Collaboratory Researcher Profiles
Project Title: Targeted educational interventions to improve bystander response and improve outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the South Asian community
What were you doing before starting this PhD?
Before starting my PhD, I worked in schools for almost 15 years before founding and running a Home Education Institute over the last decade. Alongside this, I have held a range of community-focused roles including basketball coach, project manager and event lead, supporting the planning and delivery of numerous youth programmes.
I worked with West Midlands Police to establish the “Safe Haven” initiative, which continues to operate today. I have also contributed to productions at the Hippodrome and to the Birmingham Pakistani Report.
On 6 March 2022, I suffered a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). I was clinically dead for 52 minutes and remained in a coma for eight days. Since then, I have dedicated myself to patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE), supporting studies including FACT, CARESSf, Child CPR, OHCAO, CASHQoL and CAROUSel. I am also an Ambassador for Resuscitation Council UK.
What motivated you to apply for this specific PhD project?
The Quran says: “…whoever saves one life, it is as if they have saved all of humanity” (Quran 5:32). Someone saved my life, in fact, two off-duty medics who happened to be playing football after me on a Sunday evening. But it was truly a team effort involving friends, paramedics, bystanders and staff at the centre. Without them, my children may have grown up without their father.
I am the 1 in 10 people in the UK, and 1 in 12 in Leicester, who survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Through studies such as CARESSf and CAROUSel, I support improving life after survival for people like me.
This PhD, however, is about the people who do not survive: the 9 in 10 nationally, and the 11 in 12 locally. It is about the moments when bystanders do not know how to respond, or feel unable to act. I want this research to help empower communities with the knowledge and confidence to save lives.
What difference do you hope to make in Leicester through this research?
Our ambition is to help double the survival rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Leicester, increasing it from 7.5% to 15%. Beyond Leicester, we hope this research can inform approaches across the UK, supporting diverse communities through improved CPR awareness, training and bystander response.
What do you hope to be doing in 5 years’ time?
In five years, I hope to be building on the success of this project and continuing to expand life-saving interventions into diverse communities through further research and engagement.
I also hope to use the skills and experiences gained through this journey to pursue meaningful projects alongside my children and others, combining research, community work and personal passions in ways that create lasting impact.