UHNM consultant awarded Honorary Reader post by Keele University
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) is delighted to announce that Dr Laks Varadhan, consultant physician in diabetes and endocrinology, has been awarded an Honorary Reader post by Keele University.
Dr Varadhan, a UHNM consultant since 2013, has been recognised by Keele University for his significant contributions to undergraduate medical education over the last 12 years.
Since 2014, Dr Varadhan has been the Co-Lead for Prescribing skills and has led the development and delivery of prescribing and pharmacology teaching for medical students. He has been the OSCE Lead since 2021, involved in successful planning and running of Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) for medical students in their clinical years. He is also involved in examiner training, question writing, and quality assurance.
Speaking about the award, Dr Varadhan said: “I am absolutely delighted and honoured to receive this recognition. It reflects the effort and teamwork over many years to deliver high-quality teaching and assessment for our medical students. It has also been a wonderful opportunity to develop these roles with the support of colleagues at UHNM and Keele. I am grateful to our CMO, Hospital Deans and Trust UGMS Manager for supporting and endorsing my application, and to the executive medical school leadership at the Faculty of Health for their recommendation and approval.”
Dr Varadhan holds a postgraduate diabetology degree from India and has FRCP (Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of the UK) qualifications in Medicine and Diabetes & Endocrinology. He completed most of his higher specialist registrar training at UHNM, and during this time also undertook a Clinical Teaching Fellowship at Keele University and completed the Diploma in Medical Education. He has always had a strong interest in medical education, which has remained pivotal to his career.
Dr Varadhan said: “The best part of my job is the mix of clinical work at UHNM and teaching at Keele. Both are fantastic, supportive places to work. I am very grateful for the flexibility offered by colleagues and the management team within the department of diabetes and endocrinology, medical division and school of medicine which has been instrumental in allowing me to develop these vital roles. It has been a privilege to work alongside so many like-minded colleagues by fostering a collaborative approach on teaching, academic projects and publications.”
Dr Varadhan serves as a PLAB examiner for the General Medical Council (GMC), he is a national MRCP-PACES Examiner and sits on various committees including the Royal College of Physicians’ Scenario Editorial Committee. He is also involved in the development of Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA) for medical schools as a member of the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) review group, where he represents Keele University.
He also has several publications in peer reviewed journals and over 100 presentations in national and international conferences. Dr Varadhan has mentored many medical students as well as resident doctors in enhancing their CV profile with robust academic work to build their educational portfolios.