Ms Zahra Yasen

Zahra qualified from Newcastle University in 2016, before completing her foundation year in general practice in Leeds. During her years in dental core training, she worked across a variety of settings including Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Restorative and Special Care Dentistry. Over the last couple of years, Zahra has divided her week between primary care as an associate dentist, and secondary care as a specialty doctor in Oral Surgery at Wigan Infirmary. Her achievements include completion of MFDS with Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, IV and IHS sedation qualification, and various publications and presentations including a first prize poster at an international conference. She enjoys her role in teaching and mentoring trainees, and has completed her PG certificate in workplace-based postgraduate medical education. During her fellowship year, she will continue to work part time in her role as a specialty doctor, in order to maintain her clinical skills and offer insight on the impacts of policy on clinical activities.

Reason for applying for the scheme

Zahra's experience in working across multiple local areas within both primary and secondary care has offered her a unique insight in the issues currently faced by the NHS, particularly regarding health equality and access to care. As a result of this scheme she hopes to acquire key skills through mentorship, in order to understand how to translate her experiences in driving local change to widespread systematic adoption of policies, ultimately resulting in the delivery of a more efficient and effective healthcare service. She is keen to pursue immersive opportunities to further develop her own leadership skills, as well as gaining a first-hand insight into the structure of the NHS, and the processes through which policy is developed. She hopes this will equip her with the necessary skills, accreditation and relationships to drive her passion for quality improvement into practice.