Our Team

Sharif was elected as the second BIMA President in 2017 and is currently a consultant plastic, reconstructive & hand surgeon and Plastic Surgery Lead at the Bradford Royal Infirmary. He is also an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Leeds and has published several papers and articles on plastic surgery. Sharif is the Editor of the the BIMA Journal (JBIMA). Sharif has a significant interest in the history of Islamic medicine and has published several articles on this topic. He is the founder and the General Secretary of the International Society for History of Islamic Medicine (ISHIM), and sits on the scientific editorial board for its joutnal. Sharif is also a member of the board of directors of the Foundation for Science, Techmology and Civilisation (FSTC).

Salman is a GP in Berkshire and has a variety of portfolio roles. He is a Medical Examiner for the Frimley Health ICS, a Community Paediatrics GP at Bucks Health, the Thames Valley Cancer Alliance Clinical Lead for Cancer Inequalities, and an academic GP. He was previously an Associate Medical Director for East Berkshire Primary Care, a GP Auditor for South Central Ambulance Service, and is an alumnus of the FMLM National Medical Director's Fellowship - where he co-authored the national return to practice scheme for GPs. He is also involved in medical education and assessment as a PLAB examiner for the GMC, a final year OSCE examiner for SGUL, and a Faculty Education Lead for RCGP. He sits on various national boards addressing population and workforce inequalities. Salman created and co-edited the BIMA Ramadan Compendium. He has published multiple peer-reviewed papers on the clinical management of patients fasting Ramadan with long term conditions. He is also the secretary of the Federation of Ethnic Minority Health Organisations, an alliance of over 40 networks that advocate on behalf of minority staff groups.

Hafsah is the Chair of BIMA Council and a GP in Lincoln. She was heavily involved in her ISoc at the University of Sheffield. Hafsah has led various projects in BIMA, including pioneering our Dress Codes work and laying the foundation for our Women's Team. She loves reading (if she gets any rare spare time with two little ones!) and travelling. She is also a qualified personal life coach and enjoys helping her clients get the most out of their lives.

Dr Wajid is a GP Principal in Essex and a medical tutor in Social Media and Medicine & History of Medicine. He is the founder of Charity Week, International Director for FIMA Lifesavers, co-founder of the Islamic History Channel and Assistant Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain (2021-2022.) He writes for various blogs such as MuslimMatters.

Saad Amer is a Consultant Gynaecologist practicing in Derby, with extensive experience in general gynaecology, minimal access (keyhole) surgery and reproductive medicine. He has been awarded a Clinical Excellence Award by Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He is also and a Professor of Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine at the University of Nottingham and has maintained a high level of research activity producing more than 70 publications in reputable journals. He regularly presents research findings in international scientific meetings and is regularly invited to speak in national educational meeting.

Numan is a Consultant Trauma and Orthopaedic Consultant and the Salford Royal Hospital. He graduated from the University of Manchester, where he was involved in his ISoc and FOSIS, and has since been involved in many charitable and community initiatives. He was the Sir John Charnley Arthroplasty fellow at Wrightington Hospital and has a special interest in prosthetic joint infections and lower limb arthroplasty and revision. He is the current Treasurer of the Orthopaedic Network and is actively involved in teaching and training.

Amer is a Cardiology Consultant with a special interest in cardiac imaging. His career has seen him work and study in Iraq, Jordan, Libya & Italy, before he settled in Swansea. He graduated in medicine from Mosul University in 1983, completed a Masters degree in Pathology in 1994 & a Master degree in Cardiology 1998 from Italy. He is also an international advisor for a mobile medical application. He has been involved in community & charity work throughout his career, having served the Muslim communities in Glasgow, Scarborough, Barnsley & Swansea. He served as a voluntary Muslim chaplain for Hull University as well as a voluntary Muslim chaplain in many hospitals in England & Wales.

Yusuf is an Anaesthetics Consultant in Lincolnshire having graduated from the University of Sheffield. As an undergraduate he was president of his university ISoc, and was also heavily involved in organising and mobilising Muslim students for the NUS conference through his work in FOSIS. He has recently been appointed as a member of his local mosque executive committee.

Ahmed is a GP in central London. He qualified from the Royal Free Hospital, London in 1997 and joined BIMA in 2017. His interests include writing children's stories and painting.

Sherifat currently works as a locum pharmacist within the community and NHS. She has been actively involved in health promotion within NHS organisations, charities and local communities. She has led, founded and co-founded female-led organisations and the pharmacy career support group to support pharmacists’ career choices and pathways for all pharmacy staff, including technicians. Sherifat is also a member of most pharmacist networking groups and the mentoring team of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. She is a member of the PDA South East regional committee and she is currently the Vice President of the PDA BAME Network. Sherifat is the founder of Muslimah Education Centre as well as The Federation of Muslim Women Association in UK (FOMWA UK).

