Our Faculty

A UK-based academic doctor with interests in neuroscience, global surgery, and medical education. He is an educational and research mentor for students internationally. Having held leadership positions in a number of national and international organisations, he joined the HLA as a cohort director in 2021. 

Carina is an Acute Medicine Consultant and Clinical Lead at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation trust. Originally an HLA scholar in 2019, she is currently a cohort director for Newcastle and the network lead of the Women in Healthcare Leadership (WIHL).  

She is passionate about improving flexible and LTFT working, focusing on this during her MSc in Medical Leadership and setting up the HEENE LTFT forum, which continues to aim to improve LTFT training across all specialties in the North East.

Carina is also an Honorary Clinical Tutor for UCLAN, teaching on the Core Principles of Healthcare Leadership PGCert module.

Asha is an unconventional portfolio dentist who holds formal roles within surgery, education and leadership and has a passion for authentic and compassionate leadership.

Asha joined The Healthcare Leadership Academy as a London scholar in the 2019-2020 programme where she was able to develop her passion for Global and Oral Health. She is now a cohort director for the London Cohort and is
passionate to encourage authenticity and compassion within leadership.

Asha holds a formal role as a Speciality Dentist in Oral Maxillofacial Surgery where she is a singly qualified speciality doctor currently undertaking her postgraduate medical degree at Barts and The London (Queen Mary’s)
University. She teaches undergraduate dental students at Kings College, London where she is a Senior Clinical Teacher in Oral Surgery and holds a leadership role with NHSE/I and the Local Dental Networks in East of England
as a Senior Leadership Fellow where she supports the Local Dental Network chair in East Anglia and has led on multiple regional projects to improve recruitment and retention in areas of unmet need and urgent access to dental care, this includes the Assistant Dentist Integrated Care Pilot
Programme which was published in the British Dental Journal in 2021. She also holds the role as the role as chair of the Dental Leadership Alumnus within Health Education Midlands and East.

Asha has co-lead and delivered workshops relating to clinical leadership at conferences such as the ‘Trailblazer’ conference hosted by the North West Deanery and the ‘Leadership and Innovation’ workshop at the Midlands and
East Dental Showcase. Asha also has a passion for 1 resilience development and led and implemented, with the co-founders from the Dental Leadership Collaborative, the first clinical leadership resilience programme at Kings
College, London in 2020 for undergraduate dental students.

As co-founder and director of the Global and Oral Health Collaborative she has co-led two Global and Oral Health conferences and is passionate about integrating and ensuring oral health is a priority within the healthcare
agenda.
 

She has presented over 50 presentations from regional to international levels and believes that inter-professional education, authentic and compassionate leadership and resilience are vital in creating the next generation of future
healthcare leaders.

Vassili is a Brain Tumour Junior Research Fellow at Leeds Teaching Hospitals. Originally from Italy, he is an aspiring academic neurosurgeon. As an LGBTQ+ doctor, he is also passionate about equality and inclusion within the profession, and especially in surgery. Vassili is a trade unionist, having worked towards significant changes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, enhancing student representation, developing UK Medical Licensing Assessment policy, calling for changes to UK Foundation Programme recruitment, and fighting for better pay, safe rotas and working conditions.

Serving as the Lead Director for HLA Scotland and Head of AI Policy, Ethics, and Transformation at HLA, Dr. Iain Campbell brings a wealth of experience, having successfully navigated both medical and law schools. His extensive senior leadership roles include serving as Secretary General, Deputy Head of Legal, Executive Director, and Chairman of the board in various trade association offices and organisations.
 

Currently holding the position of Chair of the board at LinkLiving, a trauma-informed NGO within Link Group, he oversees services in Lothian and Fife, with a focus on social care, employability training, and Scottish Qualifications Authority approved qualifications, contributing to an annual turnover exceeding £6 million. LinkLiving operates within the larger Link Group, one of Scotland's major social landlords with a turnover exceeding £70 million and over 15,000 customers.
 

