Dr Amir Khan’s cheerful energy has radiated far beyond his Bradford and Leeds practice, and in fact revamped lay audiences’ stereotypes of medicine.
Many will recognise Dr Khan from his lead role on Channel 5’s GPs Behind Closed Doors. The show aims to fuse the positive and realistic sides of general practice. Dr Khan’s screen presence is such that he’s now embarking on further TV projects.
This isn’t the only way Dr Khan uses modern media as a force for good. Viewers habitually interact with him on twitter, where he has approximately 40,000 followers and uses his platform to debunk myths on areas that may have daunted the public, such as smear tests. Moreover, Dr Khan is an ambassador for the National Wildlife Trust, combining his credentials as a GP with encouraging schools and councils to reserve land to learn from.
But Dr Khan remains committed to general practice issues closer to home in Yorkshire. Until its conclusion this summer, he was the clinical lead on a joint investigation into why South Asian women access cancer screening appointments less readily than other demographics. He was named GP Trainer of the Year by the RCGP’s regional faculty, is an honorary senior lecturer at both cities’ universities and is an advisory board member for multiple organisations, including Bradford School of Pharmacy.
Why influential: Appeals to the general population by humanising general practice and showing an approachability of doctors
What others say: ‘Has a sense of humour and isn’t patronising – accepts each patient as a person’
Random fact: Once asked a member of the Sugababes on a date, but was rejected
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