Fadzlien is a Core Surgical Trainee in Yorkshire. She has contributed to the Communications Team since 2019, keeping BIMA's design and branding in-line with an esteemed professional organisation. She graduated from Newcastle University and aspires to be a plastic surgeon, actively venturing into surgical innovations winning multiple National Surgical Hackathons. Her team’s solution was shortlisted in an event organised by Health Education England to address training gaps amongst surgical trainees.

Najah is a newly qualified GP in Yorkshire and any time left over from being a GP is devoted to her two little ones. She has been part of BIMA for a few years now and watched it grow from strength to strength. She is glad to have met so many inspiring individuals and learnt so many life skills during her time with BIMA. She looks forward to seeing what great heights BIMA will achieve next inshaAllah.

Faiza is a 4th year medical student, studying at King's College London. She is very passionate about helping the Muslim community, and using any skills she has to benefit others. She has been part of BIMA for over two years now, and has had so many opportunities to better herself and have an impact on the community. She likes to read all types of literature, enjoys writing poems, and graphic design.

Ashika is a graduate from the University of Leicester and is currently locuming and residing in the beautiful county of Yorkshire. She has been a member of BIMA since her medical school days and has always been passionate about giving back to the community. In her spare time she loves to explore various activities with her two children and cook a variety of cuisines.

Zirva is a GP in the Midlands region and director of the PR team. She has been a doctor for over 10 years, and worked with various organisations since Medical school including the BMA and RCGP. She is passionate about advocating for Muslim healthcare professionals and patients, and hopes to continue building relationships with stakeholders to enable this to continue.

Anas is an academic GP trainee in London and has been part of the Public Relations Team for several years. He has enjoyed engaging external stakeholders and creating relationships with BIMA and hopes to continue doing so.

Atique is a hospital chaplain in Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and has been since November 2017. He joined BIMA in 2020 just as COVID hit and was part of the Regional Events team. Atique has supported various BIMA projects including delivering the National Eid Quiz. Most prominently he wrote the words to the BIMA crowdfunding video. Atique also works as a University Chaplain. He has two daughters and loves to play badminton and go swimming. Atique is keen to work with more teams within the extended BIMA family.

Zahra works in the HR department for the Government (Ministry of Justice owned entity). She newly joined BIMA in February 2022. Since volunteering with BIMA, she has enjoyed learning about the medical field and some of the challenges faced. She is keen to connect with more healthcare professionals and wants to help make a difference in their lives. In her spare time, Zahra really enjoys travelling and loves spending time with her family and friends.

Bismah is a newly qualified Occupational Therapist in London. Bismah joined the team in 2019 before becoming National Lifesavers Secretary in 2020 and progressing onto National Director in 2021. She is passionate about developing the project further, expanding to reach new heights and engaging diverse communities to participate in Lifesavers (insha'Allah!). Bismah has recently completed the NHSX Edward Jenner Programme, and continues to share a keen interest in Leadership. In her spare time, Bismah is an avid reader and enjoys the outdoors.

Zohaib is a Core Surgical Trainee working in Manchester. He graduated from Barts and the London School of Medicine where he was extensively involved with his ISoc, and also intercalated at Kings College London. Zohaib is passionate about healthcare and teaching, and has been involved in organising numerous events related to these including medical conferences and surgical skill sessions. He was initially involved with BIMA Lifesavers at university but became much more heavily involved with Lifesavers over the past few years, adopting multiple roles including North West lead and Vice National Director. He is keen to expand this project further to help as many people as possible. In whatever free time he gets, Zohaib plays and watches a lot of sports, and is on a quest to travel the world.

Sameen is a final year medical student at Newcastle University who has been involved with Lifesavers for a number of years, ranging from volunteer to Vice National Director. Sameen is interested in work to tackle health inequalities and has been keen to expand the project and to ensure as many people as possible can benefit from it. In her spare time Sameen enjoys playing a variety of different sports including football and swimming and is also an avid hiker.

Mahbuba is a penultimate year medical student at Brighton & Sussex Medical School with an iBsc Management from Imperial College London. Mahbuba plays an active role in her local ISoc and was initially involved with BIMA’s health promotion team during her first year of medical school. In recent years with the formation of sBIMA, Mahbuba took a keen interest in supporting students through their time at university. She is enthusiastic about promoting student leadership and is passionate about advocating for the community.

