Dr Shakeel Ahmad

I obtained my bachelor degree in Medicine and Surgery from Leeds University and then became a member of the Royal College of Physicians in 2001 and a fellow in 2013. I spent three years as a clinical lecturer in stroke medicine at King's College Hospital London, where I undertook hyperacute stroke training, obtaining a CCT in Stroke Medicine. My research interest has been in ethnic differences in cortisol secretion and their relationship to vascular impairment.

In 2009 I was appointed as a Consultant Stroke Physician in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, where I have taken the lead to develop daily TIA clinics, early supportive discharge (ESD) and mechanical thrombectomy service for stroke patients. In 2015, I completed the one year Improvement Advisor Professional Development Programme at the Institute For Health Improvement (IHI) Boston, USA and have led on a number of successful QI projects. I led and collaborated on the ‘Stop A Stroke Project’ with Primary Care Quality & Public Health Wales to develop a tool to identify high risk stroke patients in AF that require intervention in line with up to date NICE guidance. This project was supported by Welsh Government and has been implemented across Wales.

In 2017, I was appointed as the Associate Medical Director for neurosciences in the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee that commissioned mechanical thrombectomy. I have led the rollout and implementation of AI for stroke imaging across Wales. Further to this, I have also led on a pilot to test the Pre-Hospital Video Triage (PVT) which is being tested across Wales. I am the Training Programme Director for Stroke in Wales & Regional Specialty advisor. In 2020, I was appointed as the National Clinical Lead for Stroke in Wales.