We hope to carry out the SAS & LED Recognition Awards on a yearly basis, in order to take the time to show our appreciation and showcase the hard work being carried out by our SAS & LE Doctors within the east of England. Nominations can be made by any NHS staff member, towards a SAS or LE Doctors working within the east of England region.
In the 2025 Recognition Awards, we received a total of 46 nominations across two categories, all highlighting the incredible hard work which is being carried out within the region. Please see below for further information on our 2025 winners and runners-up.
Fouad Kaldas, SAS Tutor at Princess Alexandra Hospital, was nominated for his exceptional and long-standing contribution to the training, support, and development of SAS doctors. Described as a dedicated and inspiring educator, Fouad has built a highly successful programme of educational activities by actively engaging with colleagues, understanding their individual needs, and making effective use of NHS England resources. Renowned for his personal, approachable style, he provides tailored guidance—often meeting doctors in their clinical settings—which has created a strong sense of value and investment among the SAS community.
Beyond his tutoring role, Fouad is a multi-award-winning educator recognised by Queen Mary University of London and local Foundation programmes for his outstanding teaching. His passion, integrity, and commitment to professional development have left a lasting impact on students, resident doctors, and peers alike. As he approaches partial retirement, this nomination honours his exemplary service and advocacy for the SAS workforce.
Jasmin is recognised for her exceptional dedication to improving medical education through innovation, mentorship, and leadership. While balancing her clinical responsibilities, she has significantly enhanced the teaching experience for medical students and junior doctors. She introduced a structured surgical mentorship programme based on Royal College of Surgeons principles, receiving excellent feedback and improving student engagement. She personally mentored five medical students, supporting their clinical learning and career development. Jasmin also created a comprehensive teaching programme featuring five simulation scenarios and 36 clinical discussion cases, using advanced simulation techniques to deepen understanding of surgical care. In addition, she also organised structured teaching opportunities for 16 Foundation Year 1 doctors and five SHOs, fostering a strong teaching culture among junior staff. In addition to her teaching work, she led three quality improvement projects in medical education, two of which will be presented at a national surgical conference. Her commitment, leadership, and innovation have made a lasting impact on medical education within her department.
Oksana was nominated for her exceptional leadership, innovation, and dedication to medical education within Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. As SAS Tutor, Dr Zinchenko has transformed the professional development of SAS doctors by implementing tailored initiatives, including a comprehensive induction programme, enhanced well-being support, and new training opportunities like psychotherapy supervision and Balint groups. Oksana receives consistent positive feedback for making the educational environment more inclusive, engaging, and responsive to SAS doctors’ needs. Oksana was described as having the highest standards of educational excellence, combining advocacy, personal mentorship, and service improvement to deliver lasting benefits to the workforce and the Trust.
Robert was nominated by several colleagues for his exceptional dedication to undergraduate medical education at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust. Rob has consistently delivered high-quality teaching across a range of settings—from bedside teaching and small group tutorials to formal lectures and practical skills sessions. His teaching style is praised for being engaging, clear, and supportive, and he is known for creating a safe, approachable learning environment where students feel comfortable asking questions and developing their clinical confidence. Rob has launched a multidisciplinary teaching course on Central Venous Access Devices, designed and led OSCE preparation sessions, and provided invaluable clinical and career guidance, particularly to students navigating training applications.
Rob was described as approachable, empathetic and his commitment to his students’ development has had a lasting impact. He is a trusted clinical supervisor, a valued teaching fellow, and a role model for aspiring clinicians.
Swetha was nominated for her exceptional commitment to improving the experience and opportunities for SAS and LED Ophthalmologists across the UK. As SAS Chair for the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, she has championed equity, training access, and CESR support—directly helping many colleagues achieve specialist registration. She has led national meetings with the GMC and Royal College, successfully advocating for changes in CESR guidance. In addition to this she has negotiated access to cataract surgery and wet labs for all ophthalmologists. Her efforts have sparked expansion of ophthalmic training opportunities for SAS & LEDs nationwide.
Now also serving as SAS/LED Education Lead for Peterborough, she continues to lead with integrity, humility, and drive, offering personal mentorship, practical support, and expert guidance. Her selflessness, leadership, and passion inspire SAS doctors across the country—making a lasting impact on colleagues and patients.
Ruhina was nominated for her outstanding and sustained innovation across clinical practice, education, quality improvement, and research. Currently a Senior Clinical Fellow in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Royal Papworth Hospital, she has consistently focused on improving patient care and the professional experience of colleagues.
Alongside her academic excellence—achieving distinction and top 1% performance in several postgraduate studies—Ruhina has informed impactful initiatives in blended learning, surgical teaching, and equitable access to supervision and study leave for locally employed doctors. As a Fellow of both the Medical Director’s Office and the EoE Deanery, she has led regional teaching, integrated simulation-based learning, and enhanced wellbeing initiatives. Dr Alam has also served as lead or associate investigator on multiple multicentre trials, including internationally recognised contributions to the PROTECT Registry. Her work has been widely published and awarded, with senior leaders commending her commitment, creativity, and inclusive leadership. She exemplifies innovation with tangible benefits for patients, colleagues, and healthcare systems.
