Out Of Programme

What happens when a junior doctor turns a single flat into 50 properties — and then builds a platform to fix the broken home-buying system? In this episode, we speak with  Dr Sayinthen Vivekanantham , a former NHS doctor who left clinical training to pursue property investing, eventually founding  Homi , a fast-growing PropTech startup reshaping how real estate agents, solicitors, and buyers colla...

What drives a doctor to swap the wards for boardrooms—and end up leading healthcare strategy across the Middle East? In this episode, we sit down with Dr Zahra Safarfashandi , now Partner at Carnall Farrar, to unpack her bold move from medicine into consulting and her rise to leadership on a global stage. From overcoming family hesitations to pitching to hospital boards on day one, Zahra shares th...

Dr Lucy Marples has had one of the most unconventional career journeys in medicine — starting in philosophy and health policy, before training as a doctor in her 30s, and then working at some of the UK’s biggest health tech companies. In this episode we explore: 📚 Why she left health policy to retrain as a doctor 🏥 What it was like starting medical school a decade later than her peers 🚀 Lessons...

What does it take to leave anaesthetics behind and reimagine your career in the world of finance? In this episode, we speak with Dr Ash Patel – an anaesthetist turned Managing Director at Houlihan Lokey. Ash shares his extraordinary journey from the wards of the NHS to the early founding days of Babylon Health , through venture capital at Mercia and Optum Ventures , and finally to investment banki...

What happens when a torn ligament becomes the turning point in your clinical career? In this episode, we speak with  Dr Alice McGee  – a former obstetrics trainee who left traditional training behind to found  Mara Health , advise global FemTech companies like  Flow , and lead one of the fastest-growing communities for emerging health tech leaders,  GXGN . Alice opens up about the identity crisis...

What happens when you turn military medicine into a launchpad for tech innovation? In this episode, we speak with  Dr James Kuht  – an RAF doctor whose career has taken him from flying with the Royal Air Force to advising the Prime Minister in No.10, teaching thousands of British military personnel how to code, and founding  Pear , an AI skills platform now used worldwide. We dive into: ✈️ Trainin...

What do you do when the surgical dream no longer fits - and the music industry calls? In this episode, we speak with  Dr Azeem Alam , clinical radiology registrar and co-founder of  BiteWorld  - the company behind the highly acclaimed  BiteLabs Fellowship , which helps clinicians transition into health tech careers. From writing heartbreak ballads in his teens to working with Top 40 artists in LA,...

What does it take to walk away from anaesthetics and lead one of the world’s top healthcare communication networks? In this episode, we speak with Dr Vernon Bainton—Chief Medical Officer at HavasLynx—about his unconventional journey from hospital medicine to global medical communications. Vernon shares how personal upheaval, health challenges, and an unexpected meeting with three entrepreneurial c...

What happens when you choose not to pursue residency after medical school? In this episode, we speak with Elsa Varghese—a medical doctor who walked away from the traditional path to build a career at the cutting edge of digital health. From family pressure and financial worries to launching clinical games at Level X and leading teams at Snake Inc., Elsa shares how she transformed uncertainty into...

What does it take to be a paediatric surgeon and the driving force behind one of the NHS’s most groundbreaking innovation hubs? In this episode, we sit down with Mr. Iain Hennessey , Consultant Paediatric Surgeon and Clinical Director of Innovation at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. From a childhood spent in the mine rescue medical centre to founding the iconic Alder Hey Innovation Hub (aka the Bat...

From Imperial dropout to Cambridge medic to digital health leader — Dr. Anushka Patchava’s career has been anything but traditional. In this candid and energising conversation, Anushka reflects on: The cultural and internal pressures that pushed her into medicine Why she left radiology (and what a night shift at King’s Hospital had to do with it) Her difficult but necessary leap into consulting an...

Professor Sam Shah has worn more hats than most clinicians ever dream of — dentist, public health leader, NHS digital director, startup founder, and now lawyer. But none of it has been linear. In this energising, no-holds-barred conversation, Sam reflects on: How being too curious almost got him thrown out of dental school — twice Why he challenged his deans and training programmes (and what he’d...

🚀 NEW PODCAST ALERT 🚀In this episode of the Out Of Programme podcast, Muhammad and Jing speak to Ms Liz Ashall-Payne, a former speech and language therapist (SALT) who is now the Chief Executive Officer of ORCHA! During this episode, Liz shares her journey from being a speech and language therapist to becoming the CEO of ORCHA, a leader in digital health. She discusses her early motivations, fru...

🚀 NEW PODCAST ALERT 🚀 In this episode of the Out Of Programme podcast, Dr. Muhammad Khan interviews his co-host Dr. Jing Ouyang, ex-doctor and Co-Founder of Patchwork. During this episode, Jing shares his motivations for pursuing medicine, the challenges he faced during his studies, and how he transitioned into the world of business and innovation. He reflects on the importance of side projects,...

In this episode of the Out Of Programme podcast, Dr. Jing Ouyang interviews his co-host, Dr. Muhammad Khan, a clinical radiology registrar based in the UK and co-founder of RadCast, a radiology educational platform and podcast that he bootstrapped whilst in radiology training. They discuss their long-standing friendship, the challenges faced during medical school, and his exploration of alternativ...

🚀 NEW PODCAST ALERT 🚀 Ever wondered what lies beyond the traditional clinical path? Always thought of what else you could with your healthcare degree? Is the grass always greener? If you've ever had these type of questions, then you've come to the right place! Welcome to the Out Of Programme Podcast, hosted by Dr Jing Ouyang and Dr Muhammad Khan. As part of the Out Of Programme Podcast, we focus...