Gender Members

Dr Sara Al-Khafaji (Staff)

Sara is a Year 2 and Year 4 Clinical and Professional Practice Tutor. After graduating from medical school with an overall final grade of Honours and an Award for Academic Excellence, she went on to work in various departments such as cardiology, renal medicine and the accident and emergency department.

She has a passion for medical education and is currently enrolled into the Medical Education Masters programme at UCL, where she has a role as a Year 2 Academic Representative for the programme. She is also the lead departmental student representative for UCLMS PG. 
 
In her free time, she loves to explore new places, listen to audiobooks, and eat chocolate!  
 

Dr Rima Chakrabarti (Staff)

My interest in Gender Equality started early in my undergraduate training and has continued throughout my career.  With my background in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and in Medical Education, I am always exploring how we can improve awareness and break down the barriers that affect both genders when it comes to health and wellbeing.

I work as a Clinical Lecturer (Teaching) at UCLMS and I am currently the Academic Lead of the Curriculum Map and Chair of the Athena Swan Committee. Over the last year, I have worked alongside the Quality Assurance and Enhancement Unit to reframe the ‘Raising Concerns’ process and also led, as Chair of the Gender Equality group, the development of the strategic plan for tackling ‘Misogyny and Gender Based Violence’. This has been an exciting piece of work, which I hope will drive sustained and meaningful changes in how we, as a HEI, tackle this deeply sensitive issue within the wider domain.

My other interests include Attrition in postgraduate training and presently I am also working with the RCOG on Workforce planning.

Emer Daly

I’m Emer (she/her) and I’m a fifth year medical student based at UCLH. This year I'm co-leading the EDI Gender Equality subcommittee with Nat and I’m excited for the projects ahead! I’m interested in addressing gender inequality In a healthcare system where cis male physiology and anatomy is still sometimes treated as standard. More generally I’m interested in the use of machine learning in medicine! 

Katie Lewiston (Staff) 

I’m Katie (she/her) and I joined UCLMS at the start of 2024 as a Clinical Lecturer (Teaching) with a focus on Year 1 and 2. After graduating in 2014, I have worked in various medical departments, but my passion came to be Care of the Elderly Medicine.
 
I have always enjoyed medical education and decided to make this my career focus in 2022. Since then, I have completed a PGCert and PGDip in Clinical Education and am currently working on my Master’s. I am excited to contribute to the work of the EDI Committee to break down gender inequalities and power imbalances that can affect people working in healthcare and medical research.
 
I’m a great foodie and love anything to do with cooking and eating, even going to the supermarket (especially abroad)!

Helen Turner-Groves (Staff) 

I work in professional services as the Manager for the Year 5 MBBS. I work with numerous different teams in the Medical School and across the different hospital sites to organise placements, assessments and the Year 5 curriculum as a whole.
 
I graduated in Political Sociology 10 years ago and I am passionate about challenging gender bias and power imbalances within professional networks and wider society. Before joining the UCL MBBS team I worked at the Department of Gender Studies at LSE which enabled me to work with colleagues and external speakers at events who are experts in the field. During my time there, I also had a voluntary role as an Anti-Bullying and Harassment Advisor in which I supported staff and students who reported cases of Bullying or Harassment (including Sexual and Gender Based) in the workplace or University.
 

Natalia Zernicka-Glover (Student)

I’m Nat (she/they) and I’m a third year medical student at UCL, currently intercalating in Neuroscience. I am co-leading the Gender Equality subcommittee this year with Emer. I am very excited to see the developments of all the projects we’re currently working on and share this work with you! I am fascinated by neuroscience and psychiatry, as well as the role gender can play in medicine and our interactions with the world.

Megan Vaughan (Staff)

Hi, I'm Megan. I recently joined the PGME team here at UCLMS as a Lecturer in Postgrad Medical Education. My background is in Optometry, having previously practiced, taught, and researched in this area. I am a committee member for the Women in Vision UK committee and lead the mentorship stream. I have a keen interest in optometry/ophthalmology, colour vision, education, EDI, and inclusivity. Outside of academia, I love cats, swimming, and sewing!