Shahid Merali

MBChB PGDipMedEd FAcadMEd PFHEA FRCGP

I attained my MRCGP (completion of postgraduate training as a GP) in 2011 and became an undergraduate tutor in 2012. In 2013 I took over a struggling practice and guided it to stability, and continue in the role of a GP Partner and Postgraduate GP Trainer/Supervisor. We won the Midlands NHS Parliamentary Award for Excellence in Primary Care in 2020. In 2015 I was appointed as a Training Programme Director for the Black Country Postgraduate GP Vocational Training Scheme (Health Education England). In 2018 I was appointed as Lead for Primary Care Education (Clinical Senior Lecturer) at Aston Medical School. In 2018 I was honoured to receive the award of Fellowship of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), in 2019 to receive the award of Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE), and in 2020 Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Educators. I have also held roles with the GMC as a PLAB Examiner (Part 2 Exam) and a PLAB Question Management Group Member (Part 1 Exam). In 2022 I was appointed to two roles with the RCGP: as a Curriculum Editor and Workplace Based Assessment Core Group Member. In 2023 I was appointed as the Clinical Lead for Quality Management and Training Standards for the RCGP. In 2024 I achieved the status of Principal Fellow (PFHEA) of the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE).

I was recruited to Aston Medical School in 2018 before the first intake of students, and I established and led the department of Primary Care Education. As part of this role, I:
- designed the primary care curriculum and implemented all clinical placements in primary care across the whole of the MBChB programme
- designed and implemented the curriculum for the whole of Year 3 of the MBChB programme, including designing and implementing workplace-based assessments, the virtual learning environment and the e-portfolio
- recruited, quality-assured, and manage approximately 100 GP surgery sites where Aston medical students are placed
- led many other domains including training clinical educator colleagues (primary and secondary care) who teach students on placement; assessment design and implementation (including OSCEs and workplace-based assessments) and assessor training; and the training, management, and mentorship of faculty

Having successfully established and led the department of Primary Care Education and designed the curriculum for all 5 years of the MBChB programme at Aston Medical School, I changed the scope of my role and now act as the Primary Care Placements Liaison Lead: I lead the recruitment, quality management, and allocations of primary care placements across the whole of the MBChB programme. This has enabled me to spend more time working with the RCGP, where I can have a greater impact in medical education.

In my role as the Clinical Lead for Quality Management and Training Standards with the RCGP, I lead the development of quality standards for postgraduate GP training programmes and trainers/supervisors in all training settings. I coordinate the development of systems for quality management of GP training including the collection and analysis of data from Trainee Portfolios. I am responsible to lead and support RCGP quality representatives (External Advisers). In this role, I am a member of the GP Specialty Advisory Committee, The GP Specialty Training Board, the Workplace Based Assessment Core Group, and the Deanery Assessment Reference Group.

In my role as a Curriculum Editor with the RCGP, I have a leading role in the creation, continued development and quality assurance of the curriculum modules and other educational materials in the MRCGP curriculum.

I am an enthusiastic and dedicated professional with a real love for primary health care. As my career has developed, I have gained satisfaction from promoting improved patient outcomes at scale. In my clinical role I enjoy designing services to benefit thousands of patients. In my educational role I value the opportunity to improve the educational journey of medical students and postgraduate doctors in training, to benefit exponential numbers of future patients.