SAS doctors as Educators

Dr Ashwini Keshkamat qualified in 2002 in India and completed anaesthetic training in the cities of Mumbai and Bangalore in 2009, where she was awarded the Gold medal at the National Board of Examinations. She arrived in the United Kingdom in 2011 and has been working as an SAS doctor at Dartford since 2013.

Ashwini has a keen interest in teaching and training, especially novice anaesthetists. Her specialty interest is obstetric anaesthesia, where multidisplicinary team management and human factors are key.

Ashwini joined the College's SAS Committee in 2018 and, as the Chair of the committee since 2021, represents RCoA at the AoMRC and Association's SAS committee. She is the vice chair of the Equivalence committee and member of the ETE board, and works to support SAS and locally employed doctors.

Ashwini has recorded other Anaesthesia on Air podcasts on subjects including No trace = wrong place, SAS doctors, and International Women's day.

Dr Sarah Thornton qualified from Leeds University in 1991. She created her own ACCS programme as a junior doctor, and then discovered the joy of anaesthetics – and never looked back. She took up her consultant post with an interest in critical care in the year 2000 at Royal Bolton Hospital – a big district general hospital in a socially deprived area.

Sarah has always enjoyed education, and took on the role of trainee rep on the Specialty Training Committee during her anaesthetic training. As soon as she was able, she took on the role of College Tutor in 2003, in between fitting in three kids.

After that she was appointed higher Training Programme Director in 2007, then in 2013 Head of School of Manchester for two years, and then Head of School for Manchester and Mersey from 2015. She is passionate about trainee wellbeing and has tried hard to look after her School during the pandemic.

Sarah hosted our two-part podcast on Safety in Formula 1. Listen to part 2 here.

Dr Roger Sharpe qualified from the Middlesex Hospital Medical School in 1986. He trained in anaesthesia in North West London and was appointed as a consultant at Northwick Park Hospital in 1997. He is a generalist anaesthetist and has worked predominantly in trauma, obstetrics and DGH level paediatrics.

Roger has a long background in medical education and assessment. Locally he completed terms as College Tutor (2002-2008), Director of Medical Education (2008 – 2016) and Associate Medical Director for Education and Research (2016 – 2021). In 2011 he completed an MA in Clinical Education at the Institute of Education, University of London. Roger was appointed as a primary FRCA examiner in 2010 and during this tenure developed a new marking scheme for OSCE History and Communication, was OSCE chair (2018 – 2020) and Primary FRCA chair (2020 – 2022). He participated in the 2021 internal review of FRCA exams. He was appointed as chair of FRCA examinations in 2022.

Roger has recently retired and returned to work on a part-time basis and is filling his additional spare time with photography, swimming and cycling.