Shima Chundoo

I graduated as a Bachelor of Dental Surgery at the University of Birmingham in 2016 and I achieved my MFDS postgraduate qualification (RCSEd) in 2018. My postgraduate career has ranged from Foundation Training within the City Scheme of HEE West Midlands Deanery to three years of Dental Core Training at Shrewsbury and Telford Trust as well as Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Through my extensive placements, I have sought out significant experience in maxillofacial surgery and paediatric dentistry, whilst working alongside adjacent specialities and professions.

I subsequently served as an NHS Regional Leadership Fellow at NHS England (Midlands), as part of the Faculty of Leadership and Management Fellowship. During this post, I developed communicational packages to improve HPV vaccination uptake in schoolchildren as well as implemented strategies to improve antimicrobial prescribing and tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR), through the creation of novel and bespoke website dedicated to AMR. Excitingly, stepping outside of my comfort zone has enabled me to collaborate with wider professionals to deliver regional and national NHSE objectives, beyond my dental work bubble!

The fellowship has acted as a springboard to fast-track my development as a clinician and leader. This led to my successful application within the PGVLE team. I am extremely passionate about ensuring that postgraduate education remains current and matches the rapidly progressive needs of trainees in our region. I have always had an active interest in teaching and, recently, completed my PG Diploma in Medical Education with distinction as well as a Teach the Teacher Course. My current fellowship at Health Education England will enable me to drive change and ideas, whilst protecting inclusivity and integration on an educational level, to ensure that trainees from all backgrounds, disciplines and experiences are receiving the best postgraduate support and development. I am committed to developing our strategy for our current workforce and future recruits, and ultimately ensuring our patients receive the best standard of care from the best.