People

MedRACE is a student and staff working group within Leicester Medical School. Students take the lead on projects that interest them, contributing as little or as much as their other commitments permit.

The group is co-chaired by students and staff. Monthly meetings take place online (5.30pm first Thursday each month), we are always open to new members - both student and staff. Contact MedRACE@le.ac.uk for more information or to join.

Our previous student and staff co-chairs have all contributed to making MedRACE a force for positive change, and our current co-chairs continue this work. 

Student Co-chairs

Ayesha Ahmad, Medical Student, Leicester Medical School

My name is Ayesha, and I’m a fourth-year medical student at UoL. I was introduced to MedRACE on offer holder day and was inspired by their impact on the university and local NHS trust policy.

Having lived in four countries, I have experienced many diverse practices; an opportunity that allowed me to recognise how race plays a fundamental role in our shared experiences. I am grateful to those who taught me different languages and cultural practices and instilled in me an appreciation of their value. Looking forward, I aspire to be a similar source of insight to others through working with MedRACE.

Education forms the very foundation of medicine, and medical students are the pioneers of future learning. Therefore, it is crucial to improve access to healthcare professions for minority students. I have contributed to initiatives such as Leicester’s JEM, the MedEd society, and introducing MedRACE’s efforts to outside visitors. I have also strived to drive change on an individual level, through volunteering within my local community, and co-founding my school’s BAME committee, where we focused on raising awareness of biases and celebrating different cultures.

As part of MedRACE, I aim to collaborate with pre-clinical students to make the medical school a more inclusive space. This includes advocating for better facilities in the GDC and reviewing the Phase 1 curriculum for potential improvements.

Outside of medicine, I enjoy growing plants and exploring Leicester’s nooks and crannies. I also like running and am keen to improve this skill in the future!

Afzaa Altaf, Medical Student, Leicester Medical School

My name is Afzaa and I’m a final year medical student. I am so pleased to be part of such an amazing team, given the amazing work that MedRACE has completed over the last couple of years.

I recently completed my dissertation which looked into improving health inequities for Black and South Asian women within the antenatal service in the NHS. I realised that despite various national and local solutions being implemented to help improve the service for everyone, maternal mortality is still very high amongst ethnic minority groups. In addition to this, these patients often face worse care experiences and outcomes owing to various reasons including stigma, racism and bias. These findings are not isolated within one healthcare service, and are witnessed throughout various services within the NHS.

As such, I am really interested in improving health equity for ethnic minority groups to ensure that every patient has full autonomy over their own healthcare and feel empowered throughout their journey whilst experiencing any NHS service. I am also interested in improving digital equity of key online NHS resources; there have been disparities in the uptake of such resources, particularly amongst patients from higher age groups and ethnic minority backgrounds as well. I look forward to working with MedRACE to explore such avenues so that together we can continue making positive differences.

Additionally, I look forward to working with everyone on the team in creating resources for medical students to help increase teaching and awareness surrounding bystander training and diversity to ultimately improve patient centred care.

Outside of MedRACE, I enjoy baking, cafe-hopping and making matcha, which is a very therapeutic morning ritual

Tahmina Sayfi, Medical Student, Leicester Medical School

I am Tahmina Sayfi, a third year Medical Student and one of the Student Co-Chairs of MedRACE. When deciding which Medical School to attend for my studies, learning about MedRACE’s impact was a huge drawing factor for me and I was pleased, on entry, to learn that many of my peers felt the same. 
My longstanding interest in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion stems from activism in the refugee rights space. I have volunteered with organisations supporting refugees such as Conversation Over Borders for many years and informed campaign strategy for non-governmental organisations such as Freedom From Torture for their ‘Stop The Flights’ campaign, which successfully challenged the proposal to remove refugees from the United Kingdom to third destinations such as Rwanda. Though this, I have gained insight into just some of the challenges of displaced people, many of which are shared by other minorities.

As a previous Student Co-Chair of the Inclusion Oversight Committee, I supported the formation of a student and staff MedFaith group at Leicester Medical School. As well as this, I immersed herself in MedRACE by delivering Active Bystander Training, contributing to student-led research on Inclusion and Belonging in healthcare, as well as volunteering at the first MedRACE conference. Seeing this come to life was amazing!

I am eager to leverage my experiences to directly champion existing and new projects with MedRACE, alongside the other incredible Student and Staff Co-Chairs. I am particularly interested in the experiences of medical students on clinical placements, with intersectionality in mind, as well as the Awarding Gap. Ultimately, I believe that ED&I should be seen as an integral part of medicine, as opposed to a separate subject. It is my hope that by fostering a culture which emphasises the belonging of all students, that our experiences as future medical professionals will in turn be even more fulfilling.

Staff co-chairs

Dr Bharathy Kumaravel, Leicester Medical School

Dr Bharathy Kumaravel is an Associate Professor in Public Health in the University of Leicester and a Consultant in Public Health Medicine with Leicestershire County Council. Her clinical work focuses on designing and leading public health interventions around health inequalities and vulnerable communities. She is passionate about clinically integrating Public Health, particularly in relation to health inequalities, into medical education. She has also worked extensively with NHS England to integrate Generalism into postgraduate medical training and is keen to shape a future healthcare workforce that is reflective of, and responsive to, the diverse communities it serves.

Dr Kumaravel has recently taken on the role of staff co-chair of MedRACE in Leicester Medical School and is looking forward to fostering a more inclusive, equitable, and supportive environment for students and staff. Dr Kumaravel brings extensive experience in medical education, public health, and system leadership to the role. With a strong commitment to social justice and health equity, Dr Kumaravel works across the school to embed inclusive practices in teaching, curriculum design, and institutional culture. She collaborates with university leadership, student representatives, and external partners to advance a culture where diversity is celebrated and structural inequalities are actively addressed. She is keen on championing inclusive pedagogy, supporting underrepresented groups in medicine, and developing evidence-informed action plans to ensure sustained progress. (August 2025)

Dr Hussein Uraiby, Leicester Medical School

I graduated from Leicester Medical School in 2015 and undertook specialty training in Histopathology. During this time, I was also a UHL Clinical Teaching Fellow, completing a Masters in Medical Education, FHEA and a variety of research projects, particularly focussing on minority ethnic medical student experiences of role modelling.

I am currently a Consultant Histopathologist at the Leicester Royal Infirmary and Lead for Year 4 Written Assessments at the Medical School. I am also a member of the BEME council, regularly undertaking systematic reviews of healthcare professions literature.

I consider it a privilege to be part of the MedRACE community and I am excited to continue MedRACE’s excellent work in facilitating safe and inclusive learning environments for all students.

When I’m not looking at cells down the microscope I’m wondering whether I could have made it as a drummer…