Career profile: Dr Ashutosh Kapoor, Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology and General Internal Medicine

What is your job?

I am working as a Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology and General Internal Medicine at Barts Health NHS Trust. I also hold various educational roles and commitments as well, such as being the Undergraduate Educational lead for my department along with the successful completion of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) Educator Accreditation as well.

In addition to the above, I have also served as an ARCP (Annual Review of Competency Progression) Panel member for the North East London Deanery Higher Specialist Trainees (HST) ARCPs and have taken on the role of supervising junior doctors, medical students and Physician Associate Students.

How did you become a Consultant?

From the final year of medical university, I could not dream of any other specialty other than Diabetes and Endocrinology. I completed my initial Specialist Training in Diabetes and Endocrinology in Northwest England, where I was the Higher Specialty Trainee representative for the entire region for the majority of my training period. Subsequently, I moved to Northwest London during the latter stages of my training, where I worked in centres of excellence such as Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital to name a few, leading to a successful Certificate of Completion of Training in August 2023. You can qualify as a doctor, but there’s so much more you can do with your career, such as leading educational initiatives and engaging in the field of medical education which was my passion from the get go.

Alongside my training, I have successfully published literature in a plethora of journals and multiple conferences in the form of presentations and oral communications and am now being invited to deliver seminars at various platforms, in national and international settings.

I have a special interest in Transition Endocrinology and Diabetes. This is the time when a person moves into adult care. I have recently completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Diabetes Care programme with Distinction from the University of Warwick and am an avid tutor, which is reflected in my current role as the Undergraduate Diabetes and Endocrinology departmental lead at my current work place and previous commitment to the field of medical education.

Prior to my training in the UK, I successfully completed my MBBS (Undergraduate education) from India and schooling in Dubai.

What do you do day-to-day? 

My day-to-day job involves compassionate, humane care for patients and providing support to my colleagues alike in the form of a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) setting. I also have the good fortune of being a mentor and leading educational initiatives and projects at my work place. 

What qualifications and skills do you need for your job? 

Although the road to becoming a consultant is a lengthy once, it is extremely gratifying and enjoyable if you are passionate about the particular field and science. To be a consultant, you have to attain skills of teamwork, leadership, prioritisation, providing education and mentoring alongside your medical skills and have deep insightful knowledge about the subject material and respective branch of medicine. Being a consultant is an amalgamation of clinical and non-clinical skills. 

The thorough and holistic training programme in the UK provides doctors with the opportunity to gain these skills and I would encourage that any interested individuals should prepare as early as possible to cater their portfolio and CV towards Diabetes and Endocrinology.

Why did you want to become a Consultant?

One of the main reasons I became a doctor is the difference that I can make to people’s lives. Along with this, the branch of Diabetes and Endocrinology provides immense potential for ongoing education, research and mentoring, which I have a special interest in.

Diabetes and Endocrinology is an extremely fulfilling and gratifying stream of medicine, since it provides the opportunity of visceral stimulation and in-depth thinking, along with the positive outcome of various substantial therapeutic options. In addition to that, the scope and opportunity of conducting research, discovering novel therapies and publishing literature is abundant.

What do you love about your job? 

Making a difference to a patient’s life and being there for them and their relatives in the most difficult of times, is what really hits it home for myself. The motto of ‘providing human care, with a humane touch’ resonates the most with myself and is what I love the most about my job.

The fact that Diabetes and Endocrinology as a stream of medicine, is an extremely visceral branch with lots of scope of ‘thinking-out-of-the-box’ is what attracted me towards my job. In addition to that, on a satisfying note, this branch of medicine has viable therapeutic options and treatment modalities for the respective underlying aetiology.

What do you find difficult about your job?

Managing work-life balance is always the difficult aspect of the job. It is of utmost importance to find a balance to prevent burnout and continue to remain inspired with motivation. The difficult aspect is tapping into the ability of leaving work at work and not bringing it back home.

What advice would you give someone interested in becoming a Consultant?

The first piece of advice that I would like to give is to never lose hope and always keep trying till you succeed. The key quality and take home word is: Persistence. Treat this journey as a marathon and not a race, since if one remains passionate, persistent and pro-active, success will be achieved. The best part of being a doctor is that if you love your respective stream and science, you will automatically fall in love with your job.

How might your job change in the future?

As of late, there have been many novel advances in the field of technology. This has traversed into the stream of Diabetes and Endocrinology, where Insulin pumps, Augmented sensors and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being utilised and is on the rise. Automated Insulin Delivery systems and Hybrid Closed Loop (HCL) is certainly a space to watch in the months to come.

I predict our jobs will become more of a hybrid nature working both virtually and in the clinic with patients. This is already clearly being witnessed and implemented in educational forums, conferences and teaching seminars. 

Where can I find out more? 

Further information regarding Diabetes and Endocrinology can be found on trusted sources such as Society for Endocrinology (SfE) and European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) that has invaluable information especially in the field of Endocrinology.