Dr. Campbell's media presence is marked by numerous appearances on national TV and radio news, addressing topics such as the impact of immigration rules on healthcare, taxation, and participation in expert panels on COVID-19 for Sky TV. His expertise extends to commentary on self-employment, employment status, and IR35/Off Payroll matters.
 

Dr. Campbell has made significant contributions to parliamentary select committees, consultations with HMRC, and policy development round table sessions in Westminster, particularly focused on future healthcare staffing strategies. Within the educational sphere, Dr. Campbell holds the position of honorary clinical senior lecturer at the University of Edinburgh and has served as an Educational Supervisor to University of Edinburgh Medical Students. He also serves as Lead Director for HLA Scotland within the HLA organisation.
 

As the Head of Artificial Intelligence Policy, Ethics, and Transformation at HLA, Dr. Campbell plays a pivotal role in shaping organisational policies on AI usage, staying informed about developments in the field. His responsibilities include upskilling cohort directors on AI tools and encouraging their adoption.

In his medical capacity, Dr. Campbell works as a locum consultant geriatrician, providing services to numerous clients.
 

Beyond his professional commitments, Dr. Campbell is an experienced campaigner with a focus on public affairs and a deep understanding of Freedom of Information Act campaigns. He has written and published an Android app offering guidance on navigating the Act's complex exemptions. His diverse interests include 3D printing, salsa dancing, invention, innovation, and exploring the transformative potential of AI in healthcare and beyond.

Yamen is a cohort co-director for Newcastle and a core surgical trainee based in the North West with an interest in orthoplastic surgery and medical education, the latter of which was expanded upon during his role as a scholar in 2020 while working as a clinical teaching fellow. His passion for improving access to educational opportunities served as the theme behind his project to support socioeconomically disadvantaged students in London aspiring to apply to and enter medical school.

​

As a medical student, he worked with several organisations including the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations from 2011-2016 and participated in the WHO’s World Health Assembly as a youth delegate.

​

He aims to combine his clinical interests with effective and sustainable leadership within the NHS in the future, supported by currently working towards an MSc in Healthcare Leadership.

​

In his free time, he enjoys swimming, cycling and eating everything Italian!

Andrea is the chair and co-founder of the dental charity Den-Tech, an orthodontic and maxillofacial laboratory manager/highly specialised dental technician, quality improvement coach, healthcare careers ambassador and clinical research intern at Doncaster & Bassetlaw NHS Foundation Trust. She is an advisory board member, careers pathway reference group member and fellow of the College of General Dentistry. She has a PGCert in charity management and a 1st class BSc Hons in Dental Technology. She is regularly called upon to sit on advisory committees and working groups with bodies such as the General Dental Council, Health Education East Midlands and many more. Andrea’s previous roles include Chair of the Orthodontic Technicians Association (OTA), council member of the Dental Technologists Association (DTA), associate lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), visiting lecturer at the University of Chester, a sessional teacher at Nottingham College, a Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) ambassador and Chair of the Women in Healthcare Leadership Summit 2022. Outside of her professional activities, Andrea enjoys running, going to the gym, walking her dogs and adventure travel.

​

“The HLA is an environment where talent, passion and the ambition to become a better leader are supported and nurtured regardless of where you are within your career journey. It is an environment where we all look after each other, where everyone wants to see others succeed and will do whatever is required to help every individual achieve their very best, not only while they are scholars, but every day going forward from that point. You become part of a community, a supportive network that is an incredible place to network, grow and develop yourself and others.” – Andrea Johnson

Eamon is a motivated teaching fellow with an interest in Paediatrics. He has taken part and led a number of teaching initiatives since his time at medical school and is dedicated to education. As a Bristol Cohort Director he has been able to meet, teach and learn from a variety of individuals and considers this endeavour to be very rewarding.

Jacob is an Academic Doctor and Honorary Clinical Teacher currently based in South Yorkshire. Throughout medical training, Jacob has held a number of leadership positions including regional lead for the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management and Local educational lead for JASME.

In 2020 he obtained a scholarship with the Healthcare Leadership Academy where he co-founded MindHealth, a proactive well-being not-for-profit organisation for medical students. Subsequently, he has taken on the role of
Amsterdam Cohort Director for the HLA. Most recently, he was awarded the Jack M Legate award for his efforts in Leadership and for founding the first Medical Leadership and Management society at Liverpool University.

