Committee
Executive
Raphael (he/him) is a final-year medical student at the University of Birmingham, having completed an intercalated BA in Medical Humanities. This is his second year as Co-Chair, having previously served as a Student Representative. He is passionate about LGBTQ+ visibility in healthcare and wider society, and engaging medical students in activism and awareness of LGBTQ+ issues. He is particularly interested in the study of medical professionalism, and is aiming towards a career in surgery.
Outside of medicine, you’ll find him playing the oboe or at the theatre, where he is a regular at press nights in London and the West Midlands as an established theatre reviewer alongside his studies.
Julia (they/them) is a graduate entry medical student at the University of Warwick about to begin working as a F1 doctor in August. Prior to medicine, they studied music at the University of Oxford and trained as a singer & organist. They are particularly interested in improving LGBTQ+ representation within medical education, as well as the intersection between disabled & LGBTQ+ identities.
ADVISORY GROUP
John (he/him) is a Specialty Registrar in Paediatric Dentistry at Glasgow Dental Hospital and Royal Hospital for Children with an Honorary Clinical Teacher role within the University of Glasgow Dental School. His interests lie in patient advocacy, healthcare inequalities and Inclusive LGBTQ+ Education in the Dental Curriculum.
Outside of the workplace he enjoys all things musical theatre, collecting vinyl records to expand his ever-growing collection and is a proud houseplant parent!
John brings to the committee insight into the dental world, from clinical aspects to dental education, helping to inform change related to GLADD’s constitutional aims.
Avi (she/her) is a medical student at Imperial College London with an intercalated BSc in Medical Sciences with Global Health. She is passionate about all-things-LGBTQ+! Last academic year she was elected as Imperial College Union’s LGBTQ+ Officer and was subsequently awarded Activist of The Year: Highly Commended by the Queer Student Awards for her work. She is interested in LGBTQ+ mental health, public health and medical education.
Outside of medicine and activism, Avi enjoys climbing, trying new vegan foods, and hanging out with her poodle.
Ciara (she/her) is a LTFT medical ST3 working in Northern Ireland. Previously Chair for two years and a key contributor to the GLADD/BMA SOGI report in 2022, her main interest is in Education and EDI. You’ll find her regularly teaching on LGBTQ+ health or working with panels and other minority groups to support and advocate for one another in healthcare. She set up the Women’s Network and the Book Club and has high hopes for these in the coming year.
Outside of GLADD (and inside, she supposes) she enjoys being a walking stereotype with a passion for sapphic fiction and music taste that can only be described a sapphic pop. If you have or wish for any recommendations please do contact her.
Sophia (she/her) is a LTFT F2 working in East London. She is interested in queer healthcare, psychosexual medicine, reproductive rights and intersectional stigmas. She also enjoys learning languages (currently Portuguese), printmaking, and getting out of her comfort zone.
Andrew (he/him) is an anaesthetist at Imperial College Healthcare, London, and former Co-Chair of the LGBTQ+ Staff Network. He’s Professor of Practice (Anaesthesia) at Imperial College.
He is RAF Civilian Consultant Advisor in Anaesthesia and President of the Tri-Service Anaesthetic Society. A Past President of the Association of Anaesthetists, and the Anaesthetic Section of the Royal Society of Medicine, he’s a Trustee of Fighting With Pride.
He is married, tweets, runs, likes holidays, chocolate & Airedales. @startle65 (for him) and @BletchleyBark (for the Airedale)
Duncan (he/him) is an Anaesthetic trainee working in Greater Manchester. Duncan was GLADD Co-Chair from 2019-2022 and continues to work on the Advisory Group. His main interests in GLADD are fine-tuning our democratic processes and working with the GMC to improve the state of healthcare for our colleagues & patients. He is also a keen educator and teaches on sexuality and gender identity at the University of Nottingham Medical School.
Outside of work Duncan loves to cook and is a bit of a board game nerd. However, his greatest passion has always been music. You will rarely find his home without some music in the background may even encounter him playing a little bit of his own on the piano.
Kit (he/him) is a GP in Gloucestershire. Having been Co-Chair for the past two years, he returns to the Advisory Group to continue work on GLADD's heritage, governance and webmaster. He is particularly interested in medical education and LGBTQ+ health inequalities in primary care. In his spare time Kit can be found gardening, at festivals and trying to make drinkable home wine.
Bhushan is a longstanding member of GLADD who emigrated to Sydney and founded GLADD Australia in 2012. As a shadow member of the committee, Bhushan hopes to provide a voice and safe space for doctors and dentists in Australia, as well as a focal point for education, fun, discussion and activism. We are delighted to take part in this exciting collaboration and strengthen relationships with our friends & colleagues 'down under'.
