
Dr. Arabella Waller
Consultant Physician and Rheumatologist at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
Dr Waller graduated from Newcastle Medical School with Distinction. She trained in General Medicine and Rheumatology across London and the South East, and completed her Masters in Clinical Rheumatology from Kings College London with Distinction. Due her love of the challenge of the unselected medical take which compliments her rheumatology outpatient work, she chose to work predominantly on the Acute Admissions Unit (AAU), which also sees all of the acute rheumatology and runs the Giant Cell Arteritis service.
She has a keen interest in medical education and is currently undertaking a part time, distance learning Masters in Clinical Education from the University of Edinburgh. She relishes the fantastic opportunities for teaching and training that her busy job affords her. She regularly offers bedside PACES teaching and was heavily involved in the organisation and running of PACES examinations whilst a registrar. She is also an advanced life support instructor.
Dr. David Wen
NIHR academic Clinical Fellow in Dermatology, University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals.
Dr Wen is an NIHR academic clinical fellow in dermatology at the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals. Other than medical education, his interests include the use of artificial intelligence in skin cancer diagnosis and prognostication of genetic skin diseases.
Dr Wen completed pre-clinical medical training at the University of Cambridge where he was awarded the Iris Rushton Prize for Medical Sciences and a full blue in boxing. He subsequently undertook clinical training at the University of Oxford, and during his time there he was a medical education tutor and president of the university kickboxing club.
Following medical school, Dr Wen completed foundation training in the North West Thames deanery, receiving a ‘Teaching Hero’ award from Imperial College London and formal training in teaching methods. This was succeeded by a dermatology fellowship at Solihull Hospital and an MRes in Clinical Health Research with distinction at the University of Birmingham. He subsequently fulfilled rotations in general medicine at the Royal Berkshire and John Radcliffe Hospitals, winning a number of prizes including the Royal College of Physicians Turner-Warwick lecture and the Royal Society of Medicine Hugh Wallace Essay prize.
Dr. John Whitaker
Biomedical Research Council clinical research fellow King’s College LondonDr Whitaker is a Biomedical Research Council funded clinical research training fellow working towards a PhD at King’s College London. He has completed his general cardiology training having worked as a specialty trainee in London and East Kent and his research is focused on atrial fibrillation. Dr Whitaker graduated from Oxford University clinical school after completing pre clinical studies at Cambridge University. He was awarded a number of prizes during his studies for outstanding performance in examinations and as a junior doctor was awarded a national prize by the Institute of Medical Ethics. Subsequent to graduating he has worked in the Severn Deanery and the London Deanery during his Core Medical and General Cardiology Training.
He is committed to teaching being an Advanced Life Support Instructor alongside his work on the PassPACES course, tutoring on the first year physiology course for medical undergraduates in Bristol and having been involved in clinical teaching at each stage of training.
Dr. Hannah Woodcock
MRC Clinical Research Fellow, University College London and at the Royal Brompton Hospitals, London.Dr Woodcock graduated from Cambridge University. She is a Respiratory Specialist Registrar in the London deanery, and is currently an MRC funded PhD research fellow at the Centre for Respiratory Research, UCL and at the Royal Brompton Hospital. Her field of interest is the pathophysiology and treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Dr Woodcock attended the PassPACES course as a candidate and has a keen interest in clinical teaching.
Dr. Mahinda Yogarajah
Neurology SpR, London Deanery
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.
Privacy Policy