In the 2024 Recognition Awards, we received a total of 43 nominations across two categories, all highlighting the incredible hard work which is being carried out within the region. Please see below for further information on our 2024 winners and runners-up.
Winners
Winner for SAS Trainer of the Year, Hannah Greenacre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Foundation Trust
Hannah has designed the “NeEd to Know” project, which has run in the Emergency Department at QEH since March 2022. NeEd to Know was designed with the purpose of sharing cases with all learners in ED via an MS Teams page to encourage learning, reflection and professional development, in a safe and secure digital environment. Each case is closely linked to the RCEM curriculum, and several links, resources and clinical guidelines are shared to encourage further learning. Since the project started, 45 cases have been shared, spanning 70 clinical topics and sharing over 50 different online resources. The project is used by doctors, advanced care practitioners, consultants and members of the nursing team. Dr Hannah Greenacre presented the 'NeED to Know' project at the RCEM EMTA Conference in February 2024, where she won first place and obtained interest from RCEM and clinicians at other trusts.
Winner for LED Trainer of the Year, Shaun Trussell, Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Shaun was nominated for being an enthusiastic, resourceful, active and dependable colleague who has played a leading role in developing and maintaining various teaching and mentoring programs for Locally Employed Doctors at Bedford Hospital. Shaun has updated and delivered a revitalised clinical skills programme for LEDs for core procedural skills and advanced procedural skills; for which he has organised and facilitated several courses every year for the last few years. Shaun has also played a very important role in developing and supporting the Mentorship Programme for Medicine LEDs at Bedford Hospital. He has mentored and supported a number of LEDs in preparing for IMT applications in various areas including Audit and Teaching. Shaun is a regular contributor to Bedford Hospital LED Induction Program helping new LEDs to get familiar with e-portfolio use. As well as this, Shaun has recruited and mentored a variety of LEDs into the Regional Clinical Supervisor programme for Cambridge University students with his role of a senior regional clinical supervisor.
Winner for Innovator of the Year, Rohin Vinayak, Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Rohin has developed the Clinical Shadowing & Integration Program (CLIP) as a pilot project in medicine, which focuses on enhancing integration of new international doctors by providing extensive support at the pre-arrival, arrival, and post-arrival stages of a new doctor's first month in the NHS. CLIP encompasses medical staffing, medical education, Rota Co-ordination, LED forum and Mentoring to ensure a holistic and structured onboarding process of new Medicine LEDs (unfamiliar with NHS) at Bedford Hospital. Rohin’s colleagues have described him as an enthusiastic, passionate, committed and innovative colleague who has been instrumental in coming up with the idea of CLIP and developing it to see the light of day.
Finalists
Finalist for Trainer of the Year, Ewe Teh, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust
Ewe was nominated by multiple colleagues for being an outstanding teacher who is passionate about education, and passes this enthusiasm onto the doctors he supervises. Dr Teh has many educational roles, including East and North Hertfordshire Simulation Lead, Year 4 peri-operative lead for Cambridge University Medical students and this year was appointed as the UCL site co-lead for undergraduate students. Ewe has been praised by his colleagues for actively organising numerous educational activities, and is known for his exceptional teaching skills, providing structured, engaging sessions that cater to learners of all levels. He has also been praised for his mentorship, guiding other educators and supporting trainees with quality feedback and developmental opportunities. Dr Teh is described as a highly dedicated individual who goes above and beyond to ensure that all students, trainees and healthcare professionals are cared for.
Finalist for Trainer of the Year, Hesham Metwally, Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust
Hesham was nominated for being a highly skilled and dedicated medical professional who has made a significant impact on the development of junior doctors. Hesham is known for his excellent clinical judgment and leadership, providing hands-on training and one-on-one mentorship, helping new doctors build confidence in their clinical skills and patient management. Dr. Metwally fosters a supportive and inclusive learning environment, encouraging open communication, critical thinking, and professional growth. His proactive approach to feedback and continuous improvement has enhanced the educational experience for many junior doctors, ensuring they meet their development goals. Hesham's colleagues describe him as an exceptional doctor and educator, whose expertise and passion make him truly deserving of recognition.
Finalist for Innovator of the Year, Michael Rose, Mid & South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Mike was nominated for his ideas on improving medical education, and most importantly, ensuring that these ideas come into fruition. Mike has introduced a number of training initiatives for undergraduates, including: a 'bleep simulator' session for final years, simulation training on problems encountered by foundation trainees, practical skill assessment sessions, year 3 and 5 mock OCSE's, and virtual reality sessions for year 5 students. Mike has also been involved in setting up a multi-source mentorship scheme at Broomfield Hospital, which aims to offer sustained, personalised mentorship opportunities to medical students on clinical placements. Mikes greatest innovation has been 'Tuesday Tea'; informal sessions for medical students with clinical teaching fellows tackling topics outside of the core curriculum, such as good samaritan acts, whistle-blowing, and being a working parent in the NHS. Students from 2 medical schools attend, helping to break down barriers between the student bodies. This was presented at the AoME 2023 conference.