Committee
Executive
Kit (he/him) is a GP in Gloucestershire. 2024 is his second year as Co-Chair, having previously been part of the Advisory Group for 4 years working on the mentoring programme, rebranding and website. He is particularly interested in medical education, health inequalities and this year hopes to further develop GLADD's engagement with students, dentists and those from under-represented backgrounds. In his spare time Kit can be found gardening, at festivals and trying to make drinkable home wine.
Raphael (he/him) is a fourth year medical student at the University of Birmingham, having recently completed an intercalated BA in Medical Humanities. This is his first year as Co-Chair, stepping up to the role after two years 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 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.
Sean (he/him) is currently an F3 doctor living and working in Liverpool who is new to GLADD this year. He has previous experience as treasurer during his time as on a doctors' mess committee for his NHS Foundation Trust. He is interested in health inequalities and barriers the community face when accessing healthcare. In his spare time Sean enjoys cooking and collecting Wainwrights with his partner and whippet.
Julia (they/them) is a graduate entry medical student at the University of Warwick. 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.
Thivyaa (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist and academic junior doctor (F1) with an interest in using the creative arts for social justice orientated healing. Inspired by her intersectional lived experiences as both an Eelam Tamil refugee and bi+/pansexual individual, Thivyaa is passionate about creating safe spaces for marginalised communities.
Thivyaa is the first person in her diasporic Tamil community to come out to her extended circle, and is no stranger to the realities of queerphobia and stigma, even within medicine. This is what drives her passion for facilitating supportive communities, and spearheading societal change against discrimination.
She is therefore excited to be the new Events and Education Officer to co-create a colourful social calendar for our community! She is also looking forward to working with universities across the UK to provide better welfare and educational support for their LGBTQ+ students.
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.
ADVISORY GROUP
Oyejide (he/him), commonly known as JJ, is a third year medical student at the University of Buckingham. JJ is particularly interested in diversity in medicine and representation. His motivation for joining GLADD is to ensure students have a voice and to increase visibility for others on their medical education journey. Outside of medicine JJ plays a lot of football, gardens and watches tonnes of movies.
Macca (he/him) is a third-year undergraduate medical student at the University of Bristol. He is particularly interested in medical education and how the undergraduate curriculum can best prepare future doctors for working in a diverse healthcare system. He is also excited to help build GLADD’s student network and create a supportive community during his time in the advisory group. Outside of medicine, He enjoys cooking and has a slight obsession with all things coffee!
Eleanor (they/them) is a psychiatry trainee based in Glasgow. They are interested in medical education and trans healthcare, particularly psychiatry's role in gender identity services. 2024 is their second year on the GLADD committee and they are looking forward to being more involved in the network.
In their spare time they enjoy playing the fiddle, swimming and napping with their white fluffy cat Aslan.
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.
Andrew (he/him) is an anaesthetist and Freedom to Speak Up Guardian at Imperial College Healthcare, London, where he is also 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 and WFSA UK.
He is married, tweets, runs, likes holidays, chocolate & Airedales. @startle65 (for him) and @BletchleyBark (for the Airedale)
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'.