Who's who in the region
Your training and education is co-ordinated and delivered by a team of dedicated individuals, some appointed by the HEYH School of Ophthalmology, and some by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists. Their roles are listed below. For contact details in the first instance please get in touch with the Programme Support Team. Alternatively, most are nhs.net email users and can be found on the NHSmail directory.
Anita Relins & Gareth Spicer
Email: ophthalmology.yh@hee.nhs.uk
Head of School: Mr Vernon Long
Base: Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Vacant - please contact Mr Vernon Long (Head of School) in interim
Base: tbc
Vernon Long
Base: Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust
Nachiketa Acharya
Base: Royal Hallamshire Hospital Sheffield
Regional Educational Advisers coordinate the Regional Team Members, working together to identify educational priorities or strategies. They are responsible for setting up the equipment and processes required for multi-site delivery of teaching, and also have a supportive role.
North - Miss Aabgina Shafi (based at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust)
South - Ms Zanna Currie (based at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust)
The OTG (Ophthalmologists in Training Group) consists of registrar representatives, to the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, from the training regions around the UK. The OTG meets 3 times a year.
OTG representative for Yorkshire (North & South):
Aidan Benson
The ROTC trainee representatives are elected by the trainee body to work alongside the rest of the committee, representing trainees' views in:
- organising and improving the regional teaching programme.
- working with Simulation leads in the region to help deliver training
- updating and improving School website content
- overall improvement and innovation in regional delivery of training
Senior rep: Anindita (Rimi) Hom-Choudhury
Junior rep: Matthew George
The Regional CESR/OLT Lead is responsible for providing advice on the CESR process to local OLT programmes and local candidates not in the formal programme.
Mr Abdallah Ellaban
Base: Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
The Simulation Lead organises and delivers simulation courses and training programmes for the region, acquiring appropriate equipment and supplies. They are responsible for teaching experienced colleagues how to supervise simulation training. They will also periodically feed back to RCOphth about local practice and new ideas for simulation.
Simulation Lead: Mr James Innes
Trainee Simulation Lead: Dr Naz Mirza
The GP and Other Specialties Lead coordinates ophthalmology teaching for local GPs and optometrists, as well as contributing to teaching sessions of other specialties e.g. A&E, neurology, endocrinology, rheumatology, paediatrics, infectious diseases. They are also responsible for inviting other specialists to present at ophthalmology teaching sessions, promoting interdisciplinary learning.
Mr David Burton
Base: York & Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The Regional Exams Adviser supports trainees registered to sit exams by assessing their needs and organising exam-specific teaching with feedback. They are also involved in examiner recruitment.
Mr Fahd Quhill
Base: Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
This is a College-appointed role. The SAS representatives promote education for SAS doctors in the region, including enabling access to regional teaching opportunities and support sitting exams.
Bhagyashree Shevade (Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Trust)
Reema Gupta (Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust)
The Regional Management & Leadership Advisor is responsible for promoting management & leadership skills in all staff by delivering sessions during regional teaching based on the RCOphth M&L curriculum, and coordinating leadership and management projects and opportunities for trainees.
Mr Ian Simmons (Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust)
The Regional Mentoring and Buddying Lead is a point of contact for ophthalmologists requiring help and support. They are responsible for setting up buddying schemes for ophthalmologists at career transitions, and for delivering teaching about the qualities and techniques of buddying during postgraduate education sessions.
Mr Bataung Mokete
Base: Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
The Regional OPT Lead is responsible for the quality control of the award of the OPT Certificates. They oversee the OPT Programme and the quality of assessment of its learners in their region. They support the enrolment of learners onto the programme, advise on the delivery of OPT Training according to the OCCCF curriculum, and support and develop OPT Trainers.
Sophie Vickers (Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Harrogate & District NHS Foundation Trust)
The Postgraduate Education Lead coordinates weekly postgraduate regional teaching sessions, planning the teaching programme and promoting good educational practice in the region.
Mr Vernon Long (Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust)
The Regional Research Advisor promotes research skills in all staff, advising trainees and others on their research projects and how to present them, and supporting them to pursue academic roles.
Mr Richard Gale
Base: York & Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The Training-the-Trainers lead is responsible for delivering regular TTT courses for colleagues, as well as delivering TT courses at College. The TTT lead also feeds back to supervisors on the quality of their ARCP reports.
Miss Aabgina Shafi
Base: Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Undergraduate Education leads coordinate medical student teaching in the region.
- Ms Carolyn Atherley (University of Leeds)
Base: Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust
- Mrs Fiona Bailey (Hull York Medical School- HYMS)
Base: York & Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust