BSMS > About BSMS > Alumni > Alumni in focus Dr Zainab Hussain-Mazhar

Alumni in Focus - Dr Zainab Hussain-Mazhar

Dr Zainab Hussain-Mazhar (BM BS 2010)

A portrait photo of Dr Zainab Hussain-Mazhar, BSMS alumna class of 2010, who is smiling at the camera in a medium close-up photo

Zainab was in the second cohort of BSMS students and graduated in 2010. She works as a GP in Stoke-on-Trent and also acts as a STEM ambassador and GP trainer and appraiser. She has recently launched a Basic Life Support business called ‘Respond to Blue’.

Where are you now?

I am currently a salaried GP. Since qualifying in 2010, I have worked in many places, including: Leicester, Cardiff, Bangor, Liverpool, Crewe, Knutsford and now I am settled in Stoke-on-Trent. So it has been an interesting journey so far!

Where would you like your career to take you next?

I have many ambitions as to what I would like to do and where I would like my career to go.

I love my job as a GP so this will always be part of what I do. However, I have what is called a portfolio career. This means that I do many things alongside my salaried job. I would like to continue to develop my roles as a STEM ambassador and GP trainer and appraiser, while also building my Basic Life Support (BLS) business: ‘Respond to Blue’.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given or passed on?

I have had many in my time, and for different phases of life! If I were to go back to medical school, my best piece of advice is to be present in the moment and spend time with the people who are important to you.

What do you feel passionate about in your role?

I love working as a team within general practice to try and deliver the best care we can. Effective communication is key. I love trying to think of ways to improve how we do things.

I am very passionate about health promotion, especially when it comes to alcohol, smoking and lifestyle changes. I work in an area where most of the population is not English speaking, so I use my language skills to try and improve understanding of their conditions. Giving patients empowerment is so fulfilling. I have done a few videos in English and in Urdu to help improve uptake of screening programmes, including bowel and breast screening.

Being a GP, or a doctor in general, is a privilege, and so the passion to keep learning and upskilling is definitely something I have. Since becoming a GP, I have completed diplomas in paediatrics and obstetrics and gynaecology, and I am currently completing a diploma in dermatology.

My GP career has helped to build a platform for my STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) ambassador role. With medicine being at the heart of science, I am contacted by schools to deliver career talks and workshops that I created, focused on anti-smoking and anti-peer pressure.

I am a STEM partner with a local school and together we have managed to secure funds to build a sensory area to help with students' mental health. I have also delivered talks about puberty and health at the school. It has been so interesting and I have realised that teaching is something I really enjoy.

My school work has inspired me to become a GP trainer, and I should be allocated a trainee next year. Teaching and helping future colleagues is a great reward!

I am also a GP appraiser. As a doctor you have to be appraised every year, and this is my favourite meeting as it allows reflection of what has gone well during the previous year. Being a sounding board for another colleague and continuing to inspire them is an honour, and I am looking forward to appraising the doctors who have been allocated to me already. As you can tell, I love general practice!

Tell us about you new initiative: ‘Respond to Blue’.

My oldest son is nine years old and I have always wanted him to learn basic life support skills, but he had been on the waiting list for St Johns Ambulance for two years with no places available. So I thought I would teach him, but wanted to do this in a professional capacity with the right equipment. So I decided to become a BLS instructor and have purchased the dummies and trainer AEDs to deliver sessions in this key skill.

The business is called Respond to Blue, as blue is the colour of ambulance lights and we say ‘Blue Light’ for emergencies. Other emergency services like the police or fire service could be involved in this as well. We are responding to an emergency!

I am aiming to deliver BLS training in schools, but I have been approached by other businesses to deliver this training for them. It is so important to give people the skills to know how to approach a collapsed person and also not be afraid of using a defibrillator.

What was the best thing about studying at BSMS?

I was in the second year of students to join the medical school, so many things were new. I even remember when the Audrey Emerton Building was still under construction in second year, so my year and the year above were the first to use the new facility.

The year groups were fairly small compared to other medical schools, which meant we had lectures together and knew most people in the cohort. The early clinical exposure and the mixture of teaching styles to suit everyone was great.

I remember in second year, we had dissection on a Thursday, and after that session we would always go to Sussex Students' Union – there was a restaurant there that did curry night! Brighton itself is a great place.

Who has inspired you most in life?

This might sound cliché, but it has been my parents. I saw how hard they worked and how much they did for us. Whenever I feel I am not able to do something, I remember their work ethic and I carry on – anything is possible!

There was a time when I had just had my third baby and had been approached by a consultant spinal surgeon to do some illustrations for a chapter in a book (on TB in the spine). I had to draft about 30 pictures; I was quite stressed and didn't think I could do it. However, I knew this was a unique opportunity and if I did not take it, I may not have the chance again. So I seized the opportunity and agreed. The hard work and lack of sleep paid off when I saw my illustrations in the hard copy!

What's your favourite memory from your time at BSMS?

My favourite memory was my time with friends; how we supported and helped each other. In final year, my housemate and I formed a group to revise and practice the OSCEs and it was so much fun – I learned so much! Overall, medical school was a lot of fun and I really miss it!

Describe BSMS in three words

Brilliant, best, beach!