On a local level, he has also held a number of positions in both leadership
and education and founded an online revision resource, Just4Meds, which is used by over 5000 medical students monthly. Jacob has a passion for quality improvement across all sectors inclusive of healthcare in primary and
secondary care services, hospital management and medical education, with an ambition to work in Emergency medicine in the future. In his spare time, he enjoys teaching and practising yoga as a fully qualified RYT200, playing tennis and tutoring GCSE and A level students from disadvantaged
backgrounds.

Leila is a NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow in Paediatrics based in Bristol with a research interest in childhood cancer. She is also undertaking an MSc in Healthcare Management, Leadership and Innovation. 
 

Leila joined the HLA in 2020 as a scholar where she worked with the Medical Defence Union to create a support toolkit for healthcare professionals and organised the HLA Annual Conference. Subsequently, she co-founded the HLA Café and HLA Clubhouse international networking sessions. She is currently a Cohort Director, mentor and lead for HLA Community activities. 

-

-

-

Dasha Ibrahim is a Junior Clinical Fellow in Emergency Medicine at Manchester Foundation Trust, where she works across all areas of the department and leads initiatives to improve training and staff safety, including sexual misconduct prevention. She is also the chair of EDIFY, an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion national teaching programme for foundation doctors. Holding a strong passion for equality in Healthcare Leadership, Dasha is the lead for Women in Healthcare Leadership, where she supports scholars and alumni to progress through their leadership journey and tackle sexism and misogyny in the workplace.

She previously served as a UK Foundation Programme National Leadership Fellow, representing over 20,000 foundation doctors and worked with national bodies including the GMC, HEE and NHS England. Dasha holds an MBChB and a First-Class Honours degree in Health Management and Leadership from the University of Birmingham. She is committed to advancing equality, diversity and inclusion within healthcare.

-

-

Dr Owens is a dually qualified dentist and pharmacist, currently undergoing dental core training in Paediatric Dentistry, having completed rotations in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and the Public Dental Service. As of September 2024, he will be completing a year as Clinical Fellow for the Chief Dental Officer (England) Fellowship with the NHS Transformation Directorate.
 

In 2020, Owens joined HLA Amsterdam as a Scholar and has since acted as Mentor, Dental Network Co-Lead, and this year became Cohort Director for the Edinburgh Cohort. Since dental school, Owens has held leadership positions, including being the British Dental Student Association (BDSA) representative, Policy Officer for the European Dental Student Association (EDSA), and most recently Chair of the Dental Trainee Committee at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. Owens' interests outside clinical practice include innovation, mentoring, and widening participation.
 

He has completed multiple national programmes, including the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme and the NHS Edward Jenner Programme. He also completed a PGCert with Medics Academy and UCLan in Clinical Practice, Management, and Education with distinction and has since joined the team as an Academic Tutor for the "Leader as a Follower" Module and TEL Modules.

-

Tihana Gašpert is a dedicated nursing professional from Croatia, who blends clinical expertise, academic excellence, and international leadership in oncology and psycho-oncology nursing. With a Master of Science in Nursing and summa cum laude honors from the Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University Osijek, Tihana is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Maribor, Slovenia. Her research focuses on psychosocial care frameworks for oncology patients, complemented by an extensive portfolio of peer-reviewed publications. Tihana’s clinical career spans hematology and oncology nursing, with leadership experience.

Beyond clinical practice, she has contributed to nursing education as an assistant for oncology care at the Faculty of Health Studies in Rijeka and as a content creator for "Nurses for Future." Her influence extends across Europe through her active role in the European Specialist Nurses Organization (ESNO). As Junior Policy Officer, she shapes policies and educational standards for specialized nursing. Tihana also leads initiatives to empower excellence in advanced nursing roles and specialist education frameworks, including contributions to the ESNO EUVECA program and participation in congresses and workshops.

