Since beginning my NHS journey in 2016, I have been proud to serve as a research leader whose work is shaped by both professional purpose and personal heritage. As a Muslim woman in the NHS, my values of compassion, integrity, and service guide every aspect of my contribution to research, patient experience, and team development.
I’ve worked to embody excellence, compassion, and representation. My heritage grounds my commitment to inclusive research, equitable care, and creating spaces where diverse staff and patients feel seen and supported.
Throughout my career, I have championed highquality research delivery, nurtured staff growth, and supported equitable access to studies that improve care for our communities. My heritage grounds me in the belief that representation matters — not only for staff, but for the patients and families we serve. This has motivated my involvement in groups such as the NHS Muslim Women’s Network, where I advocate for visibility, belonging, and faithsensitive leadership across the healthcare system.
Across the organisations I have worked with, I have remained committed to creating spaces where diversity is valued, colleagues feel supported, and research thrives. My identity is not separate from my professional journey — it strengthens it. I continue to work towards an NHS where every voice, background, and heritage is recognised as a vital part of the story we are building together.
Through coaching and supervision, I have guided others to make a difference to patients’ care in valuing their beliefs and differences. I have successfully improved patients who were recruited to take part in Covid-19 studies and worked closely with the Muslim community to increase an awareness of the importance of research. Although, there has been a longstanding stigma among the Muslim community mainly due to a fear of the unknown, bridging the gap between standard of care and intervention through research is paramount in influencing others to make decisions to take part in research.
On a more personal basis, I recollect fondly having spent my break with a critically ill patients on ITU, reading the Quran to her during her last hours, something that the family was grateful for, and an experience that I have cherished forever. Holding a hand in need, at times, makes such a difference, especially for patients whom English is not their first language and a language barrier makes it difficult to understand, I have lent a helping hand on many occasions to patients who required reassurance or at times, reciting a short prayer to them helped them overcome their fear and apprehensiveness.
By Parizade Raymode