Oxford-based Kashmiri psychiatrist bags innovator of the year award

Mushtaq Bhat

Srinagar march 19, : A 30-year-old Kashmiri doctor, based in Oxford, has been awarded the ‘Innovator of the year 2022 Award’ by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych), London.

Dr Shah Tarfarosh hailing from Buchpora area of Srinagar city is working as a Specialist Registrar Psychiatrist and Honorary Teaching Fellow at the University of Oxford.

He was nominated for four awards including ‘Psychiatric Educator of the year’, ‘Trainee Innovator of the year’, ‘Trainee Peer of the year’ and ‘Higher Trainee of the year’.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the professional body responsible for education and training as well as setting and raising standards in Psychiatry internationally.

Dr Tarfarosh was selected as the finalist for three awards and won the innovator of the year award at the award ceremony conducted by the South-East division of the RCPsych on March 09, 2022.

The award is given in psychiatry to doctors who have contributed innovatively in addition to their usual clinical role in fields like quality improvement, research, teaching, leadership, management, public engagement and education.

In 2021, his performance ticked all these boxes despite the Covid-19 pandemic and was appreciated for his work.

“During 2021, the doctor developed impressive quality improvement projects showing real-life experiences of children and families using services for neurodevelopment conditions and was interviewed by the BBC for his work,” the Royal College said in a tweet.

Dr Tarfarosh has also organized and facilitated the first International Oxford NeuroCon in which noted TED speakers were invited to speak on Neuroscience of Emotions and Ideas.

He has held multiple management positions alongside his clinical role and is currently the BMA Local Negotiating Committee Representative for junior doctors in Oxford.

The psychiatrist regularly organizes the Oxford CRISP training—a psychiatry interview skills training—for new doctors in psychiatry.

Dr Tarfarosh completed his MBBS from GMC Jammu and was selected in Oxford for training as an adult psychiatrist.

Despite working as a full-time psychiatrist, he hasn’t stopped his passion for learning.

Recently, he was rewarded with a postgraduate award for completing a PG course at the University of Cambridge. He is also pursuing a part-time MBA course from Germany.

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