Get involved in this year's EMSAS Chair elections.
All RCEM members who are part of the Emergency Medicine Specialty and Specialist Doctors (EMSAS) forum are invited to vote in this year’s EMSAS Chair elections for either Dr Jocelyn Brittliff or Dr Immad Shahnawaz Qureshi.
Both candidates’ election statements can be found below. The ballot runs from 12pm on 30 October 2023 until 12pm on 13 November 2023, with the next Chair announced at the EMSAS Conference.
The EMSAS Chair will advocate for Emergency Medicine Specialty and Specialist doctors on important issues inside the College and beyond. They will also attend RCEM Board and Committee meetings and promote the role of EMSAS in the wider College’s response to education, research, policy and membership matters.
If you are in the EMSAS group of membership then you should have received an email on 30 October when voting opened. Civica Election Services is managing the voting process for the College, with voting emails sent from takepart@cesvotes.com. Your email will contain a link and a unique reference, which will enable you to process your vote.
If you should have the right to vote and do not have the email please contact: membership@rcem.ac.uk. It may be due to your details not being up to date in your RCEM Membership Portal so please also update your profile for future communications.
If you want to join the conversation on our social media please follow @RCollEM and @EMSAS_RCEM on X (formerly Twitter) and use the hashtag #EMSASChair23. Both candidates have also submitted their X handles in their profiles below so you can contact them.
The new Chair will take over from Dr Steve Black. His tenure ends on 17 November, with the next Chair serving a total term of three years.
Dr Salwa Malik, Vice President of RCEM Membership, said: “I would like to thank Dr Steve Black for his hard work and dedication over the past three years. He’s been a great advocate for EMSAS and its members, which has transformed and developed from FASSGEM. This is a fantastic opportunity for members to engage with the College and elect a new Chair.
“The new Chair of EMSAS will be your representative and your voice, they will attend council and be your advocate. We have two fantastic candidates in Drs Jocelyn Brittliff and Immad Shahnawaz Qureshi, each with their own great ideas for EMSAS over the next three years. We encourage all those who are eligible to vote. Make sure you are available to vote and that you have your say.”
| Dr Jocelyn Brittliff | Dr Immad Shahnawaz Qureshi |
|---|---|
| Contact: @jbrittliff | Contact: @AMColian |
| Glasgow Royal Infirmary | Isle of Wight NHS Trust |
|
I have worked as a SAS grade doctor in Glasgow Royal Infirmary for over 20 years, initially as a staff grade and then on the Speciality doctor contract. I am proud to be counted as SAS by choice. Over the last few years, I have become increasingly involved in what was FASSGEM and is now EMSAS. I have served two terms as Scottish representative, attending board meetings throughout this time, making sure that SAS grade doctors were considered in all relevant issues. I currently represent EMSAS on the Sustainable working practices committee. I think sustainability and wellbeing in these difficult times are important for everyone, but our group often feel overlooked, underappreciated, as well as being longer term on less favourable rotas. Most recently I have spent two years as Vice Chair supporting Steve however I can and twice standing in at council meetings. Hopefully these roles would give me a good foundation to build on if I was elected to the chair position. I commend much of the work done by the current chair and would look to build on it. One positive outcome of covid has been the increased use of virtual meetings, and zoom has enabled the exec team to meet regularly despite distances. This is something I would look to continue, and potentially expand. I would like to investigate opening one or two meetings a year to all of our EMSAS members. This would be with the view of doing two things. Firstly, letting you see first hand what we have been doing, and secondly giving you chance to tell us what you want or need from us. Having said all this, I also believe nothing really beats the chance to meet up face to face. As such I really want to ensure the ongoing success of our annual conference, and hopefully build on it, strengthen ties throughout our community. Those who know me personally would tell you I am not afraid to speak my mind, and I hope I can use this trait to support and stand up for this group of doctors. I want to make sure we have a voice which is heard, chance for career progression, whether through CESR or the new Specialist role, and that we are valued for all the assets we bring as senior, experienced members of a wider EM team. |
I am an International Medical Graduate from Pakistan and have been a SAS doctor in Emergency Medicine in the UK since 2014. I was also a SAS doctor in Saudi Arabia from 2007 to 2014.
My affiliation with RCEM began as an Associate Fellow in 2009, I then became a Fellow by Examination in 2018. I currently work at the Isle of Wight NHS Trust as the Clinical Governance Lead for the Emergency Department. Successes I joined the Executive Committee of FASSGEM (now EMSAS) by becoming the SAS Representative on RCEM’s Education Committee in 2019, representing SAS doctors’ interests and bringing perspective to the meetings held every three months. I became a SAS grade examiner at RCEM in 2021 and am currently the only SAS grade examiner to be a lead examiner for MRCEM OSCE exams. In 2023, I represented EMSAS on RCEM taskforce to write a new Speciality Specific Guidance for CESR candidates, a task required by the GMC due to new legislation. The new SSG is now live on the GMC & RCEM websites and will be in effect from 30 November 2023. Future Plans
Proof EMSAS Chair As an IMG, I have insight into the challenges that IMG doctors face when joining the NHS and would like to inspire people to achieve more and be the best versions of themselves that they can be in their chosen roles. I hope to mentor people as I have been mentored and give them opportunities to grow. I hope to represent all EMSAS doctors when it comes to standing for the rights and dignity of SAS doctors and to keep the College responsive to the needs and contributions of SAS doctors. |
Both candidates were given an equal opportunity to provide statements of the same length.
