Medical School Announces Alumni Award Winners 2023-2024

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 and 2024 Annual Alumni Awards, which recognises alumni for their ongoing support of the Medical School community. Since its launch in 2022, this award has honoured graduates from all years who contribute to the school through volunteering, mentorship, and other forms of service. 

This year, we are proud to recognise a new group of alumni who have remained engaged since graduation, helping to support students and strengthen the school’s mission.

Dr Tamara Simpson – MBBS 2022

After graduation, Dr Simpson joined the New York Internal Medicine Programme at Jacobi/North Central Bronx Hospital in New York City, a three-year programme. She is currently finishing her final year, gaining extensive training and experience in internal medicine. Tamara was the epitome of striving to make things happen in spite of many hurdles along the way, and this is something that she has shown and offered to our students—her experiences as a student and achieving her goals with resilience and determination.

Dr Ornella Nohra – MD 2022

After graduation, Dr Nohra completed the Foundation Year 2 (F2) training in the UK, in the West Midlands. She worked at The Princess Royal Hospital and The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, gaining valuable clinical experience across various specialities. She then worked 6 months in trauma and orthopaedics in the south west of England before entering GP training where she currently is in London. She presented a series of four presentations that contributed to our MD graduating cohort’s success and the knowledge they received in preparation for their UK applications.

Dr Christina Abi Kheir – MBBS 2020

After graduation, Dr Abi Kheir was accepted into the three-year Paediatrics residency training programme at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She completed three years of the programme and in March 2024, she was offered and accepted the position of Chief Resident. Looking ahead, she applied for a position in paediatric hospital medicine, continuing to advance her career in this specialised field where she received acceptance for her paediatric hospital medicine fellowship at Baylor/Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. She is always willing to help us with any request and has extensive experience in the US and Research.

Dr Aline Derlagen – MD 2023

Currently, Dr Derlagen is serving as a Junior Research Fellow at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, where she is involved in advanced research. Prior to this, she completed her Foundation Year 2 (F2) training at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, as part of the Health Education England East Midlands programme, gaining valuable clinical experience during her early career. She contributed with a varied selection of presentations from her Elective in Brazil to ENT emergencies and then Ophthalmology. She was very organised and supportive with the F2 Mock interview series.

Dr Zeinab Al Hawraa Atieh – MBBS 2020

Dr Atieh is currently undertaking a GMC-approved postgraduate training programme in Histopathology. She is training under Health Education South London, gaining specialised knowledge and experience in the field as part of her professional development in this approved training programme.

Dr Yogmaya Bakshi – MD 2023

After graduation, Dr Bakshi completed her Foundation Year 2 (F2) training at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, Scotland, where she gained experience in Paediatrics, General Psychiatry, and ENT. She is currently working as a LAT (Locum Appointment for Training) Doctor at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) in Edinburgh, Scotland, further developing her skills in paediatric and neonatal care. She went the extra mile with numerous presentations and many students contacted her for mentoring and mock interviews.

We congratulate all the recipients for their continued contributions to the Medical School, and we thank them for their support of both our students and the broader healthcare community.