Internationally, Tihana holds leadership roles within the European Oncology Nursing Society and the International Psycho-Oncology Society. She is an editorial board member for several academic journals, actively reviews research, and participates in innovative projects, driving healthcare education development. A passionate advocate for professional growth and mentorship, Tihana frequently presents at global conferences, leads workshops, and contributes to collaborative frameworks for nursing excellence.

Alasdair is a GP trainee from the North of England. Before becoming a doctor Alasdair completed a PhD in skin cancer and worked in higher education, teaching and mentoring students and managing research. He has served as a director of a mental health charity and worked on the Mental Health Act review in Westminster. He has a strong interest in medical education and medical leadership. He has completed a PGCert in Medical Eduction and works with as a panel member for various organisations including deans quality committee and trainee forums. Alasdair still mentors students at Durham University and is president of the University College Senior Common Room at Durham University.

Dr. Maxine Wilkie is an emergency medicine doctor, educator, and leader with a passion for workforce equity and developing people in healthcare. Alongside her NHS practice, she teaches leadership principles that help clinicians thrive under pressure and grow with confidence. Maxine has worked on creating a return-from-leave roadmap for emergency medicine trainees and supports international medical graduates in navigating their careers. She is committed to helping doctors build their careers and reach their potential. Maxine believes empowered, supported, and equitable teams deliver stronger healthcare systems and better outcomes for patients and communities

Dr. Randika Goonatilleke is a Medical Officer in Emergency Medicine at Kings Hospital, Sri Lanka, and a Medical Technology Consultant with a passion for leveraging innovation to improve patient care and healthcare accessibility. With experience in clinical practice, public health, and digital health solutions, Randika has contributed to initiatives aimed at enhancing healthcare efficiency and patient outcomes.

As an HLA Scholar, Randika has developed leadership skills through projects focused on digital transformation in healthcare — including AI-assisted outpatient services designed to reduce wait times and optimize hospital workflows. He is also working on developing a mental health support platform that bridges access gaps across South Asia through technology-driven care, community engagement, and cross-border collaboration.

Randika’s professional interests lie at the intersection of medicine, technology, and leadership. He is passionate about evidence-based decision-making, system improvement, and empowering healthcare professionals to deliver better, more equitable care. Outside of work, he enjoys mentoring peers, exploring new innovations in health tech, and spending time with his Golden Retriever, Loki.

Dr Emalee Burrows is a medical doctor currently serving at the National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery in London. Since 2024, she has been involved in delivering specialised neurological care in one of the UK’s leading tertiary centres, contributing to patient management and multidisciplinary clinical practice.

In 2024, Emalee was selected as a Healthcare Leadership Academy (HLA) Scholarship Recipient, recognising her commitment to leadership, innovation, and the future of healthcare. As part of the HLA, she is actively engaged in developing her leadership skills and contributing to collaborative healthcare improvement initiatives.
Emalee is based in the London area and continues to grow her clinical expertise while pursuing opportunities to advance leadership within the healthcare sector.

Josie is a First 5 GP in Wales, UK, a clinical academic fellow at Cardiff University and an honorary clinical lecturer at the University of Lancashire. Prior to medicine, she worked as a scientific researcher within academia and industry. Josie was an HLA scholar between 2024-25, focusing on further elevating her award-winning healthcare worker period equity initiative, the SOS box, which she founded in 2018.

Josie is now a global cohort director for the HLA, also contributing to the Medics Academy F|docs programme, co-developing a new Care Under Pressure research-informed wellbeing education package. Holding a Masters in Medical Education, she has taught in various roles and is an established undergraduate examiner and exam question writer. She has also published research exploring one of her passions, equity, diversity and inclusivity, within healthcare professions education. Josie is a longstanding member of the Civility Saves Lives campaign, publishing, speaking nationally and internationally alongside integrating civility into undergraduate medicine curricula.

-

Aisia Lea, is SFP Foundation Doctor (Medical Education) and Director of Anatome Education CIC. Cohort Director for the 2025-2026 Aston Cohort. ASME EDI Special Projects Officer. RCGP Vale of Trent Foundation Doctor Representative.

-