Saheefa is a final year medical student at the University of Nottingham. She has been heavily involved in her local muslim medical society, IMAN, and has been on the sBIMA team since it's launch 2 years ago. Saheefa is passionate about building a supportive community amongst Muslim healthcare students to target the unique issues they face and to unite students nationally.

Dr Shams Butt is a Junior Doctor and accredited youth leader, having graduated from University of Bristol and Imperial College London. He holds a strong interest in health inequalities and charitable endeavours. Shams is the founder of BIMA Students (sBIMA) and Muslim Medics Bristol, organisations promoting the positive contribution of Muslim Medics in the UK and providing academic, social and pastoral support to tomorrow's medical workforce. Driven by his severely disabled twin-brother, he co-founded volunteer-led UK-registered disability charity, INSAAN. He has worked on a number of charitable initiatives, lobbying change and breaking stigma and inequality amongst BAME communities. As a philanthropist, he has worked with multiple NGOs across the UK and has been humbly recognised by the Prime Minister for his philanthropic activities and academic success.

Hassan is the National Director of ACE Inductions. This team helps organise yearly webinars designed to help final year healthcare professionals prepare for their training year. Hassan is a pharmacist and currently works at the Department of Health and Social Care, specialising in medicines supply. He has previously worked at Barts Health NHS Trust. Hassan is also involved in various other community projects in his local area.

Hana is a junior doctor based in the West Midlands. She has a keen interest in mental health and wellbeing, which is why she loves being a part of ACE Inductions. Clinically, she's working towards a career in Anaesthetics.

Sabia was appointed as the first Muslim Chaplain at Sheffield Teaching hospitals in 2008 and is where she is currently employed. Over the years Sabia has been involved with various End Of Life Care projects in the trust she works for and in the community. She is part of the Trust Organ Donation Committee as well as a committee member for the National Burial Council. She memorised the Quran in her teens and her passion is teaching hifdh and Islamic Studies to children.

Paediatric Intensive Care Consultant and Paediatric Clinical Lead for Organ Donation in Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. Interests include promotion of organ donation discussion amongst ethnic minorities. Faculty member for the deceased donation course.

Saeed has been involved in BIMA for a number of years and lead BIMA's first work on organ donation. He has successfully lead many teams and delivered mutiple seminars, and published in the BIMA journal. He has successfully gained funding from NHSBT and worked with NKRF and KRUK. Nationally, as a nephrologist, he is a leader in interventional nephrology training across the UK. He has collaborated with nephrologists in USA, Africa, Europe and Asia.

Dr Sahira Dar is a portfolio GP based in Glasgow with an interest in Lifestyle Medicine and Women's Health. She runs a private clinic, Pure Remedy, and is passionate about health education in the Muslim community. Her Islamic studies journey brought her to looking at Islamic medical ethics including Organ Donation and she is now the current director of the BIMA Blood and Organ Donation Team.

Mehwaish is an academic foundation doctor working in the West Midlands. She graduated from Swansea medical school, where she co-founded the BAME student network and has led EDI training for faculty. Her first degree was in Biomedical Science at the University of Birmingham. Mehwaish won a young investigators award at the 18th International conference for Behcets disease, for presenting her dissertation project. Outside of university, she has led youth development programmes and been involved in humanitarian projects globally.

Tanvir is a GP based in Clacton and Norwich. Presently he's the Clinical Director for PCN Clacton and represents his patch in the ICB. He's also a Training Program Director for advancing equity and differential attainment for Norfolk. He's an innovator in his role as Lead GP for acute mental health services. An educator at heart, he's also a vocal supporter of BAME professionals in their struggles and is the convenor of BEEOND providing free educational content through his association with BAPIO.

Sameer is a consultant Anaesthetist at Newcastle Hospitals. Sameer has served as National Director for Organ Donation Awareness team, Health Promotion team, IMG team and is now mentoring the leads for IMG team. He has set up IMG support system in his trust and currently serves as trust IMG tutor. He was also part of the steering committee for National IMG induction guidance working with many national organisations. Sameer is also the lead organiser for Levelling the Field international conference which has the theme of "championing ethnic diversity in th NHS".

Saman is a Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist working in NHS Lanarkshire. She is passionate about mental health and has been involved in a number of projects raising awareness of Mental Health and Stigma. She is a Local Progamme Lead for Higher Training in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and a Royal College of Psychiatrists examiner. She is involved in teaching and training nationally and internationally including teaching in Sri Lanka and Mali and training staff working with Rohingya women refugees on PTSD and complex trauma. She has her own YouTube channel Gupshup with Dr Sadia and Dr Saman where she and her friend review Pakistani dramas with a mental health lens in Urdu to reach a wider audience.

