Health, Care or Voluntary Sector Role: ST4 Psychiatry Doctor
Supporting Organisation: Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
I am a Specialty Doctor currently training in Hertfordshire and am on the Mental Health team for the British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA). My main interests are in health inequalities, research, and decolonial psychiatry.
I aim to develop my research knowledge and leadership skills, not only to address systemic issues in the healthcare system, but also empower peers and colleagues to do the same. This could encourage a shift towards a culture that encourages healthcare workers and patients to identify failings in our healthcare system, scrutinise the cause, collect and analyse evidence, and integrate this evidence into real-world change.
About Rimsha's fellowship project
Title: COPD screening in populations with serious mental illness (SMI)
The aim of this pilot study is to explore the feasibility of implementing a COPD screening intervention for people with SMI in a community mental health setting. People with SMI may be more likely to smoke and struggle to self-advocate, leading to late diagnosis and treatment, and therefore poorer prognoses (including higher mortality rates for respiratory disease). This project could provider earlier diagnosis and intervention with the aim to provide smoking cessation interventions as well as reduce or prevent progression of COPD.
Sarah's Supervisor: Dr Emma Kaminskiy, Anglia Ruskin University
Contact Sarah: rimsha.chohan@doctors.org.uk