Nadia is a consultant in Palliative Medicine in Birmingham, and is passionate about improving the palliative and end of life experience within Muslim communities. She has been involved in several projects related to this issue, including the covid 19 end of life video series, BIMA's response to a proposed assisted suicide bill, and representing community views at the UK commission on bereavement. She has also contributed to the BIMA journal. Aside from this role she is a trustee of her local masjid and enjoys spending time with her young children.

Safwaan is a GP in Blackburn with Darwen. He qualified from University of Leicester in 2011 and has been a GP since 2016. He is involved in undergraduate and postgraduate medical training and has been a member of the BIMA COVID-19 Response Group (CRG) since September 2020.

Azra is a Core Surgical Trainee working in Wessex and graduated from Southampton Medical School where she was involved in medical education and charity work. She is passionate about representation in the NHS and founded the ‘Surgical Scarf Project’ following personal difficulties of wearing hijab in surgical theatres. As Director of the Dress Codes Team, she is keen to raise awareness about the changes in national guidance and empower the next generation of female, hijabi healthcare professionals.

Bara’a is a Jordanian-born, hijabi Muslim woman studying medicine and currently intercalating in Anatomy. As an aspiring surgeon, she hopes that her work within the Dress Code Team at BIMA will help pave the way for an easier, more comfortable environment in theatre for hijabi women like her.

Usman is the current National Director for our Ethics team. He is currently conducting research using applied corpus linguistics, at Lancaster University, involving a corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis of the NHS promotional material on organ donation for British Muslims. His recent publications explore various contemporary medical issues which Muslims might face from an Islamic ethical perspective; such as issues that arose during the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and views on organ donation after the passing of the Organ Donation (Deemed Consent) Act 2019 in the UK. Other topics include gender reassignment surgery, seeking medical assistance in dying, and a look into the past of how bimaristans operated and the way they influence current medical practice.

Almas Ganatra is a senior community pharmacist based in Rossendale. She has been involved in the BIMA Healthy Ramadhan project since 2018. She is the PCN lead pharmacist for her local area as well as being actively involved in numerous charity projects; including the Rossendale hospice, soup and smiles homeless kitchen and CHAI Rossendale. She is also a founding member of the Rossendale Muslim Association. During the recent lockdowns, she represented local chemists in Rossendale Connected, a charity that was formed to support the local community. In her free time, she enjoys wild water swimming, scuba diving, hiking, horseriding and cooking.

Arshad is a GP based in Nottingham. His passion is to help reduce health inequalities in Muslim communities through education, empowerment and advocacy by working at grassroots level. He's an advisor to the Nottingham Council of Mosques and also represents the local Muslim community at the Nottingham City Council's BAME Network. He has been involved with various BIMA teams since 2016. He has served as a senior advisor for BIMA's Cancer Screening and Blood & Organ Donation teams. He is an active member of the BIMA's IMG and Covid-19 Response Group. He has recently took up the role of senior advisor for Healthy Ramadan team.

Shahad is a GP based in the Midlands with an interest in medical education, maternal health and well-being. She enjoys empowering others to self-develop and is currently part of BIMA Women’s team. She also enjoys studying the Quran and how we can practically apply it to improve our health and well-being. She has held Sisters Quranic well-being and reflection circles and is keen to do this again in the future InshaAllah. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her young family.

My name is Aisha and I'm currently a fourth year medical student. My journey within health advocacy began in the world of patient and public involvement (PPI). Through this, I realised the importance of having the views of those from marginalised groups heard and proritised in order to help tackle health inequalities. I hope that my work in BIMA will contribute to improving our community's health experiences, ranging from patients to staff members alike.

Qasim is currently a GP Registrar working in Birmingham. After working with BIMA as a student in 2017 to organise a national exhibition titled ’The History of Islam and Medicine’, Qasim became a part of the BIMA ExCo as the secretary of JBIMA in 2019. Qasim has an interest in community health inequalities as well as a BSc in Global Health. This culminated in co-founding a non-profit organisation in his home town, Young Thinkers Gloucester in 2019.

Dr Sham Mahmood is a newly qualified GP and technology entrepreneur. He has enjoyed several roles within BIMA. Since joining in 2017, he has been heavily involved in the BIMA communications team. He has overseen the team to grow from strength to strength. For him, BIMA is an extended family, and despite having never met many new team members, they have built strong bonds as they aim to unite, inspire and serve. Dr Sham Mahmood has many exciting hobbies; most notably, he’s helped thousands of GP trainees pass their MRCGP exams. If you’d like to know more about his experiences, please get in touch!